Burgers have helped casual dining restaurants level the playing field with QSRs on price. The average price of a burger at casual dining is $9.02 and is $5.62 at fast casual, according to NPD. However, the gap closes when considering that fries typically come with a burger ordered at casual dining restaurants and need to be purchased separately at fast-casual restaurants at an average cost of $2.89, based on NPD’s Checkout Tracking research. Also compensating for the slightly higher burger price at casual dining restaurants is that consumers are factoring in the value of a full-service sit-down lunch meal.
Burger servings ordered at casual dining restaurants were up 3 percent in the year ending June 2015 period compared to year ago, and were the segment’s only menu category to grow in servings. In contrast, burger servings at QSRs were flat, according to NPD.
“It is an effective strategy on the part of casual dining and other full-service restaurants to menu more burger items,” says Bonnie Riggs, NPD restaurant industry analyst. “Successful casual dining operators offer burgers that meet the tastes of their customers and are priced competitively. As a result, they gain lunch visitors.”
The burger helped casual dining restaurants gain lunch traffic ground in the year ending June 2015 period, increasing by 2 percent, the segment’s first traffic increase at lunch in five years. QSR lunch visits increased by 1 percent in the period compared to year ago.
