Can local market stomach more burgers?

When Matt Holt started research to see if a gourmet burger restaurant was feasible in eastern Manatee County, he was aware the American public was being bombarded by pleas to eat healthier and dump the fan-favorite beef patty.

But he felt strongly that, done the right way, he could draw a crowd. Along with his mother, Pinki Goolsby, and brother, Shane Keinz, he opened Full Belly Stuffed Burgers three years ago.

"The burger is such an American classic and a staple of our diet," Holt said at his restaurant at 8742 E. State Road 70 in Bradenton. "We just needed to do it in a new way. We feel that if people try it the first time, they will come back.

"Sooner or later, everyone has a splurge meal. Let us be your splurge meal."

A study by food industry analyst CHD Expert estimated America's burger business to be about $73 billion a year. A lot of splurging is being done. A Center for Investigative Reporting study in 2012 stated America consumes 50 billion burgers a year, with the typical American diet consisting of an average of three burgers a week.

However, since Full Belly opened, a lot of other restauranteurs have had the same idea. The latest addition to the mix, opening Aug. 8, was BurgerFi at 257 North Cattlemen Road in Sarasota. Those who go to The Mall of University Town Center can choose between BurgerFi, the Burger & Beer Joint, which debuted with the mall, or even can order a gourmet burger at Rusty Bucket.

A short drive away are Five Guys, Square 1 Burgers and Smashburger. Restaurants like Ed's Tavern and Wolves Head Pizza & Wings in Lakewood Ranch are known for gourmet burgers.

"It's a little scary, the influx of gourmet burger restaurants as compared to three years ago," Holt said. "But we still have our niche. Our burgers are labor intensive."

Full Belly's special ingredients are either stuffed or worked into the meat. "Most people wouldn't put the time in that it takes me to make these burgers," said Goolsby, who mixes the burgers each morning.

Of course, each gourmet burger restaurant believes it offers something special. "Making great food is where you get the customers to come back," said Landyn Crabtree, the BurgerFi general manager. "And every response we've gotten since we opened was that people can't get enough good burgers."

Square 1 Burgers has thrived in the area for more than five years, even with burger meals on the menu that top the $15 mark.

"Americans have a love affair with burgers," said Bill Milner, the vice president of operations for Square 1 Burgers. "They are looking for a better quality product. When they eat here, they get quality, all-natural beef with no antibiotics, no hormones. I think millennials are a little more conscious of what they are eating."

Burger & Beer Joint Manager McKinley Cherisol said it isn't a complex situation. "It's all very simple, people like good food," he said. "We offer a premium blend of meat, and that makes for a good flavor."

All the restauranteurs are aware that health aspects are a factor. The suggested calorie intake for a meal is about 500 calories, so a gourmet burger can blow moderation out the window. For those more concerned with calories, the gourmet restaurants offer bison, turkey and other meats pressed into burgers, or burgers wrapped in lettuce with no bun.

"That's all I have eaten the last two years," Crabtree said of BurgerFi's lettuce bun.

After 12 years in the food service business, is Crabtree surprised the gourmet burger market has exploded? "If you asked me about this 12 years ago, I would say yes," she said. "A fast, casual $10 burger was not on my mind."

However, BurgerFi sent its director of operations to the UTC Mall area for months to collect data and do car counts. "They found this area, along with the rowing facility, is a good fit for us."

Although some economists predict the gourmet burger market is now saturated in the United States, Florida continues to add to its 2,700-plus and growing burger restaurants. That ranks only behind No. 1 California and No. 2 Texas.

That''s OK with Holt.

"We only expect to see you once a week," he said.