Mornings are a chaotic time. The alarm is going off. You snoozed a few extra times, and now you’re running late for work. Grabbing breakfast as you run out the door or swinging by the gas station becomes a normal routine.
So how do you encourage your prospective customers to change their routines and head to a QSR instead? Marc Halperin from QSR Magazine believes it’s possible and has three suggestions to make it a reality:
- Seek out the fun and novel. Provide menu options that are transportable, handheld, neat and versatile, with both sweet and savory possibilities. Eating in the car can be messy and a hassle, so including menu options that overcome these barriers will help drive morning foot traffic.
- Shoot for utter uniqueness. Oatmeal and smoothies have become the norm on breakfast menus, so how do you build on this? One idea is to include a line of oat or grain based beverages flavored with chocolate or coffee, offering something savory and delicious. Unique options pique customers’ curiosity so they’re willing to put in the extra effort to visit your store.
- Think in terms of lifestyle shifts. Breakfast is moving toward becoming a two-part process rather than a single, short event. Morning snacking is becoming more prevalent. Creating options that allow customers to eat something now and take something for later would help capitalize on this morning trend.
These three suggestions further emphasize the opportunity that Mintel discusses in their Breakfast Foods report from September 2012. According to the study, the breakfast market remained strong during the recession and is predicted to continue to grow. In fact, 57% of people Mintel surveyed view breakfast as more important than lunch and dinner.
Breakfast is evolving. How will your business evolve with it?
Photo credit: Joe Wolf