29% of people choose to eat the first meal of the day out-of-home at least once a week, with 52% taking brunch out-of-home after 9am, reported a survey into consumer breakfast eating habits across cafés, hotels, restaurants and pubs, commissioned by Aviko.
Mohammed Essa, UK and Ireland general manager at Aviko, said: “Caterers who carefully consider their morning menus can really profit.
“A large number of people are eating breakfast out-of-home on a regular basis and the window of opportunity to serve it is widening as traditional eating times blur and brunch grows in popularity.”
The survey further reported that 75% of people who eat an out-of-home breakfast will order a cooked or “Full English” breakfast.
For customers ordering cooked breakfasts, the three items they most desired to see on their plates were sausages and bacon (52%), eggs (23%) and hash browns (18%), with 80% of respondents saying they would pay an extra 50p to have a hash brown included in their meal.
But greasy fry-ups aren’t the only way for operators to cash in on pre-lunch profit, said the study.
Special diets
80% of respondents said they didn’t believe there were currently enough gluten-free cooked breakfasts on offer and 54% said vegetarian options were often dissatisfactory.
Mohammed added: “The growth in special diets such as gluten-free means it’s essential that caterers offer appropriate menu options to increase traffic through the door and maximise profit.”
This year’s HGCA Breakfast Week takes place from 25th – 31st January, aimed at raising awareness of the benefits of eating a healthy breakfast and the wide range of breakfast produce available nationwide.
Operators interested in taking part in Breakfast Week can find more information at http://www.shakeupyourwakeup.com/content/get-involved.