The Burger Boom

A big, fat juicy burger. Even typing the words makes the mouth water. But after decades of having the slim choice of either McDonalds or Dan Ryan’s, this past year has seen an explosion of burger joints opening their doors around our city – among the big players are Shake ‘Em Buns, Burger Republic, Burger Room, Duke’s Burger, Fatburger and Triple O’s.

But while burgers and fries were once associated with being the poor man’s meal, the beggar’s banquet, that stigma has been fast vanishing. The burger as we know it has been thrust into the upscale market, with these independent locals and global chains selling high-quality and hefty sandwiches for anywhere between $50 on the lowest end to $200 at the top – a far cry from the humble $10 McDonalds burger.
And stranger still are these “luxury burgers” on the high-end. In places such as Duke’s Burgers, these sandwiches are made with such high-quality meats as wagyu beef, oxtail and short ribs. “Hong Kong diners are definitely more food-savvy than they were a few years ago,” says Que Vinh Dang, executive chef at Duke’s. “There is a niche market for things like this; there are people who want something different and they want the quality that comes with it. That’s the beauty of food; once someone takes a normal everyday item a little more upscale, the next person will try to outdo them.”

Peter Tsang, Managing Director of Burger Republic, agrees. “The concept has changed, there’s an opportunity for people like us to open shop. Hong Kong is specialized and customers are becoming more advanced and more developed. It’s down to the quality. What you pay for is what you get.”

Both feel that the current trend of high-quality burgers is based on nostalgia, harkening back to the memory of burgers as comfort food. And with a booming economy in Asia’s financial capital, foreign-raised young professionals are willing to pay those extra dollars for a more fulfilling alternative to McDonalds.

“We all work ourselves to the bone in this city, and there’s hardly any time to use our hard-earned cash. Going out to some fancy French restaurant just isn’t going to cut it,” says lawyer Michael Lam. “You want something greasy, juicy and slightly unhealthy, but at the same time not some gray patty that might not even be real beef. It’s worth those extra dollars – more worth it than some ridiculously expensive watered-down cocktail at a club.”

And therein lies their market, says Tsang. “Hong Kong people like expensive things, and there are always gimmicks to attract people to new restaurants.” But he goes on to say that it’s not always sustainable. “This city changes so quickly and so dynamically. Places do well when they first open, but people get bored easily if it’s not a bit more. The higher-end burger market may be a little too overdeveloped for Hong Kong at the moment.”