It’s 10 a.m. on a Sunday morning and several people are just waking up from a fun Saturday night. What better way to start the day than to grab brunch at a local restaurant? The idea of combining breakfast and lunch for a late morning meal and calling it brunch has proven to be a profitable practice in the restaurant industry. What started as a late Sunday morning meal ritual for many, has now become a much more popular meal on Saturdays, and other days of the week. Brunch is not just a fad either, in fact, it seems to be becoming a part of our American Culture. American market research company, The NPD Group, reported that the food service industry gained two breakfast meals per capita between 2015 and 2018, while in-home breakfast declined eight meals per capita during the same period. This data shows how skipping breakfast at home and having it at a restaurant is becoming a trend. Having breakfast after leaving the house also implies that some people will have it later in the day, which provides a great opportunity for creative brunch menu items to be added to restaurants. Additionally, this trend seems to be increasing as new generations enter the work force. A HuffPost article from 2017 reveals that over 75 percent of people discussing brunch on social media are under 25 years old, and a simple search on Instagram with the hashtag “brunch” will return over 25 million posts from people showcasing pictures of their favorite brunch dishes and activities. The ever-growing popularity of posting food pictures on social media platforms provides an excellent opportunity for restaurants to increase their customer base by engaging in social media marketing. From restaurants creating fun brunch activities to engage in, to restaurants creating new brunch items with a twist, such as Italian dishes for brunch, and new cocktails contending with the almighty mimosa, there are several ways for restaurants to capitalize on the brunch trend. Bringing creativity to the table, alongside the great advertising tool that is social media, brunch is now playing a bigger role in American Culture.
What better way to stand out in the ever-growing brunch destinations then to reinvent some of the crowd’s absolute favorites. There is no denying the popularity of traditional bacon or ham and eggs benedict, but the brunch favorite can be elevated to a new level when topped with seared, smoked, or confit pork shoulder. Or take your palate on a whole new adventure with the orange chicken and black sesame waffle dish, a twist on the popular chicken and waffle of the South. If you are feeling a bit more fancy for brunch, there is ribeye steak and eggs in place of the traditional steak and eggs; or indulge your taste buds in the Scotch Rocks, a more sophisticated version of sausage and eggs. Indisputably, traditional dishes with a twist are becoming the new way to present and experience brunch.
