Fast food breakfast brings big bucks

WASHINGTON – Getting breakfast at a fast food restaurant used to be a novelty, but now it seems that everyone wants in the game. AdvertisingAge reports fast food breakfast has proved successful and developed into a $50 billion industry.

And, if it’s a game, McDonald’s is winning. AdvertisingAge reports breakfast accounts for 25 percent of the chain’s business. McDonald’s is even thinking about expanding its breakfast menu to the rest of the day.

Other fast food chains like Taco Bell, Burger King and Subway are also ramping up their breakfast offerings – and sandwiches seem to be the big thing. Traditional full-service restaurants like IHOP and Denny’s are also looking into new ways to deliver a faster breakfast to their customers. Denny’s is offering a Grand Slam sandwich, a portable version of its Grand Slam breakfast dish.

Wendy’s came to the breakfast table late and after an experiment, they decided to end the service at all but 300 to 400 restaurants where it proved successful. AdvertisingAge reports a lack of a strong coffee product may have been part of the problem.

McDonald’s recently introduced a new breakfast sandwich called the Egg White Delight, which has fewer calories than the regular Egg McMuffin. It was the first new breakfast sandwich in 10 years.

WTOP’s David Burd contributed to this report. Follow @DavidBurdWTOP and @WTOP on Twitter.

Federal News Network Logo
Log in to your WTOP account for notifications and alerts customized for you.

Sign up