dailynewsnblog
By Sophie Yu and Casey Hall
BEIJING, Aug 17 (Reuters) – Burgers are having a moment in China, with budget-conscious diners and smaller households turning the humble sandwich into one of the country’s hottest fast-food battlegrounds, drawing in everyone from global restaurant chains to hotpot operators and coffee brands.
Yum China’s Pizza Hut Burger Bar format, in which a burger counter operates alongside an existing Pizza Hut restaurant, expanded to over 200 outlets in six months, the company said in July. It plans to grow the format to 500-600 outlets by the end of 2026, or about 10% of its total Pizza Hut store network.
The rush into burgers reflects broader shifts in China’s consumption habits. As households get smaller and economic uncertainty keeps spending in check, diners are favouring lower-cost, portable meals that offer convenience without sacrificing value.
That is turning burgers from a niche Western import, dominated by McDonald’s, KFC and Burger King, into one of the most hotly contested segments of China’s restaurant market as new brands race to cash in.
Last month, hotpot chain Haidilao entered the segment with Huanxianbao, or “Fresh Burger”, a chain selling burgers, as well as pizza, pasta and fried chicken. Coffee chain M Stand has also opened burger-focused outlets in some cities.
China’s Western fast-food market was valued at 499.65 billion yuan ($74.1 billion) in 2025 and is expected to reach 587.09 billion yuan by 2027, according to data provider iiMedia Research, despite recent high-profile challenges for many global brands.
Burgers topped consumer preferences, with 55% of respondents selecting them. While still a relatively small segment of China’s fast-food market, the burger category was worth $18.4 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow 8.7% annually through 2035, according to Emergen Research.
Part of the appeal is economics.
As consumer spending remains cautious, burgers offer a lower-cost alternative to full-service restaurant meals while still serving as a substantial meal option, said Zhu Danpeng, a China food industry analyst.
“It’s a good value-for-money choice,” Zhu said.
Wang Fang, a university student in Beijing, said burgers have become a go-to lunch option for her and her classmates because they are cheaper than ordering multiple dishes at a restaurant.
“With meat, vegetables and butter, it makes a very affordable balanced meal,” she said.
The category also aligns with changing demographics. Rising numbers of one-person households, smaller families and young urban workers have fuelled demand for convenient individual meals, a trend Yum China says is creating opportunities across its brands.
