It seems that restaurants are finally catching-on to what Mom always said, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”

Houston’s high-end establishments are even jumping on the bandwagon, further proving what industry research has been indicating for a while now: breakfast is hot.

Here are a few stats for your consideration, courtesy of Ventura Foods:

• 34% of consumers would like to see more ethnic items and flavors offered at breakfast.This skews heavily toward younger consumers age 18–34 (50%) and Hispanics (52%).
• 54% of consumers enjoy eating breakfast foods at nontraditional times. This skews heavily toward male consumers age 18–24 (65%).
• For those who enjoy eating breakfast foods at nontraditional times, the majority (59%) would be interested in purchasing breakfast food at dinner, compared to 45% for lunch.
• The majority of consumers would be more likely to purchase breakfast food that is free of trans fats (56%), preservatives (60%), antibiotics (55%) and artificial ingredients (64%).
• Operators menuing cage-free eggs have increased 11.1% over two years; this reflects the 47% of consumers who would be more likely to purchase food with cage-free eggs/poultry.

Consumers are looking for more convenient and flavorful solutions for breakfast, and foodservice companies are meeting that need. The emerging Generation Z, specifically males within this group, are driving the trend.  They like to have breakfast offered throughout the day and have embraced having traditional breakfast items served up in unique ways, like an egg on a burger or chicken with waffles. In addition to the familiar favorites, there is also a strong ethnic influence in the breakfast trend, with Latin flavors playing an important role. Think tacos or quesadillas with eggs and fresh salsa. At the same time, regional American southern breakfast specialties are gaining traction with younger generations, including classics like biscuits and gravy.

Did you catch the “breakfast all day” part of this? It’s a big part of the demand, and many restaurants are adding “breakfast-y” items to lunch and dinner menus that still stay true to the clientele and spirit of the restaurant. A breakfast sandwich, for example, with flavors that echo other items on the menu.

And speaking of breakfast sandwiches, here is some more info on the breakfast trend, from Datassentials, MenuTrends & Insider (YE 2015) and NPD Crest, (YE July & December 2015):

• Breakfast is the only core daypart to show traffic growth (+4%) in 2015. In addition, it was the only daypart to note five consecutive years of growth.
• Breakfast sandwiches were the fastest growing food on menus in 2015, both at quick service and full service restaurants.
• Offering breakfast sandwiches outside traditional breakfast hours will likely attract more breakfast consumers, especially hard-to-reach Millennials.