Value, convenience and food quality are the three big drivers that will draw consumers into a restaurant for breakfast. No big surprise there, but priorities differ on weekdays vs. weekends, according to Technomic’s recent Breakfast Consumer Trend Report.
The report also found that there’s a slight shift away from takeout toward dine-in visits, but when consumers opt for breakfast off-premise, online ordering and mobile payment rules.
As with all restaurant meals, value is a top consumer priority at breakfast. It’s more important on weekdays (63%) vs. weekends (61%), the latter a change from 2021 when 67% of consumers were seeking “good value for the money spent” on weekends.
Nevertheless, 28% of weekend breakfast eaters are looking for “breakfast options that are inexpensive,” up from 22% in 2021.
Meanwhile, dine-in visits have increased in fast-casual and fast-food restaurants, while takeout and drive-in orders are down. Operators can capitalize on this trend by encouraging add-ons and unique beverages to compete with the growing number of specialty coffee and tea concepts. These changes have the potential to increase check averages and leverage profit opportunities, said the report.
Menu innovation can be a motivating factor in luring diners away from breakfast at home—where nearly half of consumers eat the morning meal—and into restaurants. According to Technomic data, people would like to see more health-focused items and new flavors, such as those that spotlight globally inspired ingredients.
When consumers do opt for breakfast to-go, digital platforms have overtaken drive-thru and kiosk ordering. Since 2021, ordering via mobile has risen 8%, from 35% to 43%, and via a restaurant app from 29% to 36%, while drive-thru orders have dropped from 56% to 48%.
In fact, the ability to order through a mobile app ranks among the top three most important attributes when deciding where to purchase breakfast, Technomic found. Mobile payment has also seen a significant jump since 2021, especially on weekdays—22% vs. 14% a few years back.
Breakfast data was collected by Technomic through an online survey of 1,500 consumers in October.
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