C AT E G O R Y R E P O R T SLIDING INTO FIRST The gourmet burger business is helping support wholesale ground beef prices at a time when retail sales are weak BY S T E V E K AY | m e a t p o u l t r y @ s o s l a n d.c o m S 30 MEAT+ POULTRY | 04.17 | www.meatpoultry.com each year, well in excess of 11 billion in fact. Eight out of 10 foodservice establishments serve hamburgers, and ground beef accounts for 63 percent of all beef sales in the sector, and 37 percent of the beef revenue. The big names, from McDonald's to Jack in the Box, still dominate the hamburger business. But sales weren't exactly stellar in the past year, as other chains continued to take away market share. McDonald's on March 1 said it was going back to basics and focus on its burgers and improving their quality. Nickola Che/Adobe Stock liders, those increasingly popular mini-burgers, are helping halt the swoon in the ground beef complex. Although beef sliders date back nearly 100 years, they have become one of the hottest items in the hamburger business both in the US and globally. The gourmet burger business meanwhile continues to thrive in the US. Both categories are helping support wholesale ground beef prices at a time when retail sales continue to be weak. Americans still eat billions of burgershttp://www.meatpoultry.com