US Foodservice Breakfast and Brunch Trends
- The return to offices and on-the-go needs have bolstered foodservice breakfast and brunch post-pandemic, but economically cautious consumers now prioritize value and convenience in their decision-making. Economic challenges, such as inflation and ingredient price fluctuations, are driving operators to adopt agile menu offerings and bundled deals.
- The breakfast and brunch daypart is being reshaped by two forces: routine reliability for weekday, on-the-go occasions, and experience-driven, social visits that encourage indulgence.
- Everyday convenience occasions are pushing c-stores to sharpen their competitive edge and traditional chains to modernize through rebranding, digital investments, and off-premise capabilities.
- The boundaries between meals and snacks are blurring, creating opportunities for breakfast solutions that extend beyond morning hours, pair with beverages, and offer portability and snackability.
- Breakfast and brunch menus are evolving to balance health-focused (BFY) options with indulgent “treat yourself” moments, allowing operators to cater to a wider range of dynamic consumer occasions.
This Report Looks at the Following Areas:
- The foodservice breakfast/brunch consumer
- Breakfast/brunch ordering behaviors, motivators and deterrents
- Interest in breakfast/brunch menu options at foodservice locations
- Healthy breakfast/brunch perceptions and attributes sought
- Interest in breakfast/brunch value/promotion concepts and concerns around foodservice value
- Innovation and marketing highlights: rebranding, menu innovation, marketing creativity
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Foodservice breakfast/brunch operators must be agile to capture the routine-driven demand for convenience and reliability along with experience-driven visits.
Kelsey Girard, Senior Food & Drink Analyst
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Outlook on the future of restaurant breakfast and brunch trends
- Opportunities
- Provide solutions for different speeds and spending levels
- Graph 1: breakfast, brunch and morning snack restaurant ordering, by generation, 2025
- Embrace both functionality and fun potential of breakfast and brunch
- Graph 2: reasons for ordering breakfast/brunch from a foodservice location, 2025
- Graph 3: foodservice breakfast/brunch behaviors, 2025
- Elevated prices demand strengthened away-from-home differentiation
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MARKET DYNAMICS
- Economic factors
- Consumers and the economic outlook
- Market factors
- Price of breakfast ingredients sees ups and downs
- Remote work stabilizes in the midst of rocky employment market
- Graph 4: percent of persons 16 years and over who teleworked or worked at home for pay, 2022-25
- Starting the day off at the convenience store
- Rebrands and breakfast exploration
- Denny’s strategy shift leads to store closures, cash flow, store updates
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CONSUMER INSIGHTS
- The breakfast/brunch consumer
- Definition of breakfast continues to blur demanding modern menu availability
- Graph 5: types of meals ordered (dine-in, takeout, delivery) from restaurants, 2025
- Younger consumers’ breakfast preferences harder to replicate at home
- Capture routine and special occasions to appeal across generations and life stages
- Graph 6: breakfast, brunch and morning snack restaurant ordering, by generation, 2025
- Breakfast/brunch ordering behaviors
- Away from home breakfast balances ties to tradition with demands for excitement
- Graph 7: foodservice breakfast/brunch behaviors, 2025
- Exploration and value a finer line at breakfast/brunch
- Baby Boomers seek out new locations, familiar menu options
- Graph 8: foodservice breakfast/brunch ordering behaviors, by generation, 2025
- In-person workers seek a balance of convenience, quality and exploration
- Graph 9: foodservice breakfast/brunch ordering behaviors, by employment status, 2025
- Breakfast/brunch foodservice ordering motivators
- Design foodservice breakfast/brunch for dual need states
- Graph 10: reasons for ordering (dine-in, takeout or delivery) breakfast/brunch from foodservice locations, 2025
- IHOP leans into breakfast and brunch as a treat on an LTO basis
- Indulgence and tradition can pair up for inclusive treat yourself positioning
- Graph 11: reasons for ordering breakfast/brunch from a foodservice location, by generation, 2025
- Breakfast can carve out white spaces, dependent on working status
- Graph 12: reasons for ordering breakfast/brunch from a foodservice location, by employment status, 2025
- Breakfast/brunch foodservice ordering deterrents
- Gain an understanding of at home breakfast/brunch’s value proposition to sharpen away from home differentiation
- Graph 13: deterrents to ordering breakfast/brunch from a foodservice location, 2025
- Craft tiered experiences for younger generations’ varied needs
- Graph 14: deterrents to ordering breakfast/brunch from a foodservice location, 2025
- Interest in breakfast/brunch menu options at foodservice locations
- Embrace menu diversity and agile innovation to meet personal breakfast/brunch preferences
- Graph 15: interest in breakfast/brunch-related options on foodservice menus, 2025
- Younger generations seek a more fluid approach to breakfast
- Graph 16: interest in breakfast/brunch-related foodservice options, by generation, 2025
- Operators embrace beverage creativity as core to menus
- Healthy breakfast/brunch attitudes and attributes sought
- What consumers are saying about healthy foodservice breakfast/brunch options:
- Fiber approaches protein as top healthy breakfast/brunch priority
- Graph 17: healthy attributes sought in breakfast or brunch items, 2025
- From targeted solutions…
- …to BFY options that are holistically rounded out
- Interest in breakfast/brunch value/promotion concepts and concerns around FS value
- Concerns around prices shaking up breakfast routines span across financial situations: how can operators react?
- Graph 18: types of promotions that would motivate consumers to order breakfast/brunch from a restaurant, 2025
- Graph 19: concerns around rising prices impacting breakfast routines – strongly agree, by financial situation
- Promote with a purpose to meet generations where they’re at
- Graph 20: types of promotions that would motivate consumers to order breakfast/brunch from a restaurant, by generation, 2025
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MARKET HIGHLIGHTS
- Innovation and marketing
- Chicken proves affordable, craveable breakfast/brunch protein solution
- Perkins embraces familiar ingredients in new formats
- Breakfast appetizers can reframe sides into sharables and small plates
- Bojangles gets points for promotional creativity tied to flavor enthusiasm
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APPENDIX
- Consumer research questions
- Foodservice breakfast and brunch attitudes
- Graph 21: breakfast/brunch attitudes, 2025
- Consumer research methodology
- Generations
- Abbreviations and terms
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