Midway through enjoying a McDonald’s Angus Bacon Cheese or Wendy’s Bacon Deluxe or Carl’s Jr. Western Bacon Six Dollar Burger, the thought occurs: Doesn’t it seem like almost every burger now is bacon topped? Like the McDonald’s Australia commercial at left, the menu mantra appears to be, “Bacon. Bacon. Bacon.”
And, in fact, the lingering suspicion that restaurant meals are much more bacon-laden than ever turns out to be true. However, while burgers are ahead of the menu pack in adding on bacon, quick-service restaurants (QSRs) aren’t alone in playing this game.
Data compiled for BurgerBusiness.com by Chicago-based researcher Mintel shows that just since 2005 the number of menu items of all types that include bacon is up 26.5% at all (quick- and full-service) restaurants. QSRs have put on the bacon at a remarkable but less robust rate: +23% since 2005.
Certainly burgers have contributed to the bacon tsunami. Mintel finds that the number of bacon-topped burgers at all 580 restaurants in its Menu Insights database soared from 424 in 2005 to 576 in 2009, a 35.8% increase. At QSRs, the increase has been a Whoppering 32.9%, although that’s a bit less than for all restaurants.
19 AreYou Kidding Me: “Many Americans may not be familiar with peameal bacon because it is generally enjoyed by people with better taste and not the swill eating, Twinkie devouring, cousin loving people who live especially in the Southern US.”
That’s a little harsh. We don’t all like Twinkies.
I LOVE pork in its many forms. Bring it on!