How to Get the Best out of Brunch

What is Brunch? 

Brunch, once a formal occasion reserved for days like Easter or Mother’s Day, is now a regular social adventure. Millennials are driving this trend as they seek out social, inventive, and adventurous brunch experiences, according to Rachel Kalt, Senior Strategist with The Culinary Edge in San Francisco.

But it’s not just millennials: all generations are including brunch in their social plans. The trend toward regular brunching is on track to continue. Datassential, which tracks menu trends, reports that the number of restaurants offering brunch is expected to grow by 17% in the next four years.

Why your restaurant needs Brunch

One of the reasons why brunch offerings continue to rise in popularity is their serving time. Offered after traditional breakfast hours are over, it allows restaurants to fill seats in the lull before lunchtime while offering diners a convenient way to order breakfast-style foods into the early afternoon.

While brunch can be served all week, the weekend is when diners seek it out the most, as it is seen as the ideal way to indulge on a lazy Sunday morning or as a means of recovery after a late Friday night. Bottomless brunches have become the new norm in recent years, helping restaurants and cafes bring in patrons by offering unlimited drinks to accompany their chosen dishes. Just last year data from OpenTable showed that breakfast and brunch bookings were up 65% in two years, proving that the UK continues to be hungry for more when it comes to brunch. This upward trend continues to be driven by millennials who are far more likely to eat breakfast and brunch out of their homes than other age groups, especially on the weekends when it facilitates social gatherings with friends.

Why should you create a brunch menu?

Not only has Brunch turned into one of the diners’ favourite meals but it has also given restaurants the perfect opportunity to increase their revenues and boost their occupancy. 

This combination of breakfast and lunch has become the most instagrammable moment for diners. They enjoy the pleasure of eating delicious food but at the same time they can’t wait to show their followers & friends the trendiest restaurants and the best brunch menu they are going to eat. 

Brunch also gives your restaurant the opportunity to become the perfect host for families looking forward to celebrating special occasions such as Mother’s Day or Father’s Day with a brunch. And as spring and summer arrives, the terrace of your restaurant will allow you to create the perfect atmosphere and become one of the best brunch spots in town. 

Therefore, creating a brunch menu in your restaurant is a great opportunity to surprise your customers with new recipes, increase the user-generated content for your business while boosting your community on social media and attract more clients.

How to Create a Brunch Menu: 3 easy tips

The “brunch” concept no longer needs an introduction, over the past 10 years, it has become one of the trendiest meals to take at the restaurant. Although the “brunch” concept dates to the 30s, it is now trendier than ever, and your restaurant or casual dining enterprise needs to get the best out of it. 

• Incorporate a well-balanced variety of nutritional choices from the 5 food groups: dairy, fruit, grain, meats and poultry, and vegetables and beans. As simple as may sound, that will enable you to match your customer’s expectations according to the latest food trends.
• Sweet and sour dishes. Don’t limit your brunch menu to starters, main and dessert. Your customers will be ready to mix eggs benedict and waffles at the same time or the combination of both in the same dish!
• Go international: After seeing some brunch ideas to create the menu, maybe you feel like going beyond that and get inspiration from other countries. Don’t hesitate to do it. Include some international recipes in your menu and let your clients travel through your dishes.

How Brunch can be profitable for your restaurant

Today, however, almost 50 per cent of people eat brunch out of home on a regular basis – in fact, according to Mintel, 28 per cent do so at least once a week. No longer are diners simply grabbing a pastry from their local chain café during their commute and going out for brunch once in a blue moon, and this is feeding a boom in the industry. As Your Business explains, the low cost of popular menu ingredients and high turnover of tables mean that breakfast services can be a recipe for success even in high-end restaurants. 

Caroline Potter, the chief dining officer for OpenTable, tells Restaurant Hospitality that the popularity of brunch outings were the foundations of the breakfasting consumer trend among the general public. She says, “Whether it’s folks seeking to kick-start Saturday dining adventures or gather with loved ones over a sumptuous meal on a Sunday afternoon, brunch is a national pastime for foodies, friends and families.”

But although brunch is a pastime, out-of-home breakfast purchases are also a common way for consumers to save time. The Telegraph claims that busier lifestyles and longer days are the driving forces behind the ‘breakfast boom’, with 26 per cent of people saying they eat breakfast out for convenience, 15 per cent of them on the way to work.

Emma Read, from the foodservice consultancy Horizons, also points out that eating breakfast out is a more affordable alternative to dinner as a social occasion. However, although cost and convenience are key motivators in consumers’ choice to go out for breakfast, the main association they have with doing so is still luxury. According to findings from market research group NPD, 47 per cent of people say they view having brunch out as a weekend treat to be shared with family and friends.

How to Make the Most of the Brunch Trend

Arguably the best thing about the continuing popularity or brunch menus is that there is no pre-existing rule on what counts as a brunch dish and what doesn’t. This flexible approach allows dining establishments to create their own unique offering, balancing current trends with dishes that will return the biggest profit.

The one consistent theme across brunch offerings is the focus on eggs and egg-based dishes and bridging the gap between traditional breakfast and lunch dishes.

Traditionally, this has meant that dishes like eggs benedict and Hash Browns were staple menu items, but diners have seen both served dozens of ways so it’s worth thinking out of the box if you want a slice of the brunch business.

Are you looking for menu inspiration for your brunch menu? Check out our best brunch recipes!

What is a Bottomless Brunch?

A bottomless brunch is a dining experience with unlimited alcohol and a set food menu usually enjoyed in the late morning or early afternoon. These sessions often last around two hours, with staff working hard to keep your drink perpetually full. These brunches often have a signature drink on offer, like bottomless rosé or mimosas, but you may also have your pick of cocktails, beer, or wine.

The venue offering these bottomless brunches will usually have a set per-person price. The simplicity of organising a bottomless brunch, along with the opportunity to network or catch up with friends, makes this a very popular event.

Additionally, themed brunches make having a set menu appealing for specific life events: birthdays, hen parties, even divorce settlements can all be celebrated over unlimited glasses of rosé sangria and several sharing plates of your favourite brunch bites.

To Conclude...

In summary, brunch has transformed from a special occasion to a social staple, driven by millennials and embraced by all generations. Restaurants can tap into this trend by offering diverse menus, incorporating sweet and savory options, and exploring international flavors. With its popularity soaring, brunch presents a prime opportunity for restaurants to attract customers, boost revenue, and create memorable dining experiences. So, whether it's a lazy Sunday morning or a midweek treat, brunch offers endless opportunities for culinary creativity and customer satisfaction.