Burger reviewer Simon Dukes has joined the Lantmännen Unibake’s Americana team.

Dukes, aka ‘Burger Lad’, had previously teamed up with Americana to reveal new burger insights, and will now play a hands-on role alongside the brand’s in-house team.

His role will include tapping into new industry trends and research that have the potential to drive new product development later in the year.

The appointment was described by Lantmännen as the latest milestone in the Americana brand’s ‘Trade Up to Gourmet’ campaign, which calls on operators to premiumise their burger menus and maximise burger sales by trading up to gourmet buns.

“Operators need to do all they can to make their burger offering stand out in a highly competitive market. My partnership with the Americana brand is about helping operators do exactly that,” said Dukes.

“Teaming my industry expertise with theirs will help us show operators just how important a gourmet burger bun offering is to today’s consumers and ultimately help drive sales, with menus featuring on-trend product solutions. Together, we’ll ensure consumers’ out-of-home burger experience is the best it can be.”