Restaurant operators are tired of flat traffic numbers. In the 12 months ending February 2018, lunch traffic was flat, according to The NPD Group, and dinner traffic dropped 1 percent.
The one bit of sunshine: Breakfast. Restaurant traffic for breakfast and morning snacks rose 1 percent in that time period. How can you capture a piece of the early-bird action? The old standbys, like egg and bacon, may not be enough. Here are five creative menu offerings that will attract and satisfy your breakfast customers.
1. Creative Grain Bowls
Consumers are interested in grain-centered breakfasts beyond oats and grits. The Ancient Grains Protein Bowl has been a hit at First Watch, the acclaimed breakfast and lunch chain, reports Nation’s Restaurant News. The bowl is built on quinoa, farro and brown rice, topped with two poached eggs and chicken breast, dressed with a lemon-white balsamic vinaigrette and served with avocado. It doesn’t hurt that the presentation is pretty, with pink-and-green slices of watermelon radish brightening the kale salad served on the side.
Hip Los Angeles café Sqirl features bowls made with Kokuho rose brown rice. A veggie version has sorrel pesto, preserved Meyer lemon, hot sauce, watermelon radish (we’re sensing a trend), French sheep feta and poached egg. The rice porridge is made with free-range organic chicken, dried lime, ginger, turmeric, cardamom ghee, frizzled onions and cilantro. Considering diversifying your grains? Commercial rice cookers from Hamilton Beach Commercial are designed to perfectly cook all rice varieties, as well as quinoa, porridge and other grains.
2. Smoothie Bowls
Veggie-centered smoothies are a popular breakfast for health-conscious consumers. Increasingly, we’re seeing restaurants thickening their smoothies and serving them in bowls, for a heartier but still virtuous breakfast. Vitality Bowls builds its bowls around exotic superfoods like mangosteen, aronia berry, camu camu, moringa, açaí, and graviola, aka soursop. For its Cali bowl, Freshii tops its signature green smoothie (kale, spinach, pineapple, avocado and fro-yo) with banana, mango, strawberries, granola and coconut. It’s even possible to make delicious veggie smoothies with no fruit at all — we’ll tell you how!
3. Hash
Breakfast hash is a hot trend, according to the National Restaurant Association’s annual culinary forecast, and it goes beyond the traditional potatoes, onions, peppers and meat. Fast-casual chain Grabbagreen features a veggie hash with black beans, kale, red onion, red pepper, yams, egg and avocado sauce.
Or, adapt this fun recipe for Hangover Hash from the Idaho Potato Commission. Potatoes and eggs make the party hearty, while broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, bell peppers and green beans add a halo of health, and some Nunya Sauce spices it up. (What’s in Nunya Sauce? Nunya business. Just kidding: sour cream, lemon juice, ketchup, hot sauce, salt and pepper.)
4. Sweet Indulgences
Here’s an interesting breakfast trend, observed by First Watch corporate chef Shane Schaibly: Customers choose savory, hearty dishes during the week, he says, then switch to sugary options on weekends. Restaurants are hitting that sweet spot with over-the-top riffs on French toast, waffles and crepes. Even Food & Wine magazine took notice of IHOP’s newest breakfast innovation: King’s Hawaiian roll French toast: “The most indulgent item in the launch would appear to be the Big Island Breakfast Stack, which is comprised of four King's Hawaiian sweet rolls sliced, French toasted (yes, that's a verb) and stuffed with ham, Swiss cheese, lingonberries, and two fried eggs.”
5. Second Breakfast
“44 percent of consumers at least somewhat agree that they eat snacks as a sort of second breakfast once they get to work or school,” a recent Technomic report on snacking found. Whether it’s a late breakfast, an early snack or “brunchfast,” restaurant operators are seeing more customers who want to eat mid-morning. Fast casual chain Freshii meets this need with grab-and-go coconut chia pudding topped with fresh fruit and coconut, as well as Energii Bites made with peanut butter, oats, honey, coconut and chocolate chips. Starbucks’ Sous Vide Egg Bites are a hugely popular, carb-free option for a breakfast snack. (Interested in offering your own sous vide egg menu items? Explore the PrimaVacTM line of vacuum packaging machines.)
Have you developed a standout breakfast program? Tell us about it! We’re always looking for foodservice innovators to feature in this space.
