Breakfast changes breakfast.

Breakf t changes

In the wake of the response to Covid which saw lockdowns and outlet closures, and associated changes in demand and people’s out of home eating habits, there has been a merging of dayparts and new trends and developments shaping resurging breakfast and brunch demand.

THE CASE FOR BETTER BREAKFASTS

How does your day start? Do you take a more leisurely mid-morning breakfast? With both hot and cold breakfasts featuring in the Top 10 Food To Go product categories, and real changes in consumer behaviour emerging during Covid, you need to know the latest trends if you are going to capitalise on this key area of opportunity, advise sector analysts, mealtrak.

In the spring of 2021, the government showed us the road out of lockdown plan, and we all started to feel a little brighter. However, the real road to recovery for businesses started much later with many city-based companies keeping work from home policies in place until October 2021 and beyond. The hybrid/ exible working model is now here to stay with 84% of managers reporting that their businesses have adopted hybrid working (mealtrak’s State of the Nation Report for 2021), and this new model is providing us with a chance to really think and consider our options for how we choose to experience life best, including our choice of eating experiences, feel the researchers.

Pre-pandemic, mealtimes were traditionally set pretty much around the nine to ve of a working week with weekends o . However, as lockdown was introduced, without the standard working day or week, one of the ways we were encouraged to cope with what was to be a long time working from home, was to stick to a routine and to start the day well. Breakfasts became a way of marking the this, to kick start a plan for the day.

During lockdown, the resilience of fast food and takeaway being ahead of cold breakfasts. Although year on year at the end of December 2021, breakfasts were at -27% overall and porridge or oat based breakfasts performed the best in the hot breakfast category with hot cooked porridge at just -2%.

2021 versus 2022 sample comparison out of home eating breakdown (source mealtrak W99 Food to Go & Eating Out Home Report 2021 and 2022)

CONSUMER MISSION DEVELOPMENT

Throughout the pandemic we saw a marked shift towards the more rewarding and emotionally satisfying consumer missions, things like sweet treats, products which satisfied a craving, or those treats that were a little difficult to make at home. As we move forward though, there is now a general consensus around working towards a more healthy diet and, although the sweet treat mission has not disappeared, there is a recognition that a good breakfast has benefits for the start of the day, something consumers are keen to maintain. mealtrak noted that eating out during the shoulder periods of mid-morning and mid-afternoon increased significantly as consumers looked to break the day a little differently whilst working from home during 2021. We are now seeing that mid-afternoon shoulder period reducing, but the really interesting trend is the emergence of a more leisurely breakfast period which carries through midmorning (and for some, brunch!), they report. Once again, millennials and Gen Z consumers are leading the trend in taking a more leisurely approach to breakfasts.

The desire for consumers to eat with friends is now being matched with the availability of time to do so, and it is this which is by far the biggest influencer in the decision to eat out. The second biggest influencer is still the need to “treat”, say mealtrak. Most home-based breakfasts used to consist of a quick bowl of cereals or toast with a coffee or juice so the idea of a longer, more adventurous breakfast immediately appeals to the consumer looking to satisfy those two main missions.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Global economics will now be a major influencing factor in consumer spend so it is now more important than ever to ensure that the business strategies are developed with this in mind, say mealtrak. The longer breakfast period is perfectly placed to take advantage of consumers’ needs to treat and the new hybrid working patterns. For the eating out of home market, restaurants and takeaways, longer or even all-day breakfast options open up a means to provide consumers with the treat they crave as a value for money choice that may be more affordable than eating out in the evening.

For the food to go business model, it’s about responding to the changes we are seeing in consumer behaviour and making the breakfast options more exciting and varied, whilst still adding value, mealtrak conclude.

CHANGING HABITS

According to sector analysts, CGA (Food Insights 2021), evening and lunchtime remain the biggest dayparts when consumers typically eat out. However, a sizeable proportion – around one in five, CGA observe – also visit hospitality venues for breakfast, brunch, afternoon tea and for on-thego snacks.

In particular, these researchers report, compared to preCovid, weekdays and earlier dayparts have seen an increase in visits across the total market (CGA BrandTrack, February 2019 and February 2022 comparison). For example, in February 2019 6% of visits took place in the morning, whereas this had risen to 15% come February 2022 with weekday (Monday to Friday) visits showing a 4% increase in particular.

“Our data shows that weekdays are growing in terms of visits but the sizable change can be seen when analysing day parts, with morning (+9%) and lunch (+9%) times showing strong increases, although the most frequently visited time remains evening and lunch time,” reports James Ashurst, CGA’s client director, hospitality operators and food team.

“The average spend around brunch occasions show a slightly higher spend than for traditional lunch, driven by the female demographic (61%). If frequency of visits sits between once and twice a month, brunch (40%) sits even higher than lunch (30%). However, if visits are higher than that it seems that consumers become slightly more spend-conscious in which case lunch ranks stronger in terms of frequency.”

In their Food Insights 2021 report, CGA reported that the average breakfast spend is £11.94, and the average brunch spend is £15.56 (the majority of customers at this time being female and almost half aged between 18 and 34). Out of those eating out for breakfast, brunch and an on-the-go snack, over 40% do so on a weekly basis, CGA found, highlighting an opportunity to encourage repeat visits in these dayparts and expand coverage, propose the researchers.

Pre-pandemic figures from MCA Insight indicate that breakfast was the fastest growing of all meal times in 2019 and more recent research from Mintel shows almost half (49%) of people now eat breakfast sometimes out of home (Mintel also noting an opportunity for ‘healthier but convenient breakfasts’ out of home in its latest research).

“Food on the go inevitably declined during Covid 19 (down nearly 20% MAT to March 2021 across all FMCG - NielsenIQ Scantrack 52 weeks to 27.02.21 data), but there is expected to be a recovery in ‘on the go’ consumption this year, even if it doesn’t yet reach pre-Covid levels. With hygiene still front of mind for conscious consumers, the focus will be on how to deliver hygienic yet convenient solutions for grab and go breakfasts,” says Scott Oakes, commercial manager for bakery product brand, St. Pierre.

“I would always encourage caterers to be brave with menu development and there is an increasing trend to showcase speciality breads on the menu. It makes sense, particularly when you consider the growing trend for premiumisation. Brioche is a good example, adding value to breakfast menus to help drive margins. The rich and buttery flavour of brioche products complements a wide range of flavours, with a signature glaze finish for added visual appeal. Sales of morning goods and speciality breads were up 4.2% MAT up to January 2022 according to Nielsen.

“And if you are switched-on enough to exploit the potential of added value breads, then make sure you are shouting about it on menus, table-talkers and other POS to inform customers.”

KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER

“As journeys for business and pleasure rise again, following a prolonged period of home-working and various iterations of lockdowns, breakfast is starting to recover. Breakfast is expected to continue to be a fast-growing day part (HIM, 2021 data) and so it is a key category to get right. Operators should consider their customer base as well as current and potential footfall in the morning when deciding to add a breakfast offer,” says Phil Carratt, head of marketing & strategy at sector supplier, Country Choice.

“Currently, the most significant trends are health and indulgence. When it comes to indulgence, full breakfast baps and baguettes, including bacon, sausage, eggs, and hash browns, alongside a coffee, are very popular, whereas those looking to make a healthier choice head for porridge and fruit selections. Despite all that went on during 2021, croissants are still hugely popular, whilst Viennoiserie sales in general have recovered well, buoyed by the increase in impulse, on the go sales.

“To grow their breakfast business operators should get to know their customers’ routines. The pandemic has undoubtedly delayed these routines, especially on days when they are working from home, and this means that operators need to have good availability, along with straight from the oven freshness, slightly later in the morning than was the case pre-pandemic.

“The products included in an operator’s breakfast range should be appropriate to their customer demographic. Hot breakfast items should be held in a well-maintained heated unit with clear ticketing detailing the price, along with any allergen information. A hot food to go range should include a good variety of items including rolls, turnovers, baps, and hot boxes, whilst the in-store bakery range should include breakfast favourites such as croissants, pains au chocolat and Danish pastries.

“Coffee is a great way to grow breakfast business. The majority of coffee is purchased during a breakfast mission, so linking a coffee with a best-selling food item, be that a hot food to go item or pastry, can drive incremental sales. Country Choice has links with all major coffee brands enabling operators to offer their shoppers a good value breakfast deal from two well-known brands.”