Burger wars, re-visited

[PonySoprano]

Did anyone see the article in Saturday's DMN Business Section titled "Burgers go Gormet"?

Listed a few places that are trying to go upscale on the burgers by using higher priced meat and toppings.

Burgers go gourmet
Fast-casual restaurants take the humble hamburger to the next gastronomic level

By KAREN ROBINSON-JACOBS / The Dallas Morning News
[email protected]

PLANO – Mooyah, a Plano eatery that specializes in fresh, made-to-order burgers and fries, just opened in April. But already Dave Tessier is a regular.

Male and 21, the West Plano man is the core demographic for the fast-food industry. But at Mooyah, he's enjoying a higher class of burger – made from fresh (not frozen) patties, with premium toppings such as grilled onions – and paying about twice the price.

An open kitchen lets diners see their burgers being made at Mooyah, 6400 W. Park Blvd. in Plano. "This is great," said Mr. Tessier, who figures he's been to Mooyah at least a half-dozen times in two months. "It's nice to see more places that are not fast-food oriented."

Mooyah is part of a growing group of burger-meisters looking to do for beef, turkey and veggie burgers what Starbucks did for coffee – use higher-quality ingredients, ratchet up the selling price and the atmosphere, and attract consumers turned off by the dwindling reputation of fast food.

"They're going for a different clientele, a gourmet burger experience," Paul Barron, publisher of Fast Casual magazine, said of the growing number of burger boutiques. "They're really trying to separate themselves on a quality level. People are willing to spend more money on a quality burger."

Without question, the restaurant burger category is dominated by fast-food chains. The Big Three – McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's – laid claim to 74 percent of the more than $56 billion in 2006 burger sales, according to Technomic Inc., a Chicago-based restaurant market research firm.

But burger restaurants are growing rapidly in the so-called fast-casual category. That's a gastronomic middle ground offering higher-quality food than typically found in a quick-service restaurant (that's the term restaurateurs prefer over "fast food") without the wait, higher price and server tip common at sit-down, full-service spots.


No players list

There's no uniform list of who the major players are in the space, because there's no official definition of what makes a restaurant "fast casual."

In general, industry experts said, the grouping includes chains such as Austin-based Fuddruckers, which largely launched the fast-casual burger genre in 1980; Five Guys Burgers & Fries out of Lorton, Va., which has designs on expanding nationally; Farmer Boys Restaurants, based in Loma Linda, Calif.; and Topz Healthier Burger Grill, another California concept that opened its first Dallas location about a year ago.

The fast-casual restaurants typically offer fresh, hand-prepared burgers and fries in an atmosphere that might feature plush chairs and a fireplace but no kiddie playland.

"You're going to have an environment that's more conducive to staying longer," Mr. Barron said.

Sales at the 11 largest fast-casual burger chains grew nearly 15 percent last year, according to Technomic.

That growth was driven largely by a 14 percent jump in the number of restaurants open, thanks mainly to franchising. And it compares with sales growth of less than 5 percent for "limited-service" burgers overall.

Darren Tristano, executive vice president at Technomic, said the number of fast-casual brands – and outlets – are "definitely growing. You're starting to see that restaurants see the opportunity."


Heart of growth

At the heart of the growth is America's insatiable love of the burger, coupled with the trend of consumers "trading up" to more sophisticated – and expensive – food choices.

Several cities claim to have birthed the burger. Backers of Athens, Texas – including a resolution from the recent legislative session – say Fletcher Davis invented the sandwich there for the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis.

Americans have been chowing down ever since. We consumed more than 11.3 billion burgers in 2006, and nearly 80 percent of those were prepared and purchased outside the home, according to Census data and the NPD Group, a consumer research firm based in Port Washington, N.Y.

"In a room of 100 people, all 100 may only want a burger once a week, but just about everybody wants it," said Barry Newberg, a Mooyah franchisee who co-owns the inaugural unit in Plano with the company founders, Rich Hicks, co-founder of the Tin Star restaurants, and Todd Istre, a dentist-cum-restaurateur.

For decades, the restaurant burger has been dominated by two extremes – quick-serve and sit-down.

One of the first chains to try to bridge that gap was Fuddruckers, created by legendary Dallas restaurateur Phil Romano. The concept: freshly baked buns and fresh patties cooked to order, then dressed by the customer at a giant condiments bar.

The segment leader, with more than 270 locations, "Fudd's" has suffered through some ownership and positioning changes over the decades.

But it's preparing to unveil a "lighter," more contemporary prototype (read: less rock 'n' roll memorabilia). And it plans to open about 30 restaurants over the next 12 months, said Matt Pannek, president and chief executive.

"Fuddruckers is coming through a re-birth," said Mr. Pannek, who plans to devote millions over several years to renovate his stores. "The brand is still the dominator of the segment."


New kid

A new kid on the block is Plano's Mooyah, located across from a private air field and around the corner from the Shops at Willow Bend.

With the restaurant's minimalist menu and sparse décor, Mr. Newberg said, he hopes to keep the focus on the food – the 80 percent lean beef, fresh-cut Kennebec potatoes and special-recipe buns.

"We're not doing a 99-cent value menu," Mr. Newberg said.

He said he couldn't estimate how much more his ingredients cost than at restaurants that charge less for the food. Mr. Tristano said a fresh patty can cost 1 ½ times more than a frozen one.

"I'm sure it costs me a little more," Mr. Newberg said. "But we know there is a quality difference. That's why."

Mr. Hicks said Mooyah was created with the idea of eventually going national.

If so, he'll have company from five guys with an aggressive growth strategy.

Clearly the brand with the buzz, Five Guys was founded in 1986 in Arlington, Va., when Jerry Murrell, a retired insurance salesman, offered his four sons a choice: money for college or money to start a business.

Its growth spurt began four years ago, when it started franchising. The chain, which has 169 outlets, posted sales growth of 113 percent last year, according to Technomic. That was the highest growth rate among the 27 largest U.S. burger chains tracked by the research firm and was fueled by a 70 percent boost in the number of locations.

Spokeswoman Molly Catalano said the company expects to bring its first unit to Dallas-Fort Worth next year.

"I would think we want to be a true national chain, but we're trying not to grow too fast," Ms. Catalano said.

The reigning burger boys have taken note of the trend.

In 2004, San Diego-based Jack in the Box Inc. launched its own fast-casual concept – JBX Grill. The experiment spawned only 11 units and was canceled in 2005.

But as the company continues a re-imaging program at existing Jack in the Box restaurants, it is incorporating some fast-casual elements, such as ciabatta bread sandwiches, ceramic tile floors and wall collages.

Last year Burger Street, a Dallas-based quick-serve chain known for its double drive-through lanes, launched two Burger Street Cafés. Shunning fast-food clichés, the Dallas restaurant has no drive-through and instead features a faux-oak fireplace, a sea-themed ceramic tile wall mural and seating for 100.

But the company quickly found that the Oklahoma location, which has a drive-through, outpaced the Dallas outlet.

"There's a marked difference between the two," said Dennis Carr, vice president of Waugh Enterprises Inc., the parent company. "The fact that we don't have a drive-through here hurts us."

The fast-food purveyors also continue to battle the perception – propelled in part by obesity lawsuits – that burgers are not the healthiest things you can eat.

"For how much we paid here we could have gone to the Chinese place and had some vegetables other than pickles," said Garland resident Barbara Shade, who took son Kenny to Fuddruckers this week.

"Fast food has taken a beating, and folks are trading up," said Chris Weinberg, president of the Barfly Group, a North Carolina-based restaurant consulting firm. "I think the landscape is wide open for the fast-casual burger. We're just scratching the surface with what these folks can do."

[SMU Football Blog]

I have eaten at Mooyah's three times now. An above-average burger, though I think it could be salted a little more. I will add that my friend that orders his Snuffers' burgers "unsalted" (I didn't know you could do such a thing) said it wasn't seasoned enough as well. Also, and very important, they have a really good bun.

The fries are top notch, which they should be given they are "hand cut" fries without freezing.

Be warned, however, burgers, fries and shakes are all they have. For the kids, they have a grilled cheese is cheese and a burger bun. the grilled cheese is top notch. They invert the bun to really grill it-something Jack's Burger House could learn from. They can do a turkey or veggie burger, but no chicken in the place.

If they had a secret sauce, I would say their closest counterpart is In-N-Out Burger. The ingredients are that fresh and the menu is that limited. That may or may not bode well fi the rumors of the coming In-N-Out expansion are true.

[BrianTinBigD]

In and Out Burger. I could use one right now but there are no flights leaving this time of night. Double with cheese, monster style is calling me!

[PonyFan]

I have eaten at Mooyah's three times now. An above-average burger, though I think it could be salted a little more. I will add that my friend that orders his Snuffers' burgers "unsalted" (I didn't know you could do such a thing) said it wasn't seasoned enough as well. Also, and very important, they have a really good bun.

The fries are top notch, which they should be given they are "hand cut" fries without freezing.

Be warned, however, burgers, fries and shakes are all they have. For the kids, they have a grilled cheese is cheese and a burger bun. the grilled cheese is top notch. They invert the bun to really grill it-something Jack's Burger House could learn from. They can do a turkey or veggie burger, but no chicken in the place.

If they had a secret sauce, I would say their closest counterpart is In-N-Out Burger. The ingredients are that fresh and the menu is that limited. That may or may not bode well fi the rumors of the coming In-N-Out expansion are true.

Sounds like Blog is looking for a spot on the Burger Crew!

[MrMustang1965]

I have eaten at Mooyah's three times now. An above-average burger, though I think it could be salted a little more. I will add that my friend that orders his Snuffers' burgers "unsalted" (I didn't know you could do such a thing) said it wasn't seasoned enough as well. Also, and very important, they have a really good bun.

The fries are top notch, which they should be given they are "hand cut" fries without freezing.

Be warned, however, burgers, fries and shakes are all they have. For the kids, they have a grilled cheese is cheese and a burger bun. the grilled cheese is top notch. They invert the bun to really grill it-something Jack's Burger House could learn from. They can do a turkey or veggie burger, but no chicken in the place.

If they had a secret sauce, I would say their closest counterpart is In-N-Out Burger. The ingredients are that fresh and the menu is that limited. That may or may not bode well fi the rumors of the coming In-N-Out expansion are true.

Sounds like Blog is looking for a spot on the Burger Crew!

He obviously has been either very busy - or very bored with SMU football - because he hasn't updated the SMU Football Blog since April 4, 2007.

[OC Mustang]

In and Out Burger. I could use one right now but there are no flights leaving this time of night. Double with cheese, monster style is calling me!

In-N-Out burger is fantastic! Used to frequent them at least once a week. I dunno...I still think Snuffer's cheese fries are great (I saw up the thread some bashing of them). My alltime favorite, though, has to be Burger House.

[MrMustang1965]

In and Out Burger. I could use one right now but there are no flights leaving this time of night. Double with cheese, monster style is calling me!

In-N-Out burger is fantastic! Used to frequent them at least once a week. I dunno...I still think Snuffer's cheese fries are great (I saw up the thread some bashing of them). My alltime favorite, though, has to be Burger House.

OC: You're in East Texas. Found any good burger joints over there that you can share with us? When I was living in Longview in the mid-1980s, McCann Street Bar & Grill (no longer in business) and The Butcher Shop both made pretty good burgers.

[PonyPride]

Has anyone tried Backyard Burgers (on the east side of Central Expressway, just south of Forest)?

Don't waste your time. Went there over the weekend, and was very disappointed. Have a friend who basically wanted to stop in because of the sign out front, and it was a regrettable venture.

No beer.
Weak burgers.
No beer.
Poor fries.
No beer.
Overpriced.
No beer.

[RGV Pony]

Has anyone tried Backyard Burgers (on the east side of Central Expressway, just south of Forest)?

Don't waste your time. Went there over the weekend, and was very disappointed. Have a friend who basically wanted to stop in because of the sign out front, and it was a regrettable venture.

No beer.
Weak burgers.
No beer.
Poor fries.
No beer.
Overpriced.
No beer.

Agreed. There's a Backyard Burger near the Sheraton I stay at every other Thanksgiving in Nashville. Three years ago it sucked. Against my better judgement, I went again last Thanksgiving. It still sucked.

[MrMustang1965]

Backyard Burgers is north of Walnut Hill, hence the reason for no beer, I believe. While their burgers aren't the greatest, they're much better than Burger House or Goff's, in my opinion. Also...the manager there is a big supporter of youth athletics. He's kept the door open past closing time several times to allow my twin stepdaughters' softball team to have dinner after their games. And he's an SMU supporter. So...if you're looking for a 'family atmosphere', give 'em a try.

[MrMustang1965]

Putting a 'new' restaurant into the Burger Wars thread for folks to try: Strato's Greek Restaurant at the corner of Webb Chapel and Northwest Highway (Loop 12) near the old European Crossroads complex, about a half mile west of Bachman Lake. Exact address: 2907 Northwest Highway.

http://dallas.citysearch.com/review/35812616

Had a cheeseburger there tonight. Juicy 1 lb. patty and cooked to perfection! Sesame seed buns, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and mayo. EXCELLENT CHEESEBURGER!

Now for the real deal...every Monday and Tuesday night ALL menu items are 1/2 off their regular price. The cheeseburger normally sells for $7.99...so tonight...HALF PRICE!

Good selection of domestic and imported beers, too. Also, mojitos, margaritas, wine, mixed drinks, etc. Large screen flat-screen plasma TVs throughout the restaurant, too.

I've always heard that Greeks make some of the best burgers. It's true! (although I think Pancho was actually behind the grille tonight )

[PK]

...(although I think Pancho was actually behind the grille tonight )

He almost always is.

[mrydel]

Sounds to me like every night but Monday and Tuesday are "double the price" nights.

[MrMustang1965]

Sounds to me like every night but Monday and Tuesday are "double the price" nights.

[The Q]

The place smells a little like an ashtray, but every time I go to High Point (Greenville, just inside 635), the burger is better and better. I've been full for hours.