Move over IHOP and Denny’s, other restaurants are entering what was formerly only your breakfast territory. Many restaurants, including fast food chains, are realizing that breakfast is a big ticket item now and are hopping on the breakfast bandwagon. More people are starting to eat breakfast out, in part because mornings are so hectic for Americans and also possibly because breakfast tends to be cheaper than lunch and dinner at most restaurants.
Most mornings feature people scattering their families all over town, sometimes even multiple towns, trying to get everyone to work, school, practice, where ever it is they need to go. The days when mom cooked a full breakfast at home and everyone sat at the table eating their omelets and pancakes and drinking their fresh squeezed orange juice are over. Anymore most people are lucky to find a few minutes to shovel a bowl of cereal into their mouth on their way out the door. This is where the quick service chains, such as McDonalds, are benefitting. By promoting their breakfast menus they are getting people in their drive thru looking for a quick, hot breakfast as an alternative to the pop-tart they eat every other day. IHOP and Denny’s have realized this and have recently started pushing their takeout breakfast menus and unveiling new containers that they say keeps food hot and fresh.
Another reason that breakfast is a great idea is that it is usually cheaper than lunch or dinner in a restaurant. Even though the economy is shaky right now people still like to be able to go out to eat every once in a while and have someone else wait on them. They look at what they can get at a restaurant at each meal time and, more than likely, realize they can get a lot more bang for their buck by eating breakfast. An omelet is a satisfying item that is a little tricky to make at home but is incredibly affordable at most restaurants, while a steak (which is also satisfying and more fun to eat when someone else cooks it) is out of the price range for many people right now.
Restaurants also should love breakfast because there is not an endless list of supplies that need to be purchased for meal service. Eggs, bacon, sausage, cheese, breads, flour, milk, water, onions, peppers, and seasoning can all be used to make a wide array of different breakfast options from a small list of ingredients (not to mention they are very cost effective for the restaurant owner). On the same note, dinner service usually requires a much more extensive list of ingredients that usually cannot be used in too many different meals (and usually these ingredients cost more).
While it probably doesn’t make sense for you to drop everything but breakfast from your menu it is worth considering adding it if you do not presently have it, or extending it if you do. You never know, your restaurant could become the next go-to breakfast joint in town.
Your Serv-U representative can help you get every piece of equipment you need to make your breakfast service a success, so give them a call today.
