Modern MBA

The Viral Business of Smashburgers (2025x6)

Air date: May 31, 2025

Thin, crispy, and seared to order, smashburgers are more than just a food trend. Even though consumers are eating out less and the fast food giants are stumbling - it’s these tiny smashburger concepts that are thriving. For only a few extra dollars, more Americans are ditching Big Macs and Whoppers in favor of these fresher, smashed, local alternatives. Customer retention at McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s have plummeted and their executives are panicking. But smashburgers are not a new invention. Shake Shack, Five Guys, and Culver’s have built their empires on it since the 2000s. Los Angeles has been the birthplace for food trends of the last decade like frozen yogurt, bubble tea, and hot chicken. It was here in 2018 when the smashburgers gained popularity as a fresher, tastier variation sold exclusively by a few individuals out of their driveways.