Morning Meals 2003

Gail Bellamy

BUILDING BREAKFAST & BRUNCH

If you doubt the appeal of morning meals, consider that many of the diners of yesteryear made their mark by offering breakfast all day. Today, breakfast and brunch menus still have draw. At TheBreakers in Palm Beach, Florida, approximately 500 people typically show up for what readers of The Palm Beach Post have voted the best brunch in town. Guests enjoy the variety of offerings presented at numerous cooking stations. And, at the 20-year-old Ruby’s Diner chain, based in Newport Beach,Calif., approximately 10 to 20% of the company’s business comes from morning meals. Ruby’s currently offers more than 45 breakfast items on the menu at their 37 locations. In Sarasota, Fla., the 44-unit First Watch group of restaurants only serves breakfast, brunch and lunch, and dishes up a lot of rise-and-shine fare, with traditional eggs-and-meat combinations being among their most popular menu items.

According to the recent "Breakfast in America" report from NPDFoodworld, the Fifties-style breakfast of eggs with bacon or sausage is regaining its popularity. While the majority of those traditional meals are still eaten at home (77%), restaurant breakfasts claim their highest share since 1993: 8% of total breakfast meals, compared to 6% a decade ago.

Whether your customers’ tastes tend toward the trendy or the traditional, you’ll want to check out the recipes on the following pages for ideas that include tarts, casseroles, frittatas, omelets and quiches–just some of the ideas that can wake up your morning menu.