Thinking of investing in a burger restaurant, but not sure if it's a good business? The hamburger niche is one of the fastest growing in the food service sector. But is it really a good investment? In this article, we've put together some important and up-to-date information that is sure to help you make your decision.
If we analyze it, we can see that the biggest restaurant franchise chains are hamburger restaurants, chains such as Mcdonalds, Burger King and Bob's, which today are huge empires, and from this we can already get an idea of how lucrative this market is and that it is a billion-dollar market.
For example, considered to be the king of Brazilian delivery, hamburgers today occupy first place nationally in sales on the iFood platform, corresponding to 30% of orders (Exame magazine) and even beating pizza. As a result, another relevant piece of information is that according to the IBGE, 32.8% of Brazilian families' income is reserved for eating out. Today, the food industry is considered one of the safest to invest in, because even in times of crisis, it continues to make money.
Ranking of the most ordered delivery items in Brazil
| South | South East | Center West | North East | North |
| 1st burger | 1st Esfihas | 1st burger | 1st burger | 1st burger |
| 2nd Sandwiches | 2nd burger | 2nd Meat | 2nd Meat | 2nd Meat |
| 3rd Soft drink | 3rd Soft drink | 3rd Soft drink | 3rd Soft drink | 3rd Soft drink |
| 4th Sushi and Sashimi | 4th Meat | 4th Sandwich | 4th Pizza | 4th sandwich |
| 5th Meat | 5th Sushi and Sashimi | 5th Açaí | 5th Sandwich | 5th Bread |
So does this mean that if I set up a burger joint, it will be a very lucrative business with meteoric growth? Of course, like any intelligent answer, what we can say is: it depends.
After all, what does it depend on?
In principle, it depends on good choices, planning, location, your knowledge of the area, the country's economic situation, your business vision, focus and commitment to the business. So, like any business, entrepreneurship is above all about taking risks and you need to invest money to ensure success.
In fact, one of the main choices is whether to invest in a franchise or start your own business. And then comes the biggest of the entrepreneur's doubts relating to the initial investment required.
Certainly, franchising is a “ready-made recipe”, with a name and production model, a safe way forward for those who have the capital to invest and guarantee continuous income in the future. In this case, the investment can vary between R$60 thousand and R$2.8 million (source Rede - means of payment).
Now, if you choose to go it alone, i.e. open your own burger joint, you will be responsible for choosing the name, developing the brand, designing the menu and advertising. For example, considering only the basic utensils and equipment, you can start with an investment of 5,000 reais and reach 150,000 reais covering rent, refurbishment, basic equipment and advertising (source Rede - means of payment). In summary, the monthly turnover of a hamburger restaurant varies greatly, between 2,000 and 150,000 reais, depending on the size and ways of serving, according to Rede.
However, to start a small business, a good griddle, refrigerators and a good fryer are enough.
But beware: this market is very competitive, so your business needs to know how to differentiate itself.
Of course, a common mistake is to invest only in structure: a hall that is too big, equipment that is oversized, or tables and chairs that are more than necessary, in other words, the entrepreneur ends up investing all his capital only in costs.
Business triad
First of all, you need to know that every business has an important triad: Structure, product and promotion.
Since structure is important, business experts are adamant that your product is where you should invest the most, time and money: your menu, in research, tests and tastings, the better your product, the greater the chance of selling more, of pleasing and building loyalty.
Also, set aside money for advertising. There's no point in having your dream burger joint if it's in a desert and there's no way for people to find it and get there. According to Sebrae, 24% of businesses close their doors before they are two years old. It's essential to know how to advertise, to know how to get your business found and noticed by people. It may sound redundant, but knowing how to communicate your business's differential makes people notice it.
Answering the first question: yes, the hamburger market is a great business today, hamburgers are a national favorite, but it's important to always remember the feelings and motivations that make you an entrepreneur. Therefore, like any other business, it is mandatory to take risks and keep investing to ensure success.
In short, evaluate all the variables and make sure you're making the right choices. So, count on the support of our experts to put together the structure of your burger kitchen, schedule a visit and come and test your recipes in our experimental kitchen, with the support of our corporate chefs.
