Despite the fact that breakfast continues to be the most skipped meal of the day, breakfast has been a bright spot in the industry in recent years. Consumers' increasingly fast-paced lifestyles, growing interest in morning fare at nontraditional times and extended all-day breakfast programs are fueling the trend. Lunch and dinner sales may continue to feel the effects. Among consumers who now purchase breakfast away from home more often than they did a year ago, the majority (60%) report cutting back on other daypart purchases as a result.

"Affordable, lighter options and convenient solutions can broaden appeal among consumers who skip breakfast," explains Kelly Weikel, director of consumer insights at Technomic. "And before offering all-day breakfast, operators must carefully consider the implications. While it can drive traffic and incremental sales between traditional dayparts, it also creates significant operational challenges and can cannibalize sales of higher-priced lunch and dinner items."

Using actionable data from more than 1,500 consumers, as well as Technomic's exclusive Digital Resource Library, Knowledge Center and MenuMonitor databases, the 2015 Breakfast Consumer Trend Report serves as a guide for foodservice operators and suppliers to understand consumer attitudes in the breakfast market. Complete with expert insights and identification of key areas of opportunity to capitalize on consumer trends, the 2015 Breakfast Consumer Trend Report delivers insights to:

Marketing breakfast items as ideal for snacks, particularly by targeting younger consumers who are especially likely to order breakfast for between-meal occasions, may drive incremental fare between breakfast and dinner.

QSR operators will continue to add more healthful, responsibly sourced fare catering to the health conscious consumer, while C-stores will continue to expand and improve upon their menus, and new, larger-format.

Vegetables in particular show room for growth on breakfast menus, as do other healthful options including seasonal fruit, grains and cereals.

The 2015 Breakfast Consumer Trend Report is one of many topics in Technomic's Consumer Trend Report series offering the most current analysis, insight and opportunities to help grow your business. Our best-in-class intelligence combines 50 years of foodservice expertise with critical findings from more than 7,000 menus per year and nearly 30,000 annual consumer interviews.