No longer reserved for Sundays and Mother’s Day, consumers are indulging in brunch more often and the phenomenon has grown so much that the word brunch, once a noun, is now also a verb.1 Research reveals that the top reason consumers are inclined to eat brunch at a restaurant is because it’s a great way to socialize with friends and family.²
That’s why your patrons want brunch, but what’s in it for your operation?
Brunch is profitable
Many breakfast and brunch items feature low-cost ingredients like eggs, baked goods and yogurt that can be bought in bulk, made with a twist or topped creatively, and sold at a higher price point as brunch items.
Not only that, if you’re considering offering brunch, buffets are a great way to test-out this day part and build revenue. Here’s why:
- Faster service, higher turnover
No waiting for orders—customers come in one minute and eat the next. This means more guests are served, thus…more sales.
- Predictable revenue
Charge one price for adults and one for kids. This simplifies the paying process-and once you know how many times you can expect to turn the dining room, you have a pretty good estimate of your income for the day.
- Lower labor cost
When there are less menu choices, there is less table maintenance. You can get by with fewer servers and fewer cooks because nothing is cooked to order.
- Less waste
Since you can use smaller plates to discourage diners from taking more than they’ll eat, you can increase revenue by reducing waste.
- Strategic layouts
Place less expensive items at the beginning of your brunch buffet so customers fill up their plates with these offerings first. (Download our brunch buffet layout guide to get started.)
Easy brunch trends to serve at your operation today
Whether you’re going all-out with a brunch buffet, or just adding a brunch section to your menu, these easy and delicious brunch ideas are a great way to delight diners. Bonus! The indulgent brunch trend is sweeping across day-parts. Incorporate any of these ideas on your menu and serve any time as “brunch-all-day”!
- Baked Goods & Grains
- Anything, Waffled
- Mashups
- Combine flavors innovatively for more applications and increased wow-factor. For example: serve tater-tot nachos with poached eggs and hollandaise as Eggs Benedict Totchos!
- Savory Touches
- Take advantage of salt flakes to offer items in flavors like salted caramel, salted chocolate and salted cinnamon orange.
- Breakfast Salads
For more great brunch ideas, check out this brunch inspiration video, crunch numbers on your revenue potential with our profitability calculator and download our free brunch kit. You’ll get a brunch buffet layout guide, customizable menu inserts and more!