Casual dining is continuing to grow in the UK as new figures from The NPD Group shows visits are up 7 per cent for the year ending June 2018 and spend is increasing four times faster than the overall eat-out foodservice market.

In Packaged Facts’ recent report, “Breakfast and breakfast foods all day: Culinary tracking series” it says that one of the main reasons that consumers are eating out more is because restaurants are offering menus that are adaptable throughout the day. For example many restaurants are now offering breakfast foods at dinner time.

According to news website Restaurant Business, the customers’ preference for breakfast around the clock is a business-building opportunity for operators. Restaurant Business continue by saying that not only are 30 per cent of consumers purchasing breakfast fare outside of morning hours more often, but also 35 per cent would visit a restaurant they typically wouldn’t visit if it were to offer breakfast food beyond the morning.

But what breakfast food do customers want to see on the menu in 2018?

According to MCA, the top 5 breakfast foods in 2018 are:

• English Breakfast
• Pancakes
• Waffles
• Eggs Benedict
• Breakfast Burgers

David Sprinkle, research director for news website Packaged Facts says, “This is an age of all-day breakfast selections that can shape-shift their way through the day, multi-purposing for breakfast, lunch, post-work drinks and takeout, dinner, and midnight snacks. Breakfast food menus and retail products can appeal to all budgets, all levels of appetite, and all food preferences and dietary requirements.”

In London you can eat breakfast into the later hours of the day at casual dining restaurant The Breakfast Club. The restaurant, based in multiple locations around the UK, serves up a large variety of breakfast treats from opening to close. On the menu they have a variety of dishes from, from pancakes and waffles to avocado toast and fried chicken and waffles. Due to customer demand, the Breakfast Club are also now offering home delivery through the new Amazon restaurants app. This means that consumers can enjoy their favourite breakfast treats in the comfort of their own home at any time of day.

For catering and hospitality operators looking to serve breakfast options throughout the day – a variety of suitable packaging options for consumers eating on the go and home-delivery is required.

When it comes to making sure that food is delivered in-tact – hot (or cold) and spillage free – well designed packaging is essential. Foodservice operators should not need to limit which of their menu items they offer for delivery – baked beans on toast, yoghurts with fruit, pancakes and syrups, are all perfectly deliverable, as long as they are contained in the right packaging. For example, for deliciously filling breakfast burgers, English breakfast, waffles and pancakes we recommend bagasse hinged containers from our exclusive brand Sustain, and for healthier dishes like overnight oats and yoghurt we recommend RPET Polarity tumblers from our supplier Huhtamaki.

To find out more about our different types of food packaging visit our Food Packaging e-brochure.

If you would like any further information, please contact Bunzl Catering Supplies today.