The French Would Rather Eat A Burger Than A Baguette Sandwich

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Burgers have become the food of choice in France, beating out steak-frites and baguette sandwiches, according to a new study by consulting firm Gira Conseil.

Roughly 75% of France's 110,000 restaurants now include hamburgers on their menus, and their sales have jumped 40% since 2011, the study found, according to Bloomberg.

And one third of the restaurants that offer burgers are finding that they have been outselling grilled meat and fish dishes.

"Protein between two slices of bread - the French love it," Bernard Boutboul, head of Paris-based restaurant researcher Gira Conseil, told Bloomberg. "The explosion of burgers is coming from restaurants. It's affordable and chefs want to show they can make a quality burger."

France's burger market is still dominated by fast food chains like McDonald's.

Last year, traditional, non-fast-food restaurants accounted for just quarter of the 970 million burgers sold in France, the study found.