Build Burgers With International Flair

Burgers are menu mainstays pretty much across all foodservice segments, comfortable in fast food, fine dining, and everything in between. Their customer appeal is enduring, price point favorable, and operational demands straightforward.

While there’s zero shame in menuing a standard-issue hamburger—beef patty on a bun, cheese optional, and classic condiments, the format embraces an (almost) anything goes approach that allows a free hand and lots of creativity. Here’s a flavor atlas for burgers followed by a transcontinental guide to some menu items that come out on top.

American pantry: American, cheddar, Swiss, Monterey Jack, or muenster cheese, cheese spread, pimiento cheese, iceberg lettuce, tomato, raw or cooked onions, potato tots, bacon, fried egg, barbecue or wing sauce, pickles, mayonnaise, sautéed mushrooms

Mexican pantry: chipotle chilies added to meat or mayo, pickled or fresh jalapeños, guacamole, chorizo, black beans, ranchero sauce, Chihuahua cheese, pepper Jack cheese, red or green salsa

European pantry: baby lettuce, arugula, dried tomatoes, brie, camembert, raclette, feta, gorgonzola, manchego, blue cheese, aioli, pesto, tapenade, garlic confit, Calabrian chilies, pepperoncini, roasted piquillo peppers, ajvar sauce

Asian pantry: kimchee, chili crisp, gochujang, teriyaki mayo, masala spices, bao bun, tahini sauce, curry mayo, coconut curry sauce, grilled pineapple, Japanese barbecue sauce, pickled daikon, miso, tonkatsu sauce, wasabi mayo, furikake

On Menus

La Vivianne: smashed wagyu beef patty with tomato jam, raclette cheese, and bone marrow butter

French Onion Burger: beef patty with bacon-fat and sherry-vinegar aigre dolce onion marmalade, and melted Gruyére cheese on a toasted brioche bun swiped with Dijon mustard

Under the Tuscan Bun: plant-based beef or chicken patty with fontina cheese, blistered grape tomatoes, lemon-garlic aioli, kale chips, and raclette cheese

Armored Saint: beef patty with chipotle mayo, pepper Jack cheese, caramelized onions, roasted red peppers, roasted poblano peppers, and a fried egg

Black Bean Burger: black bean patty with avocado, cilantro cream, onions, sun-dried tomato aioli, pico, lettuce, and tomato on toasted brioche roll

Blackened Burger: cajun spices, roasted red pepper aioli, candied bacon, red onions, cheddar, lettuce, and tomato

Spicy Thai Shrimp Burger: shrimp patty with sriracha, sesame slaw, spiced aioli, lettuce, and tomato on toasted brioche bun

Black and Blue: blackened Angus beef patty, applewood smoked bacon, blue cheese crumble sauce, lettuce, and tomato on toasted Hawaiian bread bun

Saigon Jonny (CQ) with ground chicken patty, housemade Asian sauce, do chua (pickled carrots and daikon), cucumbers, jalapeños, cilantro, sriracha aioli, and soy sauce on sesame bun

Fat Hippo: double patty beef burger with American cheese, smoked bacon, chorizo, onion rings, and fat hippo sauce

PB+JJ: double patty beef burger, American cheese, chunky peanut butter, bacon jam, and smoked chili jello

Avocado turkey burger: Patty of mixed white and dark meat with smashed avocado, bacon, Swiss cheese, garlic aioli, and vinaigrette-dressed arugula

Patrona burger: patty of minced shrimp and melted Oaxaca cheese, sliced tomato, shredded iceberg lettuce, cilantro-flecked mashed avocado, crisped potato slices, chipotle aioli, and mango-tomato relish on grilled sesame bun

Lamb burger: flat-top seared, salt-seasoned lamb patty with sliced feta cheese, raw red onions, and cumin mayo

^{The information provided is based on a general industry overview and is not specific to your business operation. Each business is unique, and decisions related to your business should be made after consultation with appropriate experts.}