News

McDonald's gets a jump start on breakfast

August 11, 2010

According tomarket researchfirm The NPD Group, breakfast accounted for nearly 60 percent of the restaurant industry's traffic increase throughout the past five years.

In the past month, most of the U.S. consumers who patronized a quick-service restaurant for breakfast chose the Golden Arches. Consumer research firm Scarborough Research released a study of breakfast diners and found that 37 percent of Americans have started their day at a QSR.

Of that early bird crowd, 46 percent chose McDonald's, 19 percent chose Dunkin' Donuts, 19 percent went to Starbucks, and 12 percent dined at Burger King.

Also in the findings, most of the QSR breakfast consumers are between 18 and 29 years old, and most have a college education.

Additionally, QSR breakfast customers are heavy Internet users and are 18 percent more likely than the average adult to spend more than 20 hours online per week.

Along these lines, the QSR crowd is 22 percent more likely to download an online coupon, and 29 pecent more likely to receive email or text message coupons. Many brands have added wireless Internet to their restaurants to cater to this demographic.

Finally, the research shows that those who eat breakfast at QSRs are 14 percent more likely to belong to a health or fitness club, and their activities of choice are broad.

The top market for breakfast daypart consumption is Greensboro, N.C. More than half (56 percent) of Greensboro adults have eaten breakfast at a QSR within the past month.

Other leading markets include Boston (55 percent), Raleigh, N.C. (51 percent), Charlotte, N.C. (49 percent), Greenville, S.C. (49 percent) and Providence, R.I. (49 percent).
 
"The breakfast wars are raging, and fast food brands have evolved their product offerings to better compete for share of stomach," said Alisa Joseph, vice president of advertiser marketing services, Scarborough Research. "These major restaurant chains have always understood the importance of localism and continue to adapt their marketing, menu options and promotional efforts to suit the distinctions of the locals."