Keep sales rockin’ around the clockKeep sales rockin’ around the clock

By Robin Lee Allen


Early to bed and early to rise may have made a man healthy, wealthy and wise at one point in time, but Benjamin’s Franklin’s eloquent bit of advice won’t necessarily pay off in the 24/7 world we inhabit today.


As successful restaurateurs know, there’s money to be found early in the morning, but there’s also money to be found late at night. In fact, new attitudes toward time, work, health and spending are forcing operators to leave traditional thinking behind when it comes to contemporary meal occasions.


SLIDE SHOW: Operators seek sales around the clock

High unemployment, flexible work schedules, the growing belief that a larger number of smaller meals should be consumed throughout the day for optimal health, and penny pinching born of the recession are changing what and when we eat. 


And going forward, demographic shifts will impact industry dayparts as well, as aging baby boomers eat fewer dinners out and the growing Hispanic population eschews restaurant meals for those served at home.


IN-DEPTH:
This story is part of the NRN special report "Keep sales rockin’ around the clock," from the May 16th issue of Nation's Restaurant News. Check out how operators are finding sales in different dayparts, and read real life case studies from those who made sales around the clock work for them. Subscribers can log in to view full stories.

For quick-service players in particular, breakfast and snack — which have contributed, respectively, 60 percent and 40 percent of growth in industry traffic over the past five years, according to The NPD Group — remain huge targets of opportunity. Given high-margin menu items, such as coffee, breakfast sandwiches and hash browns, breakfast has the potential to be exceedingly profitable, said Eric Giandelone, director of foodservice research at Mintel in Chicago.


And even though such key dayparts as lunch and dinner have seen traffic erode in recent years, both meal occasions still have potential and are projected to grow over the next decade, according to Bonnie Riggs, NPD’s restaurant analyst.


Specifically, traffic for dinners consumed on premise at quick-service restaurants is expected to grow 3 percent, while family dining is expected to see a 2-percent boost. Meanwhile, traffic for dinners eaten at casual dinnerhouses is projected to grow 8 percent over the next 10 years.
 

Messaging is key to growing dinner sales, Riggs noted.


“Restaurant operators, when it comes to supper, have not done a very good job of touting the benefits of eating out,” she said. “Consumers don’t want to have to cook and clean up afterwards; they want more time with friends and family. So operators need to capitalize on that somehow.”


In “Keep sales rockin’ around the clock,” we look at both the changes occurring within dayparts and how restaurateurs can capitalize on them. From the high-growth occasions of breakfast and snack to the more staid but no less important lunch and dinner dayparts, and the increasingly hot brunch and late-night occasions, we explore the economic, demographic and sociological factors influencing the period’s sales potential.


Along with stories on each daypart, you’ll also find case studies of such operators as McDonald’s, McAlister’s Deli and others that are excelling in the meal occasions. We’ve also included tips on factors to consider before expanding or changing your operating hours. And as a bonus, throughout the report we’ve added charts, lists of top-selling menu items and other data intended to serve quickly digestible and useful nuggets of information about the daypart. 


It’s always been true that time flies, especially when you are looking for return on investment in every possible minute. The editors of Nation’s Restaurant News hope the information packed into this special report helps you in this objective. So dive in. For as Franklin also said, “An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” And that adage is timeless. 


Contact Robin Lee Allen at [email protected]

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