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Burger sales up, sandwich and chicken sales down in 2014

Diners ordered 9 billion serving of burgers in U.S. restaurants and foodservice outlets last year, three percent more than the year before. Meanwhile, sandwiches were down 2 percent and chicken dropped 9 percent.

January 27, 2015

Despite high beef prices, tough competition and flat to declining restaurant traffic, the number of burgers ordered increased by 3 percent in 2014, according to market research firm NPD.

Diners ordered 9 billion serving of burgers in U.S. restaurants and foodservice outlets last year.

Bulk ground beef unit shipments to total foodservice outlets increased by 2 percent, reports NPD's SupplyTrack. Bulk ground beef case shipments to quick service restaurants increased by 3 percent, by 4 percent to quick service hamburger restaurants, which drive 70 percent of bulk ground beef sales, and 1 percent to full service restaurants. 

The burger category's gain is the sandwich category's loss. Sandwich servings overall declined by 2 percent in 2014 compared to 2013, a servings volume loss of 201 million, finds NPD. Grilled chicken sandwiches, which tend to be burgers' chief competitor, had a challenging year with a servings decline of 9 percent, a loss of 129 million servings.

Burger serving increases also outpaced foodservice traffic growth in 2014, which was flat for the total foodservice industry and quick service restaurants. Visits to quick service hamburger restaurants, at which burgers were included in 51 percent of orders, were down 3 percent though hamburger servings were up 3 percent.

"The success of burgers in 2014 was a combination of factors," says Bonnie Riggs, NPD's restaurant industry analyst. "Quick service restaurant chains launched new burger items, casual dining restaurants added more burger items to the menu to offset higher beef costs, and Americans simply love their burgers."