Burger Edge cooks up an exciting burger range

With 6 new burgers and 'burgerettes' range.

There are exciting innovations about to hit Burger Edge stores soon. Following the brand’s snack range launch, Burger Edge will soon be introducing six new burgers and a new ‘burgerettes’ range that will appeal to their female customers. The brand has also been working hard to develop their menu's nutritional information to help guide the dietary intake of their customers.

Below is a Q&A with Issam Soubjaki, Burger Edge Franchisor.

QSR Media: What's new at Burger Edge? 

Issam: Burger Edge has undergone some impressive expansion over the past 3 years, and we are now re-gearing the business to support the networks current and future needs. Operations is the focus. We grew fairly aggressively and were always conscious of the evolving demands of a growing network. This is only appreciated when a business expands and outgrows its forecasts. It’s a good problem, but one that needs to be addressed promptly and in full. The plans we are putting in place are also accommodating our growth into NSW and ACT, as well as the regional centres.

QSR Media: You have recently appointed a NSW & ACT Master Franchisee - what are your plans/goals/objectives for growth in these areas?

Issam: NSW and ACT are very fickle and parochial markets. We needed local knowledge and expertise to do it right. We took our time to re-enter the NSW market after exiting it almost 3 years ago.

We spent close to 24 months assessing sites and opportunities. We also needed the right partner in this crucial territory. I believe we now have that person and are ready to take up the opportunities being offered to us. We are confident, in time, these territories can become our leading states. There is a multitude of markets and regions within these two territories that can facilitate a significant growth path for the brand. We are investing in the long term support and management of its growth through strategic selection of the first few sites. We are hoping to have at least 1 site in each territory this calendar year.

QSR Media: What would you say are your 3 biggest challenges?

Issam: Unfortunately, they have not changed a lot for us:

1. Retail Rents: Although we are seeing some increased flexibility from the major landlords, we have turned down more offers than we thought we would. Rising rents for A1 sites are crippling good businesses.

2. Intense competition from start-ups: Although not a huge problem, we are seeing a lot of ‘flash in the pan’ offers come on the market with similar product offerings, then disappear. This sometimes causes anxiety amongst suppliers, landlords, franchisees and even staff. I welcome all competitors, I just don’t appreciate the ones that try to do what we do without the quality product or system behind them. It shows up immediately.

3. Pool of franchisees: We still feel this is increasingly depleting and the major brands are still fighting over the few prospects going into their business. With the employment rate so high, banks withholding business funding, high home mortgages and the reluctance to risk going into businesses for oneself, we are not seeing as many people approach us for franchises. Having said that, we have already pre sold the stores we are opening this year to the best of the franchisees that have applied. Similarly, we are assisting quality prospects into our system with vendor financing to secure a quality franchisee ahead of short term margins or expansion priorities. I believe this is a much more viable and sustainable growth strategy for the brand.

QSR Media: What's happening on the product innovation side at Burger Edge?

Issam: We are overhauling our menu to introduce 6 new burgers and a Burgerettes range. The new burgers are based on customer feedback, requests as well as analysis of our sales. We also set up in house advisory panel made up of leading franchisees and HQ staff. They are designated with keeping the menu and offer vibrant and attractive. The Burgerettes are smaller portioned burgers of the current range targeted at the female market whom frequently comment ‘the burgers are too big to finish’.

We launched a snack range a few months ago which worked well in our inline stores and larger footprints. Marinated BBQ Chicken ribs, Chicken Skewers, Tempura Potato Scallops and Gourmet Onion rings sold well as side dishes. We are looking at making some of these permanent menu items.

We’ve also invested heavily in documenting our nutritional information. We’ve analysed our menu and are about to publish calories, fat, protein, sodium, carbohydrates and other key health indicators to assist customers to assess the health and nutritional benefits of our products. We are pleased to say we are well within the daily-recommended intakes, and it is fine to eat at Burger Edge burgers several times a week without guilt or health repercussions. We will publish this data in a detailed nutritional booklet available from all our stores, as well as host it through the Burger Edge App being finalised. Customers can now review the burger’s nutritional information before purchasing it. They can make alterations if need be and be well informed of their dietary intake.

I am also pleased to say we have not compromised the tastes and flavours of our burgers. This is what we have built our business and growth on.

QSR Media: Where do you see the opportunities in the industry?

Issam: The industry and customer base is fast becoming more sophisticated. Customers want to know what is in the product, where it was made, how it is prepared and how it impacts their dietary requirements. All these are welcome trends for us, as we will continue to expose our kitchen, display our produce, publish our product information and educate the customer about the experience and what to look for in our, or any other, dining experience. An informed and loyal customer is a powerful marketing asset. We intend to build on this through our social media strategy.

As for the industry, I believe many of the ‘older’ product offerings will lose favour amongst customer. Stodgy, high fat, high sugar or low value offers will lose favour. Australian are developing a palette for high quality Asian and South American flavours . I think we will see more of this. For our sector, we are holding our own in the quality burger market against many of the ‘me too’s’. We are not concerned about the entry of US brands. We believe there needs to be more than novelty and low price to win and retain the Australian QSR diner.