OAK BROOK, Ill. (AP) — McDonald’s is in the early stages of looking at whether it can make breakfast
available later in the day.
Fans
of the Egg McMuffin and Sausage Biscuit have long wanted the option to
get breakfast at McDonald’s after 10:30 a.m. But offering both the
breakfast and lunch menu was considered logistically impossible, given
the tight kitchen spaces of the restaurants.
Still, it’s an option
the chain is eyeing more seriously at a time when people’s eating
habits are changing — particularly those coveted customers in their 20s
and 30s known as Millennials.
"We know, as an example, that
breakfast on the weekend cut off at 10:30 doesn’t go very well," Jeff
Stratton, head of McDonald’s USA, said in an interview.
Stratton declined to provide any details on how McDonald’s would adjust kitchen operations to make
breakfast later in the day.
"Well, we’re just beginning. … We’re just taking a look at it," he said.
A
representative for McDonald’s, Lisa McComb, said after the interview
that there are no tests currently in place for the extended breakfast
hours.
McDonald’s has long entertained the idea of serving
breakfast throughout the day. But the chain has been inching closer to
making the idea a reality as it faces heightened competition and
slumping sales. Last year, for example, the company began offering an
"After Midnight" menu at select locations. The menu, available from
midnight to 4 a.m., consisted of a limited mix of breakfast and lunch
items so kitchen operations wouldn’t be overwhelmed.
The push to
make breakfast outside normal hours also reflects how McDonald’s is
working to keep pace with shifting habits. In particular, executives
have noted that customers increasingly want foods personalized to their
tastes and schedules.
To cater to evolving tastes, the chain is
also offering newer items such as chicken McWraps and the option to
substitute egg whites in any breakfast sandwich.
As for extending
its breakfast hours, McDonald’s is known for treading extremely
carefully when discussing any tests or potential changes. Such matters
are considered sensitive in large part because they would require the
support of the company’s network of franchisees.
In the U.S.,
about 90 percent of the company’s more than 14,000 U.S. restaurants are
run by franchisees, who bear the responsibility of training employees
and buying new equipment to accommodate any changes.
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