Making Better Burgers
Retailers employ value, LTOs and customization to keep the burger business lucrative.
Oct 07, 2026 | 2 min read
It’s hard to think of a more crowd-pleasing meal than the American hamburger.
“Burgers continue to be one of the strongest-performing foodservice categories in convenience retail because they check all the boxes customers are looking for today. They’re familiar, craveable, portable and offer strong value,” said Farley Kaiser, vice president of retail foodservice for wholesaler McLane Co.
Burgers are also very adaptable, said Lizzy Freier, senior director of menu research and insights for market research company Technomic. “Even if you’re an operator who doesn’t specialize in burgers, there are always ways to make a burger align with your specific menu and positioning,” she said.
“Burgers are a great item to offer, and if you want to be taken seriously for your food, you need to have them to compete against chains like McDonald’s or Five Guys,” said Micah Rupprecht, director of category management for foodservice for Kwik Trip, La Crosse, Wisconsin.
“When we first got into food in the early 2000s, burgers were one of the first things we put on our menu because of the ease of operation and the adaptability,” Rupprecht said. “And they’re easy for customers to eat when they’re driving.”
Keeping It Simple
Burgers are simple to execute “because they’re consistent and easy to cook and assemble,” Rupprecht said.
Execution is an important part of any foodservice strategy, and it’s the key to the success of Bobby’s Burgers, a 12-unit fast casual that began in 2021 and now has units in airports and casinos.
Founded by celebrity chef Bobby Flay, the restaurant offers only seven kinds of burgers, plus fries and milkshakes. But that’s key, said Patric Knapp, vice president of operations. The brand wanted to feature only items that truly belong on its menu.
Having a simple offering helps build and scale the brand efficiently and effectively, and the concept doesn’t need to be everything to everybody. It’s best, he said to “focus on what we want to do and do it well.”
Continue reading more about c-store burgers in the October 2026 NACS Magazine article "Happiness Is a Warm Bun."
