Breakfast appeal that transcends dayparts.
Breakfast is back, and it’s all about new flavors, new formats and convenience that meets the needs of today’s consumers. Many people are returning to their pre-pandemic schedules—which means on-the-go breakfast items like pastries, sandwiches and specialty beverages fit well into their morning routines. Despite inflation driving menu prices up, breakfast and morning snack sales have held steady even when overall restaurant traffic fell (CNBC, 2022).
Many chain restaurants are looking to bring back that lost traffic—so menu innovation has focused on add-ons like French toast sticks that are easy to eat, fun and value priced (QSR Magazine, 2022). Other operators are using unexpected techniques to set their offerings apart. Wood-fired eggs, focaccia toast and carrot “bacon” take popular breakfast themes in new directions. Bowls inspired by congee (Chinese rice porridge), nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice) and other global dishes are expanding their footprint as well.
Breakfast protein preferences tend to be regionally driven, with fish popular across Europe and Africa and pork abundant in North America. But plant-forward breakfast innovation is hot in both retail and foodservice. In the US alone, sales of plant-based eggs have grown more than 1,000% over the past three years as consumers turn to products they perceive to be healthier and more environmentally friendly (Progressive Grocer, 2022). Dishes like vegan tofu scramble and breakfast rellenos appeal to this growing consumer base.
The majority of consumers surveyed across North and South America, Europe and Africa agree that they want food that’s “easy to prepare” (Mintel, 2023). Retail offerings such as microwaveable egg bites, breakfast pies and individually packaged cereal bowls with powdered milk cater to this need. On the snacking side, items like yogurt parfait bars, sprouted seed energy bars and smoked cheese sticks showcase convenience front and center.
Consumption of breakfast items has grown in recent years. What’s more, during the height of the pandemic, a whopping 79% of Americans said they had eaten breakfast foods outside of the traditional morning meal in the past year (Convenience Store News, 2021). So, don’t hesitate to limit breakfast innovation to simply the morning daypart. Products and menu items that play up sweet-and-savory combos or deliver a taste of nostalgia can be winners all day long.
Segment Snapshot
QSR/FOODSERVICE:
Not only are operators showcasing regional flavors and dishes, but many are incorporating their own twists on international favorites. Specialty beverages are seen as essential components of breakfast menus.
PROTEIN PROCESSORS:
Protein is seen as a key nutrient for consumers’ first meal of the day, and the source can range from traditional meats to plant-based options. Regional cuisines are showing a strong influence on typical breakfast protein offerings.
SNACKING:
CPG brands are blurring the line between breakfast food and snacks. With consumers increasingly focused on meeting their needs in the moment, brands are working to fit their offerings into more flexible post-pandemic lifestyles through enhanced nutrition, fun flavors or a dose of nostalgia.
Breakfast Made Bold
Chef Nehemiah Lim is here to demonstrate his new take on the breakfast sandwich, playing up contrasting textures and bold ingredients. He’ll show you how to make the perfect spicy Hollandaise sauce with Griffith Foods Gochujang Flavour Glaze, used to dress griddled Spam, pickled red onion, avocado and fluffy scrambled eggs on toasted milk bread.
Create and Innovate
Roasted Vegetable Shakshuka
Popular across North Africa and the Middle East, this hearty breakfast dish is as eye-catching as it is delicious. It consists of eggs gently poached in a rustic, spicy tomato and bell pepper sauce. Top with fried chickpeas, feta, red onion and cilantro and serve with grilled pita bread.
Featuring Custom Culinary® Vegetable Base
LOOKING TO ENRICH YOUR BREAKFAST OFFERINGS?
When it comes to product and menu development, it’s important to meet the needs of both consumers who are looking for an indulgent treat and those who seek out nutritious offerings. Luckily, these ideas don’t need to be mutually exclusive. Griffith Foods and Custom Culinary® offer a range of products that are formulated with both flavor and nutrition in mind. For example, we offer pancake batter made with NuBana™ Green Banana Flour, a great source of insoluble dietary fiber that’s also rich in magnesium and potassium—nutrients that are highly beneficial to consumers’ health yet typically under-consumed.
Seasonings
From marinades to spice blends, our unique seasonings enhance flavor, functionality, appearance and aromatics for any breakfast dish or product offering.
- Molasses and Cracked Black Pepper Bacon Cure
- Creole Chaurice Sausage Seasoning
- Plant-Based Chorizo Sausage Seasoning
Sauces and Dressings
Always crafted with a chef-driven approach, our sauces and condiments bring global flavor inspiration to breakfast-inspired offerings.
- Blood Orange Curd
- Morita Salsa
- Chile, Turmeric and Tamarind Chutney
Textures and Coatings/Dough Blends
Our value-added coating systems, dough blends and batters are optimized for taste, texture and performance—helping your breakfast and bakery items stand out.
- Green Banana Flour and Chickpea Pancake/Waffle Batter
- Southern-Style Biscuit Coating System
- Everything Bagel Coating System
TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL:
Contact your Griffith Foods representative to learn how these exciting, versatile products can enhance your breakfast and brunch options.
Chef Tip: “Serving up the perfect poached egg is a ‘must’ for a successful breakfast or brunch menu—but it doesn’t have to be an arduous task. Bring water and vinegar to a boil, stir and quickly crack the eggs into the swirling water. Once cooked, they can be placed in room-temperature water and sit for up to an hour before serving. A quick dip in boiling water will reheat them perfectly!”
–Chef Mark Serice, Vice President Global Culinary, Griffith Foods
Looking Forward: What’s next for the breakfast category?
BALANCED INDULGENCE:
Even though consumers want to start their day with nutritious choices, their allowance for indulgent snacks increases throughout the day. Consider how breakfast-inspired treats can satisfy customers outside the morning daypart.
PLANT-BASED POWER:
While animal proteins at breakfast are rooted in culture norms, many consumers will look to maximize their health benefits while minimizing their environmental impacts. That’s where plant-based options, including lab-based dairy products, will play a role in transforming global breakfasts.
SOCIAL SHARE:
Unlike other dayparts, opportunities to inject fun and excitement seem to be underutilized at breakfast. Foodservice operators should continue to push the boundaries of breakfast with items that are social media-worthy.
© 2023 Griffith Foods. All rights reserved.
Sources:
Amelia Lucas, “People returning to offices are still buying breakfast even as they cut back on other things,” CNBC, October 4, 2022.
“Americans Are Consuming More Breakfast Foods During the Pandemic,” Convenience Store News, March 18, 2021.
Danny Klein, “How Wendy’s is Navigating an Inflationary Puzzle,” QSR Magazine, August 11, 2022.
Marian Zboraj, “Scrambling to Meet Shoppers’ Preference for Specialty Eggs,” Progressive Grocer, July 25, 2022.
Mintel, 2023 FlavorIQ® Food and Flavor Outlook Report, January 2023.
Mordor Intelligence, “Global Breakfast Food Market (2022-2027), 2021.
National Restaurant Association, “What’s Hot 2023 Culinary Forecast,” November 2022.
Technomic, Industry Insights, October 3, 2022.
