People still want breakfast, study shows

Breakfast remains the industry’s growth game, according to a study by The NPD Group.

Breakfast remains the industry’s growth game, The NPD Group reports. Total breakfast occasions, at and away from home, are forecast to grow by 5% through 2019, while the U.S. population is expected to increase by just 4%. Annual morning snack occasions per person, at and away from home, have increased by 17% over the past six years.

Quick-service restaurants are taking most advantage of the trend. For the 12 months ending February 2016, breakfast visits to QSRs increased by 5%. That’s on top of a 3% increase during the same period a year ago.

Despite the growth of foodservice breakfast occasions, 70% of breakfast meals still are eaten at home. The average annual number of breakfast occasions per person in 2015 was 361, which was up 11 occasions from 2010. Breakfast sandwiches and portable breakfast foods such as yogurt and cereal bars are morning foods showing growth, according to NPD.

Breakfast sandwiches like Carl’s Jr.’s Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Breakfast Sandwich drive morning sales.

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In March BurgerBusiness reported exclusively that McDonald’s Corp. had file a U.S. trademark registration for the phrase “The Simpler the Better.” But what did it mean? A chain spokesperson told BurgerBusiness.com then, “We can’t share details at this time as to how this trademark may or may not be used.”

But now we know.

McDonald’s is pushing hard on “core” items like Big Mac and the Filet-O-Fish, promoting those iconic items every chance it gets. In-store merchandising for the Quarter Pounder with Cheese is stressing its “100% Beef.” And if you look carefully at the lobby cards, drive-thru merchandising and counter cards for QPC you’ll see, “The Simpler the Better.” It’s the mantra of the core menu.

This article first appeared at BurgerBusiness.