Queen city just loves burgers
Popular all-in-one meal evolves into taste sensation worthy of a chef.
Aucklanders cannot get enough of burgers. Like the humble pie which has evolved from a $1 nightmare at a service station to top quality pastry delights, the burger has experienced a boom in the past five years.
Between 2013 and 2018, 27 new companies were registered in Auckland with the word burger in their name, according to the New Zealand Companies Office.
And nationwide 68 companies had such a name in that period.
That compares with the previous five years when “burger” was used 23 times in the creation of new companies and Auckland accounted for 14 of those.
Federal Lane restaurateur and celebrity chef Al Brown put the growth of the burger down to people’s love of the allin-one meal.
“People generally love a burger. Now, these days it’s what is the ultimate burger.”
Brown was not a fan of the brioche bun — a popular choice for burger providers in recent years.
“If the burger is juicy, by the time you get to those last few mouthfuls the bread is falling to pieces.
“But some people swear by the brioche bun. I myself like the milk bun.” That’s a soft white bun with “a whole lot of numbers built into it” that held together.
The meat choice defined the burger but also raised several possibilities, Brown explained.
“What cuts of meats, the fat ratio of the burger itself, what spice or seasoning you are adding . . .”
Purists held the cheeseburger in high regard, he said.
“To me, it’s a perfect bun, perfect burger still caramelised on the outside, medium-rare, cheese melted, good pickle, red onion, iceberg lettuce, ketchup and a little bit of mustard.”
HPrices and ingredients vary for the ubiquitous burger.
There is the consistently cheap, and large, fish and chip shop burgers selling for $5-$7, depending how much meat you ask for.
Mid-range burgers at retail chains such as Wendy’s, KFC, Burger King and McDonald’s averaged $7 with outliers like a sub-$3 cheeseburger or a $10 deluxe burger.
The price continues to rise for the discerning burger lover, with joints such as Burger Burger in Watch the video at nzherald.co.nz Ponsonby, Newmarket and Takapuna charging around $13.
SkyCity Casino has even tapped into the market with their restaurant Andy’s Burgers offering succulent treats from the classic cheeseburger with fries (pictured) for $15.50, or the more daring crab burger and fries for $19.
Auckland Council did not keep specific data to be able to accurately determine the number of burger restaurants in Auckland, a
spokesperson said.