CHICAGO – Most Canadian consumers eat breakfast on a regular basis. More than eight out of 10 consumers (82 percent) say they eat breakfast at least sometimes, and 32 percent say that they always eat breakfast.
But even among those who eat breakfast regularly, there are times when breakfast is skipped. Forty-three percent of Canadian breakfast consumers told Technomic they skip breakfast at least once a week. To help lure these customers—and drive incremental traffic and sales—foodservice operators should tailour breakfast programs to meet consumers' most important needs, including convenience, value, health and variety, to name a few.
View related INFOGRAPHIC: (Spotlight on Canadian Breakfasts)
"There are opportunities to increase breakfast traffic in each restaurant segment," said Darren Tristano, Executive Vice President of Technomic, Inc. "But in order to do so, operators must highlight their strengths. Limited-service breakfast customers tell us that value menus, breakfast sandwiches and portability are important to them, while overall menu variety, all-day breakfast items and kids' breakfast options are particularly important to full-service breakfast consumers. Zeroing in on the core needs of your breakfast customer is integral to building the daypart's success."
To help foodservice executives understand the latest behaviours, preferences and attitudes of consumers regarding breakfast, Technomic has published its Canadian Breakfast Consumer Trend Report. Interesting findings include:
- Breakfast is a price-sensitive meal: 52 percent of consumers who eat breakfast at home do so to save money; at least three out of 10 say it is too expensive to purchase breakfast from limited-service restaurants (31 percent) and full-service restaurants (43 percent) during the week.
- Consumers link breakfast and health: 73 percent of consumers feel it is unhealthy to skip breakfast. Healthy breakfast options are a top traffic driver at both LSRs and FSRs, and open-ended data reiterates this call for healthy breakfast fare.
- Don't forget about coffee: About 63 percent of foodservice breakfasts include coffee. Additionally, consumers cite the availability of their preferred coffee as a key reason why they visit their primary breakfast source.
Technomic's Canadian Breakfast Consumer Trend Report provides comprehensive research on the latest menu and consumer trends related to breakfast, organized into four major sections:
Menu Insights—uses Technomic's exclusive MenuMonitor data to track year-over-year development of breakfast offerings at Canada's Top 250 restaurant chains.
Consumer Insights—analyzes consumer preferences and attitudes toward breakfast, based on responses from a nationally representative survey of 1,000 Canadian consumers.
Outlook: Trends to Watch—explores emerging menu, concept and consumer trends that are poised to impact how Canadian restaurant operators promote breakfast in the future.
Profiles—appendices feature concept and menu positioning profiles for 10 trend-setting restaurant brands featuring menus that are positioned around breakfast.
Technomic publishes a complete library of consumer trend reports. To learn more, please visit Technomic.com or contact one of the individuals listed below. For Technomic updates, please follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn or our blog.
Contacts:
Purchasing Details: Jessica Cravero, 312-506-3849, or jcravero@technomic.com
Report Details: Kelly Weikel, 312-506-3830, or kweikel@technomic.com
About Technomic
Technomic provides clients with the facts, insights and consulting support they need to enhance their business strategies, decisions and results. Its services include numerous publications and digital products, as well as proprietary studies and ongoing research on all aspects of the food industry.
Source: Technomic
