Blurring the Dayparts with All-Day Breakfast
April 2019
More and more foodservice operations are offering breakfast at all hours to meet demand. About one-third of consumers are more likely to buy this meal past the morning daypart than they were two years earlier, and 35% say that serving it at any time entices them to dine at restaurants they typically wouldn’t visit. Offering traditional morning dishes regardless of the time of day can attract new customers at a low cost and drive both traffic and sales.
While this concept isn’t new, there are lots of unique and exciting ways for chefs and operators to approach the shifting daypart. It’s all about taking consumers’ lifestyles and needs into consideration. As more people purchase meals to go, they seek items that are quick to make and easily transported—and operators of fast-food chains across the nation are taking notice. They’re menuing more breakfast sandwiches and bowls, especially as 32% of consumers look for breakfast bowls as to-go options. With offerings such as this Turkey Quinoa Breakfast Bowl, operators can provide portable and healthy options to customers at any hour.
Breakfast items are popular all day long, as 46% of consumers enjoy eating them at nontraditional times. Foods that are usually associated with the morning meal can be customized to meet varying levels of hunger at different times throughout the day. Toast happens to be a popular choice that can be served as a light meal or snack, as with this Turkey Bacon Avocado Toast. For a hearty option, operators may consider offering this Triple Decker Towering Biscuit Breakfast Sandwich.
Making breakfast an all-day affair doesn’t require high costs. If operators don’t have the option of adding new menu items, expanding the availability of breakfast to all day is an alternate solution. Chefs can also use what they already have on hand by tweaking afternoon offerings with breakfast ingredients. These components are highly adaptable, especially as guests look for mashup meals that incorporate breakfast elements. Chefs are repurposing lunch and dinner favorites, from burritos to pizza, into early-morning fare. Turkey Breakfast Tacos and French Bread Pizza with Seasoned Turkey Crumbles are just two examples of combining menu items from various dayparts.
Ethnic dishes are popular across lunch and dinner, and they’re picking up steam in the morning too. About half of consumers want to see additional global items and flavors offered in this daypart. International breakfast cuisines ranked fourth in top food trends on the National Restaurant Association’s What’s Hot 2018 Culinary Forecast. In particular, consumers want Latin American flavors. This Venezuelan Breakfast Arepa brings an in-demand, global twist to the traditionally early meal. Since guests already seek ethnic meals throughout the day, adding these cuisines brings novelty and consumer satisfaction to anytime breakfast.
There are many ways to get more out of the morning meal. Serving it all day can boost traffic and meet a range of consumer preferences, especially with a versatile protein, like turkey. It’s a customizable ingredient that satisfies appetites at any hour, whether you’re serving sausage in a morning bowl or slices in a turkey sandwich. By exploring the possibilities of turkey in all-day breakfast options, operators can cater to consumers’ tastes no matter the time of day.
Does your operation serve breakfast throughout the day? Tell us about it on Facebook or LinkedIn. For more recipe inspiration, visit our Culinary Center.
SOURCES
Breakfast Consumer Trend Report, Technomic, 2017.
Cobe, Patricia. Instant Intel: Today’s Breakfast Trends, Restaurant Business, July 2018.
Schouten, Rebekah. The all-day breakfast trend continues to grow, Bake, June 2018.
On-demand breakfast drives all-day sales, Restaurant Business, October 2018.
What’s Hot 2018 Culinary Forecast, National Restaurant Association, December 2017.
