/// Guest blog post by Paul Carolan, Bruegger’s Bagels
It’s long been said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day – and businesses have certainly caught on. While breakfast might not be the quick-serve industry’s largest daypart, it can be argued that there is enough demand for breakfast foods to become available all day.
Looking back just a few months, the quick-serve industry’s headlines have been all but dominated by breakfast. The roll-out of Taco Bell’s waffle tacos nearly broke the Internet, and rumors of McDonald’s testing all-day breakfast excited the masses. The National Restaurant Association’s 2015 Restaurant Industry Forecast showed that 70 percent of consumers wanted restaurants to serve breakfast throughout the day. It also showed an increase in interest in “breakfast for dinner” in the millennial demographic.
Quick-serves that stop breakfast service at 10 or 11 a.m., such as Taco Bell, Burger King, Chick-Fil-A and McDonald’s, attribute the shift to equipment availability. A flat-top griddle, for example, that’s used to make breakfast sandwiches, is valuable real estate when lunch and dinner dayparts roll around. The griddles then become the primary cooking and holding vehicle for burgers, sandwiches and other hot foods.
However, some brands have found ways around this in order to serve the masses that are hungry for eggs, bacon, sausage and other breakfast staples. Several popular quick-serve brands, many of which can be found at travel centers and truck stops across the nation, have put an increased focus on breakfast to meet this demand. Bruegger’s Bagels has had breakfast available all days for years, serving a dozen different breakfast sandwiches and two dozen bagel varieties.
Catering to a nontraditional audience, the availability of quick-service breakfast foods at all hours means that diners can get their favorite comforting morning items, even if their schedule causes breakfast to be at 6 p.m. It’s clear that people want breakfast items to be available past normal breakfast hours – I predict that in the next few years, quick-serve restaurants will move in this direction in order to give the people what they want – all breakfast, all the time.
{Guest Post} Guest post provided by The NATSO Show exhibitor Bruegger’s Bagels president Paul Carolan. Carolan previously served as chief development officer for Bruegger’s parent company, Le Duff America, which also owns la Madeleine Country French Café, Brioche Dorée, Mimi’s Café and Bruegger’s Bagels, among many others. Before joining Le Duff America, he held top development positions at Sun Capital Partners, the well-known private equity investing company with holdings that consist of more than 1,900 restaurants, and Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, Inc.
The opinions and advice given by guest post contributors are not necessarily those of NATSO Inc. The posts should not be considered legal advice. Qualified professionals should be sought regarding advice and questions specific to your circumstances.
Photo Credit: Ira Wexler/NATSO
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