Breakfast - Macphie

Breakfast is served between 7am and 10am – or is it?

Timings are blurring across the traditional dayparts with breakfast items on sale not only up to but all through lunch and into early evening.

Dishes and flavours that would traditionally have been only on the menu at lunch or dinner are now being seen at breakfast time.

Lines are also blurring between retail and food service too with an increase in the food-to-go offerings from retailers.

 

Breakfast growth

They have always said breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and the market has certainly been listening (like we all should to our Mums!).

Breakfast is one of the fastest growing areas of the food market and it is an occasion that is rapidly evolving, both inside and outside the home.

Breakfast has seen growth in both the total eating out and food-to-go market over the last year for both visits and average spend per visit2.

British consumers can find bakery items in most food service channels, not just the top high street bakery outlets, but also in quick-service restaurants, supermarkets and pubs, as well as travel hubs such as airports, railway stations and petrol forecourts.

Many bakery brands have developed a strategy to focus on the growing opportunity around food-to-go at breakfast time by expanding their ranges to include a larger range of breakfast items.  Savoury bakery is still dominant at breakfast time.

From a food-to-go point of view convenience is king, one in ten breakfasts are eaten on the go according to a recent Kantar survey.

Saturday is the most popular day at the weekend for breakfast, with Wednesday the most popular day during the week.  Monday has seen the most growth in terms of share of visits from Sept 2018-Sept 20192.

 

What’s on the menu

British consumers can find bakery items in most food service channels, not just the top high street bakery outlets, but also in quick-service restaurants, supermarkets and pubs, as well as travel hubs such as airports, railway stations and petrol forecourts.

Many bakery brands have developed a strategy to focus on the growing opportunity around food-to-go at breakfast time by expanding their ranges to include a larger range of breakfast items.  Savoury bakery is still dominant at breakfast time.

Breakfast options are changing. Buddha bowls bursting with edamame, poached eggs and tofu are becoming the new alternatives.

The past year has seen several new added value breakfast ranges targeting the millennial market, from superfood smoothie bowls to protein pots.

Breakfast wraps, burritos, croissants, wraps, bagels, paninis are arguably gaining momentum as on the go carriers for convenience breakfast offer.

Food-to-go retailers and cafes can capitalise on the growth in breakfast biscuits seen in the retail sector with the likes of flapjacks which can also be used as a topping for yogurt pots.

What time is it?

Breakfast time presents foodservice operators with the ideal opportunity to maximise their sales not only first thing, but for the hours leading up to lunch too.

Many have extended their opening hours to catch the early morning traffic.

By offering a varied selection of sweet and savoury products that appeal to a range of needs, operators can ensure their outlets make the most of this lucrative time of day.

No longer is breakfast just something for early mornings, operators have extended their hours and brunch is still key.

49% of people are eating more brunch than a year ago1.

People eating brunch is on the increase – it is mainly driven by millennials and groups of younger women.

A lot of brunchers will convey the image of sophistication and affluence that brunch is perceived to have by sharing pictures of it on social media.

With many consumers focusing their spend on experiences as well as an increasingly busy lifestyle and bigger demands on time, brunch is seen as a cost-effective way to enjoy a meal with friends and family as well as for business meetings.

The top three food-to-go breakfast missions are work-led (23%) followed by shopping & leisure (17%) and lazy (14%)2.

Weekend breakfasts tend to be a more indulgent and leisurely affair, so it is not a bad idea to tweak your menu to offer more indulgent offerings at the weekend.

Products need to stand up well when eating in as well as for delivery as the delivery market is expanding at this daypart with many coffee shops appearing on delivery sites such as Deliveroo.

 

Would you like a coffee with that?

Early morning price promotions are a plenty at food-to-go operators linking coffee purchase with bakery.

With coffee purchase on the increase this is a great way to get consumers to spend more.

Many of the larger coffee shops have started to offer milk alternatives for no extra cost.

Just under 30% of breakfast visits are to coffee shops, with 25% to fast food outlets2.

Leading coffee shop brands are growing breakfast and snack offerings, to increase average spend.

And newer market entrants to the coffee shop market who are performing strongly have a premium coffee offer, as well as increased food offerings at both breakfast and lunch dayparts3.

 

No fry up thanks

The traditional fry up is still a staple on many breakfast menus but with many consumers trying to lead a healthier lifestyle, foodservice and food-to-go operators need to ensure that their breakfast offerings also appeal to these consumers.

Cereal, granola bars and flapjacks have increased in popularity over the last few years mainly due to their grab-and-go nature.

From a food operator point of view, they are a product that can be offered as breakfast item as well as an afternoon or early evening snack.

With the popularity of yogurt tubs on the increase, flapjack and granola bars offer a great opportunity to reduce food waste when included with yogurt.

Many consumers are looking for healthier options at breakfast so think about adding fruit, such as blueberries to dishes.

There are some consumers however, that are still looking for a permissible treat, so being able to add in chocolate is key to satisfying them.

Allow consumers to make their own personal twist on their breakfast by offering a selection of inclusions or toppings.

On a recent food safari in London we noticed a lot more instances of mini pastries such as croissants, pain au chocolat and cinnamon buns on offer at bakeries.

This nicely taps into consumer desire to continue to treat themselves by having smaller portion sizes of delicious food.  It was also really nice to be able to try multiple different items!

 

Is it on the menu?

Adding value to breakfast items with unusual twists will encourage uptake and drive sales.    We have come up with a selection of ideas that can work no matter whether your customers want to sit down and enjoy their breakfast or grab it and run (after paying obviously!)

Raspberry & granola Greek yoghurt

Brioche

Paneer bread

Vegan banana muffins with cinnamon frosting

Lemon drizzle & poppy seed muffins

Eggs Benedict

 

 

Sources: 1 Foodspark | 2 MCA eating out panel Q3 2019 | 3MCA Coffee shop/café analysis Oct 2019 | OOH Magazine | The Grocer | MCA | MCA Bakery & Sandwich tracker