Jimmy Buffet immortalized it, Bill Clinton got ridiculed for it and Popeye's best friend bargained for it.

Perhaps it's because of the economy, perhaps it's our need for comfort food in turbulent times, perhaps it's a new take on an old favorite.

Whatever the reason, four new gourmet burger restaurants have opened in Fort Collins in the past several months with another one expected to join the party next month.

"The burger phenomenon has been going on for awhile, it just recently landed here," said Steve Taylor, who last month opened Big Al's Burgers and Dogs in Old Town. "What started to give it legs is the economy. Burgers and fries are the opportunity to provide a good wholesome meal at tremendous value. Is there anything more American than a burger and fries?"

With a drive-through seemingly on every corner, you might think the market for burgers long ago reached saturation. But the fastest-growing restaurant chain in America last year was Five Guys, which specializes in double-pattied behemoths the size of a softball.

Five Guys opened its second Fort Collins location in Front Range

Village in October 2008, just about a month after Smashburger opened at the Pads at Harmony, marking the Colorado chain's first expansion outside of the Denver market.

Smashburger's opening set a company record for one-week sales and shows no sign of abating, according to the company.

This year, Jake Fitzsimmons opened Stuft: A Burger Bar in Old Town and sales so far are double those of his previous eatery, Eliot's Mess in the same South College Avenue location.

Big Al's is the most recent addition to the burger bonanza, but Larkburger will replace it next month as the new kid at the dining table.

So-called "better burger" joints are one of the fastest-growing parts of the restaurant industry gaining the attention of celebrity chefs such as Bobby Flay, who opened Bobby's Burger Palace in the northeast.

Adam Baker, who will open Larkburger at 2539 S. College Ave., in the Kmart plaza, on Aug. 14, said the burger became gentrified once fine dining chefs put it on their menu.

Salumonvich took a different approach to his gourmet burger, Baker said. "He was out to create the most true burger and not mess with it too much - lettuce, onion, tomato, good beef and a good bun. People loved it."

It became so popular that the larkburger became its own brand and restaurant in Edwards. It expanded into Denver and Boulder, and the Fort Collins store will be Larkburger's fourth eatery with more in the works, Baker said.

Baker said Larkburger plans to grow methodically with four to five new restaurants planned next year.

"We plan to grow, not to the same degree as Five Guys, that would be a bit too aggressive for us," Baker said. The company does not intend to franchise, thereby, maintaining control of the brand and product.

Baker said he is surprised that so many gourmet burger restaurants "continue to pop up. But it doesn't surprise me because the hamburger is as American as American food gets. It doesn't seem like it will ever go out of style, and it makes sense to tap into that and make it better.

"I understand why everyone is trying to do it. Everyone has their favorite and everyone makes what they think is the best burger. I hope Fort Collins likes Larkburger. I hope they will give it a try and fall in love with it."

Room to grow

Gourmet chains represent only about 2 percent of the $65 billion burger market, giving it plenty of room to grow, said Darren Tristano, executive vice president of Chicago-based restaurant consultant Technomic.

"The traditional players - McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's - have really shifted their focus away from burgers to breakfast, chicken and beverages," said Tristano. He predicts better burger chains will continue to have double-digit sales growth for at least the next few years.

The founder of Denver-based Smashburger, fast-food industry veteran Tom Ryan, was keenly aware that Americans were hungry for higher-quality fast-food burgers.

Customers are willing to pay to ease that craving. A Five Guys burger runs anywhere from $4 to $6, and some charge more.

Five Guys, like all of the new guys, sells the fact that its burgers are never frozen - the stores don't even have freezers, only coolers.

That claim "used to be something to hang your hat on, but now it is the customer's expectation," said Fitzsimmons of Stuft. "Customers are raising the bar on fresh ingredients, and they're willing to pay for it."

At Stuft, a regular one-third pound of beef goes for $5.99; double it up for a two-third pound of USDA choice chuck for $8.99, then load it up as much as you want with everything from fried egg to shredded carrots, red chili or guacamole.

At Big Al's, ground beef is fresh and delivered every day. "The nice thing about Big Al's is we have very limited ingredients and we can be very specific about product specs ... we are focused on fresh," Taylor said. "It's the kind of thing that as you get a more expansive menu can be more difficult and more difficult to manage all those moving parts."

Taylor has no plans to grow or expand Big Al's, he said.

"We really didn't open this with any other intent other than having fun with a really fun concept for downtown Fort Collins."

Like Taylor, Fitzsimmons believes the proliferation of burger joints is a result of the economy.

"You can put it in at a competitive price point and do a lot of things with it to make it seem more gourmet," he said.

Someone on a budget can get a burger for $5.99 or a piled-high burger with specialty toppings for a little more.