Whether or not breakfast is the most important meal of the day, more Americans are eating it away from home.
Visits to restaurants at breakfast rose 2 percent for the year ended Oct. 31, according to market research firm The NPD Group.
Competition during the daypart is also heating up, as a growing number of restaurant chains battle for market share. Taco Bell rolled out breakfast nationwide in 2014, and chains such as Dunkin’ Donuts, Chick-fil-A, Jack in the Box, Taco John’s and Starbucks have beefed up morning offerings.
Figuring out how to attract those diners is no easy task, especially since different consumers are looking for different things at breakfast.
In an online survey of 1,508 adults who eat breakfast away from home at least twice a month, Kellogg’s found that a few key factors apply to most of those consumers:
• They drink coffee and water in the morning.
• If they want a cold breakfast, they choose baked goods.
• They choose a breakfast sandwich if they want something hot.
In addition, the majority of respondents prefer to eat at quick-service restaurants in the morning, a fact confirmed by NPD, which estimated that quick service accounts for about 80 percent of away-from-home breakfasts.
Beyond that, the Kellogg’s survey broke the diners into five segments:
• Discerning Dashers: Made up of about 21 percent of away-from-home breakfast eaters, these customers are focused on value and portability for their morning meal.
They are morning “grazers,” according to the study, satisfying their hunger with bagels, fruit and breakfast bars or cereal, although they also eat breakfast sandwiches.
Location is important to them. They buy breakfast on the way to their morning destination, often stopping at convenience stores early in their day. Later in the morning, they are not averse to purchasing hamburgers.
In fact, according to NPD, hamburgers are the fastest growing meal in the morning, followed by breakfast sandwiches, Mexican food, croissants and pancakes.
• Gulp ’n’ Runners: These customers are likely to have a beverage for breakfast, and make up about 12.5 percent of adults surveyed. They are mostly active men who plan on eating something more substantial later in the day.
NPD reports that regular and decaf hot coffee remain the fastest-growing beverages in the morning, but specialty coffee is also coming on strong in third place. Juice is second, bottled water is fourth and hot chocolate rounds out the top five.
• Ninja Munchers: Representing just 14 percent of adults who eat breakfast away from home, these potential customers are least likely to eat breakfast at all and don’t generally plan what they’ll eat in the morning.
They say they’re more interested in eating healthfully in the morning than eating something delicious. They’re more likely than others to eat breakfast bars or chips.
Hot choices include breakfast sandwiches, potatoes and eggs. They might drink soda rather than coffee, and will often buy it at a convenience store.
• Sedentary Socializers: Not in as much of a rush, these diners, representing about 19 percent of respondents, rank quality and variety as important factors in making breakfast decisions. About 20 percent of them are retired.
• Sit ’n’ Savorers: About 20 percent of survey respondents are those least likely to skip breakfast. Value and quality are priorities for these customers, as well, and they also like having healthy options.
Their average age is 51, and two-thirds of them are over 44. They enjoy breakfast meats and often eat their morning meals at full-service restaurants, although they like bakery cafés too. Their choice of restaurant is based on cost, service quality and being close to home.
Of those five groups, the Discerning Dashers and Gulp ‘n’ Runners are the ones who eat breakfast away from home most often, according to Kellogg’s.
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected].
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