11 minute read
Breakfast ready – a
Breakfast
READY
As the sector makes moves to reignite itself, the all-day, portable nature of a good breakfast menu will play an important role in reestablishing routines and revenues.
A RETURN TO GROWTH?
Out of the home, breakfast was the fastest growing of all mealtimes in 2019 according to MCA Insight data, and although coronavirus restrictions clearly had an impact on sales last year, it remains a strong opportunity for cafés, claim sector supplier, St Pierre (www.stpierrebakery.co.uk).
In many cases, breakfast has taken on a new signifi cance for cafés as a result of coronavirus challenges, feel the company, caterers having been forced to pivot by developing new takeaway offers which enable them to cross-sell high margin products such as breakfast buns and other ‘on the go’ options alongside hot drinks. And in the search for added-value bread carriers which look good, taste great and are robust enough to hold breakfast fi llings, the brioche is in demand, they report.
Despite its continental roots in the cafés of Paris, brioche is a booming global trend. Tapping into rising Americana interest, this premium bread category has seen more than 250% menu growth in the last decade in the US and the trend has extended to retail too, where sales of brioche grew 71% in the 52 weeks leading up to September 1, 2020, according to Nielsen, ACN Report, August 2020 AOC data. In fact, the growth of this niche sector has been driven since 2014 by market leader St Pierre, who are now the number one brioche brand in America according to Nielsen, ACN Report, February 2018 AOC data.
This appeal is certainly not restricted to the US, however. Brioche continues to prove popular in the UK, fuelled by the growth of street food markets and premium burger options and meeting recent trends such as premiumisation, food to go and global fl avours, by combining the distinctive shiny glaze and rich, buttery taste to deliver an added value bread carrier for a wide range of breakfast items (such as classic breakfast baps, smoked salmon, French Toast and Eggs Benedict).
Cafés shouldn’t underestimate the importance of bread carriers, particularly in the current takeaway boom, advise St Pierre. A bun is more than just a functional item to hold the product, it is the fi rst thing a customer sees and also serves as the carrier too, which can result in cost-savings on packaging. And in the age of social media, where aesthetic appeal matters almost as much as the taste, a good-looking bun can also be marketing tool.
The St Pierre range features brioche burger buns, brioche
seeded burger buns and brioche baguettes, as well as sliced brioche loaves for cinnamon toast and brioche sandwiches. For added convenience, they are supplied ambient, presliced and with a 45-day shelf life, which means a betterquality product, less wastage, fewer deliveries and more freezer space for higher margin products.
Their menu suggestions include Nutella Breakfast (two slices of St. Pierre brioche loaf, topped with a generous spread of Nutella hazelnut spread), Brioche Eggs Royale (swap the traditional English muffin for a St. Pierre brioche bun, toasted and topped with crispy bacon, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce) and Scrambled Egg Breakfast Burger (scrambled eggs in brioche burger bun).
As part of it’s On The Go range, St Pierre also offers caterers individually wrapped bakery snacks and treats - Butter Croissant, Chocolate Filled Croissant, Pain au Chocolat, Caramel Waffles, Millionaires Waffle and Brioche Waffle. Each of the 45g products (RRP £1 each) combines convenience with the quality that consumers can enjoy on the go, at any time of day, and tick the box for hygiene too.
“Before the pandemic hit in March 2020, the ‘off site’ aspect of breakfast sales was growing seven times faster than the ‘on site’ aspect, according to the NPD Group Bakery Tracker in November 2019. And a Kantar Research Express Survey a year ago revealed that there had been a 32.8% increase in carried-out breakfasts,” confirms Gordon Lauder, MD of frozen food distributor Central Foods (www. centralfoods.co.uk).
“As we navigate our way out of the third lockdown, we’re now facing a different landscape in the hospitality sector, but we know that takeaway, delivery or click and collect will continue to offer an important revenue stream lifeline to all food service outlets, including cafés. During these continued difficult times, breakfast could represent an opportunity to secure those all-important additional sales.”
SOMETHING NEW
“We’re suggesting that cafés try launching a breakfast and brunch menu with items that are a bit different, to set themselves apart from their competitors. Options like a tasty, US-style ‘chicken and waffles’ or ‘chicken and doughnuts’ breakfast or brunch. Chicken is the most popular meat and also travels well for delivery. It’s an additional way to serve an ingredient that can be used for other day parts, too,” Gordon Lauder continues.
“Vegan and plant-based options continue to rise in popularity and all the indications are that this trend will carry on once we’re through the pandemic. CGS’s MealMetrics service has predicted that consumers’ focus on health during lockdown is likely to make vegan and vegetarian options more prominent on menus. Some 6% of people already follow a meat-free diet and CGA’s separate BrandTrack research found that a quarter of Brits were seeking to cut their meat consumption. According to Mintel, a quarter of young British millennials say that the coronavirus pandemic has made a vegan diet more appealing, while the survey last year also revealed that since the start of the pandemic, a vegan diet was proving more attractive to around 12% of Brits, rising to more than 20% of Londoners.
“For these reasons, it’s crucial to offer customers vegan breakfast and brunch options. Try vegan sausages wrapped in vegan naans or vegan sausages in a sub roll. Central Foods has recently launched a new KaterVeg! vegan sausage, which is ideal for brunch or breakfast menus. A smaller KaterVeg! vegan banger is perfect for children’s breakfast menus. Both are made with seasoned textured soya protein and offer cafés an easy way to serve meat-free menu swaps.”
ESTABLISHED TRENDS
“Prior to Covid-19, the breakfast takeaway market was booming with a staggering 71% of people buying their breakfast on the move, according to Toluna/Ferrero November 2019 data,” adds Zareen Deboo, foodservice channel operations manager, Ferrero UK & Ireland.
“During lockdown, consumers continued to crave premium frothy coffees and bakery items which saw £13m worth of additional purchases, according to NPD May 2020 YTD research. It’s proving essential to have a strong grab and go offering and with so many operators relying on it over the past year, getting it right is critical. As we emerge from lockdown, it’s likely that consumers will continue with these new habits and the takeaway market will continue to grow.
“Our research shows that breakfast baps, sweet pastries and muffins are all in the top five for early bird consumers. Classics such as pastries and muffins will always be best sellers but introducing something different to the menu could drive profits even further and open cafés up to a wider customer base. We can see this with products such as overnight oats and premium porridge options appearing more on menus.
“Easy to eat, takeaway options are key to a great breakfast offering. Think fresh croissants, muffins, toast, and porridge which will have high appeal and keep their quality after purchase, and don’t assume consumers only eat breakfast 7-9am, an all-day offering will have wide appeal with snackers and boost profits.”
Ferrero says that it has made it even easier for cafés to add Nutella to their bakes with the 1kg Piping Bag (just snip, pipe and serve to add the finishing touch to your items). The brand’s dedicated foodservice range includes a ready to use 1Kg Piping Bag, a 1.35Kg tub as well as a 3kg tub for high volume users (https://www.ferrerofoodservice.com/ uk/en/).
“The last year has been tough for the whole hospitality sector but, as businesses start to re-open and customers look forward to meeting again with friends and family, coffee shops are in a great position to offer food for informal dining such as breakfast. With more people set to continue to work from home too, takeaway breakfast and brunch offerings for locals is a new opportunity for coffee shops too,” says Jacqui Passmore, marketing manager UK & Ireland at Dawn Foods (www.dawnfoods.com).
“In order to get coffee shops back in business Dawn recommends that bake-off or thaw and serve frozen sweet bakery breakfast products will provide an easy to implement solution. Simply thaw as required to meet demand, minimise waste and keep the menu interesting with new flavours.”
Dawn’s thaw and serve range includes a vegan Very Berry Muffin with blueberry injection, a vegan Lemon Poppyseed Muffin with a lemon flavoured centre and a classic vegan Chocolate Muffin with a chocolate centre. For customers who enjoy a cookie or a Brownie for breakfast, they also offer vegan Chocolate Chunk and Double Chocolate Chunk American style cookies, as well as an indulgent Chocolate Brownie with chocolate chunks. The brownie comes in a convenient single serve bar with a paper cases and all the other vegan frozen products are individually wrapped as well, use allnatural flavours, have Vegan and Halal certification as well as UTZ certified cocoa.
“Dawn also offers a specific breakfast products range which includes a Williams Pear & Chocolate Muffin, a Banana, Vanilla & Chocolate Cookie Puck and a Breakfast Muffin,” adds Jacqui Passmore.
“One of the big trends for breakfast is ‘better for you’ products featuring seeds and the added sweetness of dried fruit. Dawn’s flowerpot shaped Breakfast Muffin, for example, is made with our signature muffin mix and is bursting with natural inclusions and texture. The Breakfast Muffin contains apricot pieces, dried cranberries and pumpkin seeds throughout and for an added flavour burst, it is injected with a fruity apricot jam. The granola topping not only adds ‘pick-me-upappeal’ but gives a crunchy contrast to the jam filling too. It’s an ideal product for tapping into the trend for ‘healthy indulgent’ sweet bakery products, ideal for breakfast.”
NEW TAKES
Maple syrup and fluffy American Style pancakes have long been popular on many breakfast menus, and Maple from Canada have some fresh takes to put forward.
“We have recently introduced some new takes on the pancake classic with Banana Wholegrain Pancakes with Maple, Yoghurt and Cinnamon from Maple from Canada Ambassador and food blogger Adam from At Dad’sTable. com. The recipe is easy adapted to be plant based too and makes a great healthy breakfast option for coffee shop menus,” says David Colcombe, chef ambassador for Maple from Canada UK.
“Once hospitality re-opens, consumers will be keen to meet again with friends and family, with breakfast offering an easy and relaxed way to socialise. With more people working from home, coffee shops will also have the opportunity to market breakfast and brunch to locals.
“As a completely natural product, maple syrup offers consumers a new way to get their sugar fix
without the ‘nasties’ of refined sugar. The trend for allnatural ingredients as well as ‘better for you’ products continues to be high, particularly when eating away from home.
“Tapping into consumers’ positive perceptions of naturalness and interest in food provenance can add value to your breakfast menu, as consumers seek out dishes that are made with natural ingredients and have a back story. Stating that your dishes are made with pure Canadian Maple Syrup for example, can be a positive selling message.
“Offering all day breakfast with interesting healthy dishes which bridge the gap between breakfast and lunch not only meets the continued trend for casual dining but allows you to experiment with world food flavours, and of course add in an additional revenue stream – now more important than ever.
“Dishes such as Maple Baked Eggs with Spinach are healthy and filling, while Maple Bacon Breakfast Buns or Maple Breakfast Burritos are portable – ideal dishes for breakfast food to go options.
“Veganism continues to be big news in the next year so vegan-friendly breakfast menu dishes and more substantial meals which cross over breakfast and lunch, such as on-trend buddha bowls or even breakfast salads will mean increased sales opportunities. Dishes that will appeal to vegans, vegetarians and meat eaters alike, and so cut down on time in preparation, wastage and buying in lots of different ingredients are ideal.”
More breakfast and brunch recipes using Canadian Maple syrup are available at www.maplefromcanada. co.uk.
INCREDIBLE MAPLE
Great for breakfast, but more versatile than you can imagine
From the deep Canadian forests to kitchens around the world pure maple syrup is a 100% natural, unrefined and unprocessed sweetener with a high-quality taste and a versatile range of uses.
Always free from artificial additives or flavourings, pure Canadian maple syrup is ideal for brunches, baking, barbeques and beyond adding flavour and complexity to any dish.
For more inspiration, great recipes and to download the maple cookbook for free, visit:
