That staggering figure, 9 billion burgers served (and in a bad year for McDonald’s!), doesn’t even count the burgers you ate in your buddy’s backyard. 9 billion is a restaurants-only number. Maybe that’s why every time you turn around there’s a new burger joint that wants to serve you and why a company like Shake Shack can have an IPO. We can’t get enough. The 9 billion marked an increase of 3% of the previous year according to The NPD Group, which studies such things.
Chicken, btw, was out–down 9% probably due to the way restaurants compete to make the chicken incredibly unappealing before sticking it in the bun. Burgers are straightforward fare, ranging in price from 50 cents to hundreds of dollars. It’s a very democratic food.
