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Have the traditional lunch and dinner serving sittings had their day in hospitality? Breakfast, brunch and afternoon tea have experienced a huge surge in interest over the past two years, according to recent figures from restaurant booking platform OpenTable. The booking platform found that breakfast and brunch bookings have more than doubled during this period (up 65%) and UK brunch bookings have risen by a significant 369% in the past five years.
Last year, we reported that British guests are spending £13bn on dining out for breakfast every year with millennials driving this lucrative trend. In fact, the millennial demographic are still the most likely to dine out for breakfast on a monthly basis across all types of hospitality venues, with half of 18-24 year-olds going out for breakfast at least twice a month, according to new research from potato brand Lamb Weston.
However, this isn't to say breakfast and brunch outings are solely the domain of the young. Big Hospitality reported that 34% of UK adults (44% in the business hub of London) are choosing to discuss work matters over a morning meal instead of the traditional business lunch.
It is an impossible trend for the restaurant industry to ignore and both big players and newcomers alike are taking steps to cash in. The Ivy responded to this fast-growing sector by launching a breakfast menu a couple of years ago, while upcoming Fitzrovia restaurant, Butterscotch Tea Rooms plans to feature a Goldilocks porridge bar so that guests can customise their morning meal.
As restaurants seek to get ahead of the competition with inventive ways for their guests to experience brunch as well as ever-more unusual menu options, will the range of morning meals on offer soon give dinner menus a run for their money?
