BURGER chomping, once written off as a teen fad, is today a teen lifestyle.

Or so said 40 youngsters who told The Sunday Times that they 'had to' have a burger at least once a week.

Many of them are students. To them, fast food is part of what teen life is about: snacking, studying and socialising.

After school, the McDonald's outlet at King Albert Park is filled with students from Hwa Chong Institution, Nanyang Girls' School and Ngee Ann Polytechnic.

Boys say they are there to 'meet girls'. Girls say, well, they like the food.

When exams roll around, the students are all over the place. Think makeshift classrooms for Coke-addled (the drink, not the drug) teens. At Carl's Jr, free-flow drinks keep their mugs full while they try to digest subjects like trigonometry and anatomy.

But while McDonald's burgers used to be the automatic choice, it's not just any whopper that will do these days. The young people interviewed said their tastes are now more discerning: They want thicker slices of beef, and tomatoes that don't taste like they've been buried in the fridge for days.

This trend has been helping new entrants to the burger scene make inroads.

Even though using fresh ingredients means pricier burgers, the owners of new burger joints Superdog and Carl's Jr believe the youth market will bite.

They should know.

Superdog at VivoCity turned in $2 million in revenue within its first year. Another outlet is scheduled to open at Downtown East in March.

'It's an inevitable trend,' said owner Edmund Koh, 35, while chewing on his store's signature SuperBurger, a 15cm-tall bun filled with tomato slices, lettuce, onions, two grilled beef patties and strips of gorgeous pork bacon.

He added, with a grin: 'Fresh tastes good.'

Bryan Toh is a fan. The 17-year-

old Holy Innocents' Secondary student said he loves the American Classic at Superdog for its juicy beef and crisp lettuce.

Another burger fan, 22-year-old National University of Singapore undergraduate Lim Hwee Ting, can't stop thinking about the Portobello Mushroom Burger at Carl's Jr with its 'oo-ey, goo-ey cheese' and 'fat chunks of grilled mushrooms'.

However, not all young people are tempted by these new burgers.

Singapore Management University student Timothy Quek, 24, said he stays loyal to KFC's Colonel Burger because it reminds him of his childhood. He remembered it as the first burger he ate, when his brother gave half of his to him as a boy.

'It brings me back,' he said.

For some students, price is king. Not everyone can afford to fork out $8 to $12 for a meal, which is what these newer joints charge for a burger with a side order of french fries and a drink.

For others, fast food still needs to be exactly what it purports to be - fast. Wong Zi Hui, 16, can't resist the Chili Burger at Carl's Jr, but he lives in Yio Chu Kang and says the downtown-based restaurant is too far to satisfy his midnight burger cravings.

So he turns to McDelivery instead. Last week, he woke up at 3am and ordered three McSpicy burgers - and devoured them all.

'I wanted it bad. I couldn't wait. I just really love that burger taste.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Jan 20, 2008.

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