Chains attempt to reclaim breakfast
IHOP, Denny’s offer more morning options
NEW YORK – After watching more customers stream into drive-thrus for a quick morning meal, family dining restaurants like Denny’s and IHOP are telling their fast-food competitors to back off breakfast.
In an attempt to lure diners back to the table – or at least to the curb – the chains are introducing more portable products, offering to-go and curbside pickup programs and remodeling their locations.
The moves come as breakfast has taken on far more importance to fast-food chains that traditionally put little effort into the morning meal but now see opportunities to expand sales and profits at that time of day. Some are even thinking about serving breakfast all day at some point – a switch that would directly challenge the 24/7 breakfast menus that drive a large part of sales at family dining restaurants.
“We’re being attacked,” Denny’s Corp. Chief Executive Nelson Marchioli said. “We can’t let that happen. We have to take back what was ours to begin with.”
Denny’s – has seen sales decline as consumers cut back on spending and shift to cheaper fast food. The company launched a to-go campaign last month that features a layered, dome container meant to keep pancakes hot and bacon crispy.
IHOP has also been promoting its to-go options in the past year, leading carry-out sales to rise from about 2 percent of its business to nearly 4 percent, said Patrick Lenow, spokesman for the chain’s parent company, DineEquity Inc.
Lenow added that IHOP is also looking into developing “more portable foods for dashboard dining,” but didn’t give specifics.