Breakfast Foods Any Time of the Day

January 11, 2016
NACS Online
New Technomic research finds that consumers are increasingly interested in eating breakfast fare beyond the morning daypart.
​CHICAGO – Despite the fact that breakfast continues to be the most skipped meal of the day, according to Technomic, breakfast has been a bright spot in recent years.
Technomic finds that increasingly fast-paced lifestyles, growing interest in morning fare at nontraditional times and extended all-day breakfast programs are fueling the trend. Lunch and dinner sales may continue to feel the effects, since consumers who now purchase breakfast away from home more often than they did a year ago are now cutting back on other daypart purchases as a result.
“Affordable, lighter options and convenient solutions can broaden appeal among consumers who skip breakfast,” said Kelly Weikel, director of consumer insights at Technomic. “And before offering all-day breakfast, operators must carefully consider the implications. While it can drive traffic and incremental sales between traditional dayparts, it also creates significant operational challenges and can cannibalize sales of higher-priced lunch and dinner items.”
Technomic’s 2015 Breakfast Consumer Trend Report notes that convenience stores will continue to expand and improve upon their menus. To generate menu innovation, the report cites vegetables as an ingredient with ample room for growth, as well as other healthful options such as seasonal fruit, grains and cereals.
Long before the QSR battle for breakfast, many convenience stores such as 7-Eleven, Rutter’s, Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes and Sheetz offered around-the-clock breakfast foods.
“If we sell it, you can get it 24 hours a day,” said Ryan Krebs, director of foodservice for Rutter’s of York, Pennsylvania, in the January 2016 NACS Magazine cover story, “The Most Important Meal All Day.”
In addition to the January magazine, the latest report from the NACS reFresh initiative, “Health & Wellness Trends and Strategies for the Convenience Store Sector,” prepared by the Hudson Institute on behalf of NACS, shows convenience retailers how to capitalize on the growing trend of consumers seeking better-for-you, more convenient products. More specifically, “the most important meal of the day” presents the healthiest opportunity for c-stores to exploit.
According to the research, while taste wins across all eating occasions (breakfast, lunch and dinner), nutrition is the highest attribute consumers are looking for at breakfast time. In fact, a nutritious breakfast trumps both convenience and cost. These insights are also captured in the October 2015 NACS Magazine cover story, “Blending Health and Convenience.”