| The breakfast report from Technomic confirms this thinking, reporting that, “consumer daily habits are a barrier to away-from-home breakfast growth. Daily routines that include breakfast at home are tough habits to change unless consumers can be persuaded to take up a new routine that offers them the convenience they desire in an away-from-home breakfast format.” Change, notes Balzer, is a function of three variables. We like what is new, whether new and bold flavors, new ingredients or new packaging. Second, we like what makes our lives easier—the breakfast sandwich is the ultimate example of convenience. Finally, we like to control our food budget—a priority in the current economy. The economy has, in a way, leveled the playing field. “There’s no longer a value seeker, it’s everybody,” says Adam Baird, vice president of food and beverage, Mimi’s Cafe. He notes that a recent company demographics study showed the value-driven customer “pretty much transcends every category, every income. Everyone is affected one way or the other.” INNOVATIVE SPINS The key may lie in imaginative specialty offerings and well-prepared traditional items. First Watch offers a selection of both. One popular specialty item called the Chickichanga consists of eggs with spicy chicken, chorizo, green chiles, Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese, onion, and avocado, rolled in a crispy flour tortilla and topped with Vera Cruz sauce and sour cream.
|
Email this article
Add a comment
Printer version
Order reprints
RSS Feed
Bookmark article