Del Taco had success with breakfast tacos about five years ago, but CMO Tim Hackbardt felt those 2016 versions were not up to par for a 2021 menu.
“Times have changed, and we needed to make our breakfast tacos more interesting,” he said “We want to make sure we’re protecting and growing our share of the daypart as breakfast customers come back.”
Grabbing breakfast on the go to eat in the office, in the car or on the way to school was a normal part of life pre-pandemic. But remote learning and working from home put the kibosh on that habit. People stayed put, eating a bowl of cereal or whipping up a smoothie in their home kitchens. Families sheltering together occasionally splurged on pancakes and omelets prepped by the home cook.
Now chains are once again vying for the breakfast-on-the-go customer, elevating coffee programs, upgrading and expanding menu items and offering deals to regain traffic. The quick-service segment is especially active.
The breakfast battle heats up
Wendy’s set the bar high with its introduction of breakfast in March 2020, and is leading the QSR segment in growth. Breakfast at Wendy’s has since contributed to a 20% rise in guest frequency over the last year, with menu items such as the Breakfast Baconator, Maple Bacon Chicken Croissant and Frosty-ccino luring customers. This fall, Wendy’s partnered with NFL legend Reggie Bush to get fans to fuel up on breakfast deals before tailgating, offering croissant sandwiches for just $1.99.
Although McDonald’s is doing away with all-day breakfast, the chain has energized its morning menu with a new line of bakery goods. Taco Bell officially brought back breakfast in August, with plans to expand it nationwide. New on the menu are a Cheesy Toasted Breakfast Burrito with eggs, bacon or sausage and nacho cheese sauce, as well as a Hash Brown Toasted Breakfast Burrito.
Photo courtesy of Del Taco
The 600-unit Del Taco chain got a jump on its rival, introducing its new line of Double Cheese Breakfast Tacos in July. The menu includes a basic double cheese taco with queso blanco, cheddar and scrambled eggs in a flour tortilla; a Hashbrowns and Beef taco that adds the chain’s Hashbrown Sticks and beef to the filling; and a Hashbrowns and Bacon version that subs bacon for the beef.
The items are geared to the customer looking for popular platforms at a good value, with prices starting at $1 and topping off at $1.69.
“Breakfast is booming,” said Hackbardt. “Consumers are turning to QSRs for convenience now that there’s some return to offices and schools.”
C-stores up their game
Convenience has long been the breakfast hook at c-stores, but with QSRs now offering digital ordering, delivery and expanded drive-thrus, some retail brands are taking on quality as a selling point.
Casey’s, a 2,300-unit convenience store chain with locations in 16 states, launched an upgraded breakfast lineup on Sept. 8, elevating its coffee program and introducing new made-from-scratch food items.
“Breakfast is a critical daypart, and there’s a lot of competition from QSRs and other c-stores,” said Tom Brennan, Casey’s chief merchandising officer.
Casey’s has been in the pizza business for 40 years and gets credit for serving a great pie, said Brennan, so the chain leveraged its pizza platform to create a breakfast handheld made with the same pizza dough. The dough is wrapped around eggs, sausage or bacon and two types of cheese, then baked to create what Casey’s is calling its portable Signature Handheld ($3.49).
Photo courtesy of Casey's
There’s also a Loaded Breakfast Burrito with scrambled eggs, shredded potatoes and bacon and sausage crumbles, topped with melted cheese and rolled in a flour tortilla. The third new item is a Loaded Breakfast Bowl, featuring egg, bacon, sausage, shredded potatoes and cheese.
Guests can also opt for slices of the best-selling breakfast pizza, still on the menu and served until 2 p.m. Other holdovers from the previous menu are two croissant sandwiches and a breakfast biscuit sandwich, which boasts an improved biscuit recipe.
Casey’s hired chef Farrokh Larijani, formerly of full-service breakfast and lunch chain Snooze A.M. Eatery, as the senior manager of culinary innovation, to make over the menu. “Portability is important, but we have to deliver on taste first,” said Larijani. “All the units have full-service kitchens so we keep the menu as fresh as possible.” The biggest challenge was sourcing packaging, since fresh dough requires special packaging, he added, but a solution was found.
Although Larijani cross-utilized most of the ingredients from Casey’s pantry, he added queso to the lineup. “Customers in the Midwest love cheese, and the queso makes the items rich and flavorful.”
The bean-to-cup coffee program is also an essential element of Casey’s new breakfast menu. The chain purchased new coffee machines that brew every cup fresh on demand to the customer’s specifications. Coffee drinkers can customize the blend from six different flavors. “It simplifies team member involvement in coffee making,” said Brennan.
Queso and coffee lead breakfast
Breakfast has always been the biggest daypart at 700-unit Einstein Bros. Bagels, and it continues to be even though the corporate restaurants are not yet open for dine-in business. “We’ve seen a recent spike in breakfast traffic, with order ahead, takeout and catering going strong,” said Chad Thompson, senior director of menu development at parent company Einstein-Noah Restaurant Group.
Einstein Bros. also has revitalized its coffee program, adding a medium-dark house brand and an exciting cold brew line, Thompson said. Customers can opt for different syrups to flavor the cold brew and the product is also the impetus for a new platform—the cold brew shake.
“We always had blenders in-house, but now we’re using the cold brew to create a new breakfast drink,” he said. Three varieties are on offer: Caramel Cold Brew Shake, Vanilla Cold Brew Shake and Chocolate Cold Brew Shake.
Photo courtesy of Einstein Bros. Bagels
Along with coffee innovation, queso seems to be a common denominator on new breakfast menus. Thompson recently launched the Bacon & Queso Egg Sandwich, an LTO featuring the chain’s signature queso composed of a double-whipped jalapeno salsa shmear and spicy green chiles. The sandwich also contains smoked applewood bacon and cage-free eggs, layered on one of the brand’s fresh-baked bagels. Guests can also add the queso to any bagel sandwich for an extra 75 cents.
During COVID, Thompson did streamline the menu a bit, eliminating SKUS to reduce complexity but keeping on the superstars. Customers can get breakfast all day, but 85% of orders come through between 6 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Einstein Bros.’ target audience is families and “foodies” who expect more from breakfast on the flavor front. These expectations shine through with limited-time offers.
“Variety at breakfast is very important to our brand, and we can have some fun with our LTOs,” said Thompson.