Are you missing out on breakfast revenue opportunities?

The breakfast market has evolved over recent years in response to changing consumer behaviour. Breakfast has become more of a communal social event, with people spending more time over it than they do lunch or dinner. This has led to more upmarket foodservice offerings at both breakfast and brunch – underscoring the fact that consumers are prepared to spend more on breakfast than in the past. To help ensure you’re not missing out on breakfast revenue opportunities, we’ve asked three of our consultant chefs to give a review and rundown of contemporary trends on the breakfast menu.

“The dine-out breakfast trend has become a huge phenomenon,” affirms consultant chef Peter Wright. ”We all love to eat breakfast out on the weekend and it’s not an early one, it’s late – heading into brunch and lunch, which is why we’re now seeing all-day breakfasts on the menu.”

Contemporary spin on old favourites

Peter says the days of stodgy, heavy breakfasts with lots of bread are long gone. “People want better quality ingredients and not too much of any one thing: one nice thick piece of bread, which gives you scope to put other things on the plate. We’re seeing the rise of cuisine styles drawn from the Middle East, places like Qatar and Saudi Arabia and UAE, and those flavours and ingredients are coming onto the breakfast menu – hommus with beetroot and Moroccan spices, chickpeas and similar legumes, yoghurts with tart flavours – a bit of sweetness and spice.”

But he emphasises the traditional favourites haven’t been forgotten – it’s just that today’s consumers are expecting a contemporary spin. “Who doesn’t love a big breakfast with sausage, bacon and mushroom? It’s almost too much food sometimes. But again, these are being adapted with a modern twist – we’re seeing avocado poached egg served with flavoured hommus and pulses, flavoured oil drizzled over the top, a spice mix sprinkled on and complemented with a thick slice of bread.

“I think a good approach is to build your breakfast in layers. In a traditional approach the bread is your base, the eggs are your protein – then you need to ask, where is the flavour coming from, how do I balance it? Do I need to put a little citrus in there, some oil, some dukka? Eggs are a breakfast staple and when you think about it they’re a little like chips in that there’s so many presentation styles and pricepoints which you can serve them at. And staying with the contemporary approach, we’re seeing a move away from old-fashioned salted bacon to new friendlier presentations which have been home cured rather than smoked and come in thicker cuts. Whichever ingredients you’re using, you need to ensure the presentation is as appealing as the taste – everything is Instagrammable today, and attractive meal shots will go a long way to selling your menu to prospective customers."

Sweet indulgent breakfasts back on the menu

Chef Adam Moore echoes Peter’s comments about the importance of contemporary flavour choices and presentation styles. “The world is changing very fast and your standard avocado on toast is now  pretty passe. What’s replacing that is alternate options like mushrooms on toast with goat’s cheese – immediately you have greater flavour complexity, and there’s a health aspect as well because mushrooms are high in vitamin B and they’re good at absorbing fats. They also have a great texture, which can be just as important as flavour. Middle Eastern style pork lamb and pulled pork is also trending right now.” 

Adam says one of the more recent innovations on the breakfast menu is the return of sweet, indulgent dishes as opposed to savoury foods. “We’re seeing more demand for pancakes of the ultra-fluffy variety as well as over the top indulgences, everything from fairy floss to Knafeh French toast which can feature sweet cheeses, crushed pistachios, brioche and even cream topping. Biscoff is being swirled through pancakes rather than Nutella – so ingredients are swapping out as consumers keep searching for that next flavour hit.”

On the breakfast beverage front, Adam reports that turmeric and beetroot lattes are becoming commonplace especially in inner-city areas. “Even our coffee habits have changed a bit – people seem to be going away from the lattes and cappuccinos in favour of more short blacks. Slow drip coffee is also coming in in a big way – and that’s not just a cup of coffee but a whole experience, from the slow drip of the coffee itself to the addition of ice milk from a separate container.”

He believes the evolution of breakfast is being driven by its growing importance as a social catchup occasion: “To a large extent it’s supplanted lunch which used to be the time to meet up. But because people are time-poor they’re meeting up in that breakfast window after they’ve finished their gym workout and before they head off to work or sign on at home. It’s becoming the major meal of the day.”

Pubs getting in on the breakfast trade

Even pubs are now getting in on the breakfast trade, as Gary Johnson, National Executive Chef for ALH Group confirms: “We have about half a dozen pubs that open for breakfast – generally the ones in precincts where there are cafes or diners offering that as well.

“I think the recipe for success in the breakfast trade is that people may come in for a coffee or a croissant, and then you need to upsell – ideally you want them to order a drink when they arrive, a meal while they’re there and then something to take away at the end. You also need to have the staples right, which means great toast, great orange juice and great coffee.

“In the successful pubs that do breakfast, you can virtually count on certain things being on the menu. The first is a build your own breakfast with eggs, bacon, sourdough bread and so on. You’ve also got to have the contemporary styles like crushed avocado with feta cheese, dukka and a drizzle of olive oil.

“But you also need to cater for the more adventurous customer who wants more of a brunch style meal – huevos rancheros which are eggs served Mexican style, or a Middle Eastern shakshouka which is eggs baked in tomato, capsicum and herb sauce spiced with cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper and served with nice Turkish bread, a dollop of yoghurt on the side and some chopped flat parsley sprinkled on top, served in a cast iron dish.

“Savoury waffles are really big for breakfast right now – we recently did a macaroni and truffle waffle with some roasted mushrooms and a bit of pesto and it was just delicious. Those kinds of dishes originated in the Middle East and now they’ve spread internationally. It’s about being adventurous with your cuisine choices.

“I had a Korean egg sandwich the other day with Korean barbecue sauce and scrambled eggs, all served in a wrap. We’re blessed in this country having so many culinary influences to play with – no matter what café you’re going to, there’s likely to be some international chefs.

“My approach to breakfast is basically to divide your menu in half – on the other side you have your traditional stuff, on the other it’s more innovative food which is halfway between your classic breakfast and lunch.

“That’s where you see the international influences coming through, from breakfast burgers down to breakfast parmigiana which I saw on the menu recently – a chicken schnitzel served with bacon on eggs on top accompanied by cheese and tomato!”