4 tasty ways to menu all-day breakfast

The days of waking up before 10 a.m. to get to a restaurant before the menu options change to lunch are over. In fact, according to Technomic’s recent Breakfast Consumer Trend Report, 30% of consumers say they are purchasing breakfast foods outside of morning hours more often, and 39% say that offering all-day breakfast is important or extremely important when they’re choosing a restaurant to visit. For operators, expanding the menu to offer breakfast foods during lunch and dinner hours provides the opportunity to benefit both by appealing to more diners who want breakfast foods later in the day and by stretching food budgets by using breakfast ingredients all day long rather than just during the morning. Want to get in on the trend? Check out these four ways to make all-day breakfast deliciously appealing.

According to Technomic’s Breakfast report, 55% of consumers say that when they’re eating breakfast at nontraditional times, hash browns and potatoes are their preferred food to choose. Hash brown bowls, topped with any number of toppings—grilled, sautéed or steamed veggies, a protein, fried eggs, cheese and more—offer a filling and tasty option for diners who want a hearty breakfast, regardless of the time of day. At Ram’s Horn, a Michigan-based family dining chain, for instance, diners can order the Avocado Bowl. It’s a bowl of hash browns topped with three scrambled eggs, avocado, fresh bacon and shredded Jack cheese and salsa, served all day long.

Fifty-one percent of consumers say they would like to see more ethnic items and flavors offered at breakfast, according to Technomic’s Breakfast report. For operators who want to serve all-day breakfast, adding global influences on the menu means there’s even more potential variety to add to the menu. Dishes like chilaquiles—fried tortillas, topped with cheese, salsa, refried beans and other toppings like pulled chicken or pork, chorizo and eggs—are a savory option perfect for when diners want something akin to nachos—but with a bit more nutrition. Other ethnic breakfasts, including breakfast burritos, allow operators to use multipurpose ingredients such as refried beans, tortillas and eggs to create healthy, tasty breakfasts.

Chicken and waffles has been growing in popularity over the past several years. In fact, on fried chicken menus, it has gone up 16% year-over-year, according to Technomic’s MenuMonitor. With its combination of savory and sweet, the dish offers a favorite breakfast food on the same plate as crunchy, flavorful fried chicken. Additionally, with the growing popularity of Nashville hot fried chicken, restaurants have had more opportunity to introduce the dish to great success. It can be served with comfort foods such as coleslaw, macaroni and cheese or mashed potatoes or offered a la cart for diners who want to build a custom meal.

Finally, operators can incorporate breakfast elements into dishes more commonly found on lunch or dinner menus. For instance, a burger topped with a sunny-side up egg is appealing to those who want a burger but also love eggs, and a breakfast pizza has the same effect. Tacos made with hash browns, sausage and cheese rather than ground beef, cheese and lettuce, for instance, are another unique option that fits perfectly with the idea of all-day breakfast.

For operators who want to introduce all-day breakfast to the menu, options that use versatile ingredients such as eggs, refried beans, waffles, hash browns, bacon and sausage make it easy.

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