In my latest Retail Rap column, I take a look at the growing “burger joint” trend and discuss the long term prospects for these restaurants.

You have to ask yourself: Are burger joints here to stay or is this just the latest themed restaurant concept that will overextend itself and fall off the map in a few years like so many other “hot” concepts we’ve seen? Something nobody is really discussing is how many of these we really need. In my own neighborhood in Phoenix, Arizona, for example, there are eight burger concepts within a two-mile radius of my house: Two upscale independents, a Five Guys, a Smashburger, a Culver’s, two McDonalds and a Burger King!

Check out the full article from my recurring column, Retail Rap, at Chain Store Age.