McDonald’s Corp. may get a significant boost if it lets customers buy Egg McMuffins beyond breakfast hours.
Selling the muffin-based sandwiches all day may help increase the restaurant chain’s sales by as much as 2.5 percent a year, according to notes from an August presentation that Mike Andres, McDonald's president for the U.S., made to franchisees. The change also would lift guest counts as much as 2.3 percent and help each restaurant generate $31,000 more in profit, the notes say.
Chief Executive Officer Steve Easterbrook, who took over in March, has been trying to revive McDonald’s after a bloated menu and increasing competition led to the biggest sales slump in more than a decade. The chain is toasting buns longer to improve their flavor, pruning slow-selling items and allowing diners to customize burgers.
The company began experimenting with selling breakfast all day at some locations in the San Diego area in April and later expanded the test to other U.S. locations. The experiment doesn’t include the entire morning menu. In July, Easterbrook said the all-day breakfast trials were going well.
Heidi Barker Sa Shekhem, a company spokeswoman, said McDonald’s has expanded its tests and declined to say whether the company planned to roll out all-day breakfast nationally.
McDonald’s also needs to figure out how to cook and serve hash browns all day, the notes said. The hash browns are fried in the same vats as the chain’s french fries, and the fryers may not have enough room during busy times.
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