Upmarket burger bars are springing up in south-east England to challenge Burger King and McDonald's. One example is the Gourmet Burger King, part of the Clapham House Group,
Boss Paul Campbell already has 24 sites and hopes to increase this to 100 within three years as consumers become increasingly concerned about eating healthily.
Pizza parlours, chippies and even kebab shops are also going upmarket with places like The Real Greek and the As Greek As It Gets diner in London.
As a result the giants are waking up the fact that unless they respond they could start losing customers. Burger King has already launched a premium burger, the Aberdeen Angus Burger.
Some of the "upstarts" believe it is only a matter of time before the big chains either take stakes in them or try to buy them out.
The Sunday Times 06/05/07 (Business) page 3.12
