Long relayed to the rank of "
junk food
", the burger has made a place for itself on the menus of French restaurants.
In 2019, 1.7 billion hamburger sandwiches were sold in France, i.e. 12% growth for the same year - when that of the traditional sandwich, also very popular, reached 3.5% - according to Gira, a research firm specializing in catering.
"
We have observed double-digit growth for ten years
", indicates Bernard Boutboul, founding president of the company.
Read also: The Big Fernand recipe to keep on gaining weight
The hamburger, however, took a long time to convince in France.
Born at the end of the 19th century in the United States, it was originally a simple steak
.
“
Its name refers to the city of Hamburg because German immigrants were very present at that time in the United States.
The habit of eating minced meat was particularly associated with Germanic culture,
”explains Loïc Bienassis, food historian at the European Institute of Food History and Cultures.
This popular food was supplemented with bread, "
at the very end of the 19th century
" in order to eat more easily in the streets, near the "
lunch wagons
" - ancestors of the "
food trucks
".
“
Catering chains then seized this dish during the interwar period,
” explains the history officer.
This is the case of the pioneer chains, White Castle and Wimpy, founded in 1921 and 1930 respectively.
Wimpy is also the first brand to venture into the French market by importing the sandwich from the other side of the Atlantic.
It was the industrialist Jacques Borel who opened the first restaurant on rue du Quatre-Septembre in Paris in 1961. About twenty establishments followed, before disappearing at the end of the 1960s.
A
"
gastronomization
"
We will have to wait another ten years, and the first McDonald's, to see the burger settle permanently in France.
“
Officially the first McDonald's opened in 1979 in Strasbourg.
In fact, it was in 1972, in Créteil (Val-de-Marne),
”explains Loïc Bienassis.
In the 1970s, the world leader in fast food expanded internationally but hesitated to launch into the French territory.
Raymond Dayan, a French businessman, convinced the American company to entrust him with operating its brand in France.
"
When McDonald's realized it was working, they tried to oust it,
" says the historian.
American justice will give reason to the giant of the fast food restaurant at the end of a legal battle, in 1982. "
McDonald's has rewritten its history
", he continues.
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Burger King and Quick then made their appearance in the 1980s. “
These early successes were associated, at the time, with the American dream.
Historically, the offers were very standardized.
A historic turnaround has occurred in recent years with a “gastronomization” of the burger,
”observes Loïc Bienassis.
Indeed, the turning point came shortly after 2010, with the emergence of new “
premium
” offers, all French: Big Fernand in 2011, the Smoke Truck and Blend in 2012, or King Marcel in 2013. Channels which accelerated the adoption and improvement of the iconic sandwich by all French restaurants.
“
The sector is now in a diversification strategy, which is the antithesis of McDonald's historical strategy.
But we must not forget that the burger also remains a popular product.
What changes is that it is no longer monolithic,
”says Loïc Bienassis.
75% of burgers served in restaurants
This new high-end market has made the American sandwich take off in France.
“
Before 2010, 99% of burgers were sold by McDonald's and Quick.
Today, traditional restaurants account for 75% of sales,
”assures Bernard Boutboul.
“
80% of the 145,000 restaurants with table service (and excluding fast food, editor's note) have at least one burger on their menu.
And in 80% of cases, it is number 1 in sales,
”adds the expert.
Fast food restaurants have tried to follow this trend.
This is evidenced by the arrival of Fives Guys in France in 2016 and the generalization, in 2017, of the high-end "
Signature by McDonald's
"
burger
in all French McDonald's.
Read also: Five Guys vs Big Fernand: the success story of the gourmet burger
For Bernard Boutboul, this move upmarket is not the consequence of an “
Americanization
” of our food but the sign of an appropriation of the burger by France.
“
It's a real magic recipe.
The French love bread, beef and cheese.
Not to mention that 75% of restaurant plates in France go out with fries.
The burger has taken the place of our traditional steak frites
”
, summarizes
the expert.
Last proof, if necessary, of the ennoblement of the burger: in 2008, that of the chef of Yannick Alléno at the Dali (Hotel Meurice) was voted "
Best hamburger in the world
" by the New York Times
.