Lura Dannenbrock has her Denny&rsquo;s lunch order down pat. A &ldquo;Better Burger&rdquo; &mdash; 100 percent seasoned beef patty, hand-pressed, grilled, with Swiss cheese and sauteed mushrooms.</p><p> At $6.99 with drink and fries, it&rsquo;s a deal the Lowry, Mo., resident can&rsquo;t pass up.</p><p>&ldquo;They&rsquo;re a very good value for the price, but I also want it to taste good,&rdquo; said Dannenbrock, dining recently at the Denny&rsquo;s restaurant at Blue Ridge Cutoff.</p><p>Americans have long craved the humble burger &mdash; turning it into a sizzling $100 billion dining category annually. But in these bleak economic times, it turns out consumers are shelling out <em>more </em>for higher quality, bulkier burgers that go beyond the traditional toppings.</p><p>Diners who may have been ordering the occasional steak or more expensive dish are downsizing to burgers but still want quality meat. Others may just recognize a good meal deal when they see one.</p><p>This premium burger segment is heating up with fast-food, fast-casual, mid-scale and upscale operators trying to capture a growing portion of the patty market, according to Nation&rsquo;s Restaurant News, a trade publication.</p><p>Nationwide, the number of restaurants overall offering burgers has increased by more than 4 percent since 2005, but in the fine-dining category, burgers jumped nearly 19 percent during the same time span, according to data-research company Datassential.</p><p>During a down economy, diners look for value and comfort, said Maeve Webster, a managing director for the Los Angeles-based company.</p><p>&ldquo;Absolutely, comfort food takes center stage,&rdquo; she said.</p><p> Kansas City has launched at least three locally owned gourmet burger operations in the last three years: </p><p>&bull;Chefburger, in the Kansas City Power & Light District, whips up short rib, brisket, and sirloin burgers (along with spiked milkshakes and fried green beans). </p><p>&bull;At Blanc Burgers + Bottles &mdash; Westport, Leawood, and soon the Country Club Plaza and Lee&rsquo;s Summit &mdash; consumers might chomp down on the American Kobe or bison burger. These burgers are so good the restaurant earned a mention in Zagat Survey&rsquo;s &ldquo;2010 America&rsquo;s Top Restaurants&rdquo; book.</p><p>&bull;Shawnee&rsquo;s Big Bam&rsquo;s specializes in distinct toppings &mdash; Cancun dressing, jalapenos, black olives, pepper jack cheese, barbecue sauce.</p><p>&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t want to say we were ahead of the ball by any means, but it worked out that way,&rdquo; said Joe Bacarro, owner of Big Bam&rsquo;s. &ldquo;We wanted to offer something unique.&rdquo;</p><p>Denver-based Smashburger, one of Nation&rsquo;s Restaurant News&rsquo; five 2009 Hot Concept Winners, plans Overland Park and Lawrence locations next summer. It also concentrates on cooked-to-order 100 percent Angus beef burgers, smashed (thus the name), seared and seasoned on the grill.</p><p>Premium patties also are popping up on the midpriced menus of Applebee&rsquo;s Grill & Bar (A-1 Steakhouse Burger with cracked peppercorn and crispy onion straws) and Chili&rsquo;s Grill & Bar (100 percent USDA-choice ground chuck, fresh-never-frozen, hand-formed in the restaurant).</p><p>&ldquo;Burgers have been a staple on our menu since the brand was introduced in 1975 so it is something we wanted to capitalize on and give our customers a choice,&rdquo; said Maureen Locus, spokeswoman Chili&rsquo;s.</p><p>Fast-food operations are beefing up their menus to stay competitive with the upscale upstarts.</p><p>In August, McDonald&rsquo;s introduced the $3.99 Angus Third-Pounder (one-third pound of Angus beef with toppings such as mushrooms and Swiss cheese). Burger King plans to introduce its own version of the A-1 burger called The Steakhouse XT in early 2010.