In recent times, no trend has hit the Australian foodservice sector quite as hard as that of the gourmet burger movement. Over the past few years, restaurants, cafes, pubs and clubs have been stepping up their game, offerings indulgent, Instagram-worthy burgers that have been thoughtfully crafted and comprise top quality ingredients. Gone are the days when crafting a burger was simply a matter of slapping together a sloppy meat patty, watery lettuce and tasteless sauce on an equally unimpressive bun. Nowadays, if your venue doesn’t offer something a little more special than the greasy numbers of yesteryear, you run the risk of being left behind.
According to Lauren Magner, a senior industry analyst for IBISWorld, consumers are hungry for quality food offerings, and are willing to pay the price. “The trend towards premiumisation has led to strong demand for gourmet burgers over the past five years. Consumers are increasingly demanding better quality products, regardless of the higher price-point. While this has constrained revenue for typical fast-food burger shops, it has provided opportunities at the premium end of the market. New operators are increasingly offering high quality burgers made from premium ingredients,” she said.
Chefs across the country are adding gourmet burgers to their menus, ensuring they’re made up of quality, tasty ingredients that can also deliver significant returns for their business. Savvy operators that have gone beyond this by launching a foodservice concept based entirely on top quality burgers include Neil Perry (The Burger Project), Warren Turnbull (Chur Burger) and Daniel Wilson (Huxtaburger), to name a few. Even McDonald’s new Create your Taste concept is selling itself as a member of the premium end of the burger market.
It’s important to keep in mind that chefs and foodservice operators don’t need to break the bank in order to create a tasty burger. There’s no need to craft a costly and cumbersome wagyu beef patty and place it on a bed of organic micro greens, then finish it with a house-made chutney. If you work smarter by tweaking a couple of key ingredients – such as the burger bun – you’ll be able to claim a handsome portion of the premium burger market, and the profits that go with it.
Similar to the growing demand for artisan bread products such as sourdough and ciabatta, burger buns are undergoing a similar evolution. The number of different styles of burger buns on menus today – ranging from brioche to damper – are a far cry from the plain and uninspiring rolls that dominated the market in years gone by.
In response to impressive growth figures for the company’s existing range of everyday seeded burger buns – which have increased 12.5 percent over the past two years – Tip Top Food Service has now launched a selection of gourmet burgers buns. The range includes brioche buns, brioche sliders, seeded burger sliders and damper buns – all of which you can get delivered frozen to your venue, allowing chefs to thaw them as needed , while minimising wastage. For more information on Tip Top Foodservice’s gourmet burger range, visit http://www.tiptop-foodservice.com.au/ or contact your local distributor.
