Ten ways to boost breakfast sales

They say it's the most important meal of the day. For recession-pressed licensees it can help drive sales. Sheila McWattie reports

1. On a roll​

High-street bargains hit the spot. Yates's, the high-street brand of Town & City, is offering 99p hot drinks and a bacon buttie & hot drink for £1.49. Town & City has seen its breakfast sales more than quadruple and food sales grow by 22% since 2008. JD Wetherspoon has added a breakfast bap and coffee/tea offer for £1.39 upwards in its outlets.

2. Gap in the market​

Brunch and farmers' markets go hand in hand at the Bull, at Shocklach, Cheshire. Early December saw owners Jon and Lindsay Cox welcome back summer market stallholders, plus newcomers, and run their own produce stall. Entry was free, with brunch served from 10am until 1pm. Lindsay says: "Combining brunch with farmers' markets is an excellent way to attract trade and strengthen connections with local producers — it's a win-win situation." www.thebullshocklach.com​

3. In the know​

The Cock, in London's Smithfield, has recently seen one of the City's oldest markets undergo a £70m refurbishment. With 120,000 tons of meat, poultry, cheese, pies and other goods passing through Smithfield every year, the pub is busy from early on, and is a favourite of clubbers, MPs and celebs, as well as traders. Breakfast, including the Cock's famous devilled kidneys, is served from 6am to 10.30am.

The pub is licensed from 6.30am to 2am. www.thecocktavern.com​

4. Early start​

Mums love a natter and catching up over coffee. Anthony Pender, co-director of the Wiremill, in Felbridge, East Grinstead, Surrey, and the Grove Ferry, near Canterbury, Kent, says: "We've created our own branding for Coffee Mill, the coffee we serve in our 'bottomless' coffee cups, and we open early for our Mums' Clubs to meet after they've dropped the children off. On Fridays between 10 and 15 mums meet at the Wiremill, and our kids' 'little English' breakfasts are so popular that they've doubled our breakfast trade." www.thewiremill.co.uk​

5. Regional recipe​

Sunday brunch trade maximises your offer and builds your reputation. Tim Bilton, chef/proprietor of the Butchers Arms, Hepworth, West Yorkshire, says: "Walkers out on the hills on crisp Sunday mornings love our breakfasts. Not everyone wants to eat lunch as early as midday, so providing hearty Yorkshire breakfasts from 11am is a good use of our time and energy. We include sausages from Tamworth pigs, which have been allowed to roam free in nearby woods, and north Yorkshire black pudding." www.thebutchersarmshepworth.co.uk​

6. Tasty treats​

At the Almanack pubs, in Leicester and Kenilworth, in Warwickshire, ordering tea or coffee between 8am and midday brings a treat of free toast. Senior sous chef Rob Hartwell says: "Many people don't have time to make breakfast. The Almanack in Kenilworth serves more than 2,000 cups of tea and coffee weekly. Our breakfast offering includes Almanack hash and poached free-range egg, and stewed seasonal fruit topped with natural yogurt and granola." www.thealmanack-leicester.co.uk​

7. Wake up to coffee​

Tapping into local demand is crucial. Fresh coffee, juices and brunch are offered from 10am at Modern British Taverns' the Bouverie, in Chester. Manager Mike Evans says: "Workers and students like this quick, easy option: our coffee sales are split 60:40 in favour of takeaways, and our other offers, such as wine at £6 a bottle, benefit from increased exposure." www.mbt.cc/bouverie​

8. Party on​

Imaginative event programming opens doors. Salisbury Pubs director Becky Salisbury says: "When the licensing laws changed in 2007, we kept our neighbours on-side by adding hours every morning: all four of our Chilterns pubs can open from 9am. We don't do this regularly, but it gives us flexibility to offer Ascot Champagne breakfasts, Sunday morning post or pre-christening bashes and our famous recovery brunches on New Year's Day, which are booked a year in advance." www.salisburypubsltd.co.uk​

9. Easy does it​

Breakfasts have a strong appeal throughout the day. Foodservice company Love Joes' hand-held wrap line-up includes All Day Breakfast, with sausage, baked beans, eggs and bacon in a tomato sauce. Operations manager Toni Koumi says: "Research shows that 5% of the £40.4bn weekly eating-out spend in the UK is on breakfast. As the times of day consumers eat out of home change, outlets need good, on-the-go food that delivers around the clock."

10. Breaking news​

Cooked breakfasts and newspapers are a winning combination. Annie Clift, who has owned the Talbot, at Knightwick, Worcester, for 26 years, won the BPEX Best Cooked Pub Breakfast award in 2008. She says: "We open at 7.30am, sell newspapers and 250 breakfasts weekly. Quality and local sourcing is key — we keep hens and grow fruit, and make jams, marmalades and black pudding. Our free-range sausages and bacon are produced nearby." www.the-talbot.co.uk​