Hamburgers are anything but rare in New Orleans, and the competition continues to heat up.

The already crowded local burger market is about to gain another competitor.

A couple of local siblings are about to go up against Five Guys, Juicy Lucy, Cheeseburger Eddy and so many others.

The two brothers are putting $1.5 million into their 'Atomic Burger' restaurant on Vets in Metairie, scheduled to open in October.

Wendy Waren, with the Louisiana Restaurant Association, says the proliferation of patty places is part of a national trend.

"New Orleans has really embraced that, obviously, with the number of places that are offering burgers," says Waren.

She says the hamburger has been the #1 menu item in America for the last 30 years. And, everyone here is trying to find their niche.

"Everybody's doing something a little bit different...like a chicken burger, the lambburger or an alligator burger."

Not that New Orleans has a beef with cattle.

"If you're interest in grass-fed beef or heritage beef or a filet burger, they're out there for you to try," Waren says.

She says we will eventually reach a saturation point, but we're not there yet.

New Orleans, apparently is a great market for burger joints.

"The locals love a good burger," says Waren. "And, all the people we have moving to the area that are from other places identify with those national brands."

Joseph and Nick Spitale's 2,000-square-foot Atomic Burger is under construction at 3934 Veterans Blvd.

Here is a list of just some of the places that have entered the burger war in the New Orleans area, joining some well established restaurants that have been serving the beef for years:

• Company Burger
• Truburger
• Cowbell
• Five Guys
• Phil's Grill
• Juicy Lucy's
• Bayou Burger
• Charcoal's Gourmet Burger Bar
• Smash Burger
• Cheeseburger Eddy