Rising on diners’ desire for speed, portability and a low price, breakfast visits at quick-service restaurants grew 5 percent during the year ended in February, according to recent data from the NPD Group.
Breakfast sandwiches and other on-the-go items showed particular growth during that time, as convenience reigns supreme when it comes to restaurant breakfasts, the market researcher notes.
Breakfast has become a QSR battleground of sorts since McDonald’s went the way of all day, as a number of chains have raced to amp up their a.m. offerings in response.
Taco Bell debuted an expanded breakfast menu earlier this year, adding a number of new items that sell for just $1, while Burger King this month launched its buzzy Egg-Normous Burrito.
In addition, Wendy’s—one of the last chainwide breakfast holdouts in its segment—looks poised to roll out its breakfast offerings to more markets.
During the next few years, Americans’ total consumption of breakfast and morning snacks is expected to rise at a rate that outpaces the nation's population growth, NPD says.
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