CHARLOTTE - South Florida-based "BurgerFication of the Nation," otherwise known as BurgerFi, has been hot on the restaurateur and franchise scene with its eco-friendly concept that serves up locally sourced and natural burgers, hot dogs, fries, onion rings, natural cane soft drinks and frozen custard, reports the Triangle Business Journal.

BurgerFi has set its sights on the North Carolina market with its first location to open in Cary this summer. Like another wildly successful burger chain €" West Coast-based In-N-Out €" BurgerFi boasts a "secret" menu of additional items (although BurgerFi publishes these menu items on its website).

A 2011 Technomic study reported that burger consumption was up considerably since 2009, with nearly half of consumers saying they eat a burger at least once a week compared with 38% two years ago. One reason for the increase is the continued prominence of burgers on quick-service value menus.

"The better burger restaurants in the fast casual segment have put the burger top-of-mind for consumers, and even the quick-service chains have begun to respond and focus portions of their menus specifically on quality perceptions," noted Sara Monnette, director of consumer research at Technomic.

The study also revealed that health attributes, such as all natural, hormone-free, steroid-free and antibiotic-free, has grown significantly since 2009.