The breakfast wars are heating up this week as Wendy’s debuts its morning menu nationwide and McDonald’s counters by handing out free Egg McMuffins for a day. Breakfast meats, eggs and cheese—staples of QSR menus—seem to be right on target with consumers. Protein is in strong demand among breakfast eaters.
According to Technomic’s Breakfast Consumer Trend Report, 53% of consumers say they would be more likely to purchase breakfast options that are high in protein. Aside from the usual egg, bacon and cheese sandwiches, plant-based sausage patties are showing up more often between the bread. And several chains are offering up portable, protein-packed breakfast bowls. Here are four currently spotlighting the bowl trend.
• Taco Cabana debuted a ChoriBean Breakfast Bowl with chorizo, refried beans, potatoes, eggs, queso and pico de gallo.
• Corner Bakery Cafe offers a Power Breakfast Egg Bowl featuring baby kale, arugula and spinach topped with scrambled eggs, grain blend, chickpeas, roasted tomato, fresh mozzarella and pesto.
• First Watch menus a Baja Chicken Burrito Bowl with salsa verde chicken, pico de gallo, kale slaw, fresh avocado, cotija cheese and a sunny-side up egg over an ancient grain blend.
• Dunkin’ is bringing back its vegetarian Egg White Bowl made with egg whites, spinach, roasted potatoes, cheddar cheese and caramelized onions, as well as the Sausage Scramble Bowl, a combo of scrambled eggs, sausage, cheddar jack cheese, peppers and onions.
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