Thanks for Visiting!

Register for free to get the full story.

Sign Up
Already have a Placer.ai account? Log In

Burger Brands Breakdown

By 
Shira Petrack
November 15, 2021
Burger Brands Breakdown
SHARE
Explore our free tools to get timely insights into key industries
Check out the latest trends for
No items found.
Key Takeaways

Visits to popular burger fast-food chains such as Portillo’s, In-N-Out, Shake Shack, and White Castle have been particularly strong over the past couple of months. We dove into the data to better understand foot traffic patterns to these cult favorites. 

Impressive Growth in Overall Visits 

Many of the burger brands analyzed are relatively regionally focused – Portillo’s has a high concentration of Chicago locations, In-N-Out is strong in California, Shake Shack is particularly popular in the tri-state area, and White Castle has a loyal Midwestern and Northeastern following. But one thing these chains have in common is their strong visit performance over the past two quarters.

As nationwide dining foot traffic lagged behind 2019 levels for most of this past year, visits climbed to these burger brands. In September, as year-over-two-year nationwide dining visits were down by 7.9%, visits to Portillo’s, In-N-Out Burger, While Castle, and Shake Shack increased by 2.1%, 19.5%, 4.5%, and 4.0%, respectively, compared to September 2019. And October’s performance was even stronger, with Yo2Y visits to Portillo’s, In-N-Out Burger, While Castle, and Shake Shack rising by 7.5%, 30.3%, 14.0%, and 17.7%, respectively – positioning these chains for a robust Q4.  

Changes in Visits per Venue

Some of the increase in visits is due to new location openings. In particular, Shake Shack’s impressive foot traffic growth seems to be largely due to its brick and mortar expansion, with Yo2Y average monthly visits per venue numbers significantly lower than its overall foot traffic growth. This makes sense, given that Shake Shack has opened over thirty new locations in 2020 and announced in January that it planned to open 35-40 additional locations in 2021

Portillo’s, which also opened several new locations in 2020 and 2021, has also seen its Yo2Y visits/venue metrics fall behind Yo2Y overall visit growth – but the drop has not been dramatic. The fact that the Chicago-based brand managed to maintain relatively consistent visits/venue numbers while expanding its physical footprint –– even attaining Yo2Y growth in visits/venue of 2.4% in October – bodes well for its long-term expansion plan.

Meanwhile, In-N-Out and White Castle have both seen major hikes in visits/venue over the past couple of months, with October average monthly visits per venue rising by 25.3% and 17.4% for In-N-Out Burger and White Castle, respectively. 

Even More Room for Growth

Diving into consumer behavior patterns reveals even more room for growth. The charts below, which analyze the changes in the share of hourly visits out of total visits to the brand, indicate that the share of evening visits rose across almost all the brands (except for Shake Shack) when compared to 2019, while the share of lunchtime visits between the hours of 11AM and 2PM fell across the board. This means that Portillo’s, In-N-Out, White Castle, and Shake Shack managed to grow their Yo2Y visits despite a drop in the relative number of lunchtime visits. Critically, the drop in lunchtime visits was more pronounced in September and October, as consumers were returning to routines, than it was in the summer months. 

This Yo2Y drop in lunchtime visits was also seen with other leading QSR players, and is not necessarily reason for concern – after all, these brands have managed to exhibit strong Yo2Y visit growth despite the midday downturn. But the relatively weak lunchtime visit numbers do mean that these already strong brands have an opportunity to become even stronger. By finding ways to appeal to Americans returning to the office or to customers taking a midday break from work for holiday shopping, these brands can continue to grow and position themselves for even greater success in 2022. 

Will Portillo’s, In-N-Out, Shake Shack, and White Castle continue growing their foot traffic? Will lunchtime visits return? 

Visit Placer.ai to find out. 

Learn how downtown regions across US cities are measuring up with our free tools.
Check out the latest trends for
No items found.

Related Topics

Explore our free tools to get timely insights into key industries
Check out the latest trends for
No items found.
SHARE
Get 3 brand & industry
breakdowns every week
Subscribe to the newsletter
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Get a Demo

Please enter your first name
Please enter your last name
Please provide a valid email
Please enter your email
Please enter company name

Thanks for reaching out!

One of our experts will be in touch soon

Try Placer.ai Free
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Recent Publications

Get 3 brand & industry breakdowns every week

Subscribe to the newsletter
Starbucks and Dutch Bros: Short Visits Lead the Way
Planet Fitness: Raising the Bar(bell)
Checking in With Full-Service Restaurants: First Watch, Chili’s, and Outback Steakhouse
RBI and Yum!: QSR Resilience in 2024
Boot Barn and DSW: Stepping Up Their Game
Target’s October Circle Week: A Data-Driven Snapshot
Chipotle, Shake Shack & Wingstop: Dining Success in Q3 2024
Playa Bowls and Tropical Smoothie Cafe: Berry Big Business
Cheesecake Factory & BJ’s Restaurants: Full-Service Success
Checking in on McDonald's and Wendy's 
Sprouts Farmers Market: A Specialty Grocer With a Traditional Twist
CAVA: The Craze Continues
Placer.ai Reaches $100M Annual Recurring Revenue
Catching Up With Carter's 
A Texas Roadhouse and LongHorn Steakhouse Showdown
Placer.ai Mall Index: September 2024 Recap – Labor Day Peaks and Holiday Season Predictions
Albertsons Q3 Check-In
Looking Ahead to the 2024 Holiday Season
Trader Joe's: Continuing to Thrive in 2024
Bowlero and AMF: A Ten-Pin Knockout
Recreational Retail: Store Performance in 2024
Placer.ai White Paper Recap – September 2024
A QSR and Fast-Casual Face-Off
Sam’s Club’s In-Store Retail Media Network Opportunity
The Rising Stars: Six Metro Areas Welcoming Young Professionals
Costco in 2024: A Deep Dive
Sherwin-Williams in 2024: Brighter Than a New Lick of Paint
Life Time and Orangetheory: Premium Fitness Flourishing
C-Stores: More Than A Pit Stop
Darden: Dining Dominance Undeterred 
Placer 100 Index for Retail and Dining: August 2024 Recap
Placer.ai Office Index: August 2024 Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index: August 2024 Recap – Back-To-School In Full Swing
Auto Parts Retailers: The Traffic Continues
Pumpkin Spice Works its Magic Once Again
School Season Sparks Retail Growth
Placer.ai White Paper Recap – July & August 2024
Big Lots’ Big Rightsizing Move in Four Data Points
Fun Away From The Sun: Checking in With Eatertainment
Domestic Migration and Population Growth: Strong Currents Off The Carolina Coast
The Civic Impact of Summer Events
Retail Trends in College Towns: A Back-to-School Snapshot
Five Below and Ollie’s Bargain Outlet: Consumers Still on the Hunt for Discounts
Macy’s & Bloomingdale’s: Into 2024 and Beyond
Limited Time Only: The Trend Continues
Beauty in 2024: Many Ways to Win
Dollar General & Dollar Tree: Powering Ahead in Q2 2024
The Home Depot and Lowe's Foot Traffic Remodel in Q2 2024
Superstore Update: Summer Savings Spree
Placer.ai Mall Index: July 2024 Recap – From Fourth of July to Back-to-School
Placer.ai Office Index: July 2024 Recap
Summer Movie Madness: Blockbuster Films Boost Foot Traffic
Driving Success: Toyota in 2024
Denny’s and IHOP: An All-Day Breakfast Matchup
Warby Parker: Seeing Clearly Now
Planet Fitness at the 2024 Halfway Point
Serving Summer 2024: RBI and Yum! Brands Q2 Foot Traffic
Starbucks, Dutch Bros., Dunkin’: Finding Summer Success
Fast Food and Fast Casual Favorites, Plus CosMc’s Takeoff
Chipotle and Sweetgreen: Fast-Casual in Q2 2024
First Watch, Texas Roadhouse, and Applebee’s: An FSR Roundup
Albertsons Companies: H1 2024 Recap
Teaming Up For Success: Sports Stadium Sponsorships
Limited Time Offers: Price Wars Boost Visits
Placer 100 Index for Retail & Dining: June 2024 Recap
Placer.ai Mall Index: June 2024 Recap
Placer.ai Office Index: June 2024 Recap
Inside Out 2: The New Blockbuster Bringing Crowds Back to Theaters
Petco and PetSmart: A Head to Head
Frozen Delights: Exploring Ice Cream Chains Across America
Placer.ai White Paper Recap – June 2024
Barnes & Noble: Writing a New Story
Small Format Stores - Sprouting, Blooming, and Expanding
Retail and Dining on Father’s Day
Thrift Store Visit Scores
Charting Value Grocery’s Visit Growth
Placer 100 Index for Retail & Dining: Introduction and May 2024 Recap
Digging Into Darden: Q2 2024 Update
2024 Retail and Dining Trends Update
TRU and avid: Midscale Hotels on the Rise 
Diving Into Kroger: A Strong Start to 2024
Placer.ai Mall Index: May 2024 Recap – Mall Visits on the Rebound
Placer.ai Office Index: May 2024 Recap
2024 Memorial Day Recap
Las Vegas: A Tourism and Migration Deep Dive
Eatertainment Chains: Full on Food, Fun, and Foot Traffic
The Promise of Luxury Apparel
Catching Up With Ulta Beauty & Gap Brands
Ollie’s Bargain Outlet and Five Below: Q1 2024 Treasure Troves
CAVA Still Going Strong
Driving Success: Auto Parts Chains in 2024
Checking in With DICK’S Sporting Goods
Mother’s Day Shopping and Dining Trends
Placer.ai Mall Index: April 2024 Recap – Retail Resilience Heading into Spring
Dollar Stores Still Gaining Momentum
Off-Price Apparel Chains After Q1 2024: Demographics in the Balance
Walmart, Target, and Wholesale Clubs Continue to Thrive
Home Improvement and Decor Check In
Placer.ai Office Index: April 2024 Recap – Recovery Continues
Movie Theaters in Q1 2024: A Preview of Coming Attractions?