During the week before Covid-19, most workers didn’t make time to have a good breakfast every morning. Why? The commute. 44 minutes on average in the Paris area compared to 20 to 30 minutes on average in other regions. (Source: Statista study). Breakfast was swept aside or reduced to a quick snack wolfed down on the way to work. Since March 2020, the working from home situation has completely changed this routine. Rediscovering their kitchens, consumers have also rediscovered the importance of breakfast and for many it has become a real meal. Sales of breakfast products have risen by 5.2% since the first lockdown! (Source: Iri, CAM on 05/07/2020). Some of the most popular products are hot drinks and in particular coffee, whose sales doubled in March 2020. Over the same period, to avoid running out of stock and to cater for the high rise in volume, industrial bakery Le Moulin de la Chaume even chose to reduce its range to around twenty products. This new passion is another opportunity for artisan bakeries. Offer a tasty takeaway coffee, freshly-squeezed orange juice or artisan muesli – these are all valid directions to explore.
DaIn the same sector and in parallel with the breakfast comeback, brunch (a contraction of breakfast and lunch) has become very popular. Imported from English-speaking countries to France in the 1980s, this practice was born in the 19th century. For a long time it was not very popular in France, where people were culturally very attached to their traditional breakfast of coffee, bread and butter followed by a decent lunch. Its advantage is that it brings together two meals in one and is big enough. Originally, it was most often enjoyed at the weekend with friends, particularly on Sundays. Since the first lockdown, consumers are still and increasingly falling in love with this weekend meal, looking to eat extraordinary dishes while they enjoy themselves. This sudden interest in brunch was also made possible because of the development of home delivery and click and collect, so much so that orders more than doubled during 2020 compared to previous years. (Source: Datalicious by Just Eat – Observatory of new catering modes)
To reinvent themselves and be in sync with current trends, breakfast and brunch offers are innovating by including recipes for fresh, organic, local and healthy products. With isolation and reduced physical activity caused by the first lockdown, consumers turned towards a healthier diet. To meet this demand, the breakfast offer from “mass market products” developed around new ranges that contain less sugar and are more balanced. As an example, the Krisprolls brand launched a new bread product with no additives, no preservatives and low salt content. Brands like La Boulangère or Mondelez also positioned themselves in this trend by adding products that are guaranteed 100% organic to their ranges.
At the same time, superfoods saw their popularity sky-rocket. These foods rich in nutrients, known for their benefits and esteemed to be healthy have won over new consumers. A start-up from Toulouse called Hoope, for example, launched a range of spreads made with goji berries and spirulina (an algae rich in fibre, iron, potassium and protein). Other superfoods also appeared in breakfasts like chia seeds or açaï berries, used in smoothies or “bowls”.
This comeback is also an opportunity for launching new concepts around the breakfast and brunch offer. This is the case for bakeries who are starting to offer their customers brunch to takeaway and reinventing their products: new ranges of pastries, possibility of new kinds of pancakes and waffles. It is an opportunity for these bakeries to showcase their innovations and create partnerships with local farmers and producers. Most bakeries only offer these set menus occasionally (at the weekend, for example) because they can require specific organisation.
Outside France, franchises dedicated to brunch and breakfast have developed – half-way between the restaurant and the coffee shop. This is the case of Eggspectation founded in Montreal in 1993. Unknown in France, it is THE benchmark in Canada for brunch and is famous for its specialities like omelettes and eggs benedict. Today, Eggspectation is also in Egypt, Pakistan, the US, Qatar and Dubai and is phenomenally successful. So much so that there is usually a long queue for a table at brunch.
Vegetarian set menu :
– Hot drink : White chocolate chai or tea or coffee
– Cold drink : iced tea
– Egg-free pancakes with maple syrup
– Vegetarian tacos with avocado, mango and passion fruit
– Fresh fruit salad.
Gourmet set menu :
– Hot drink : White chocolate chai or tea or coffee
– Cold drink : Orange or grapefruit juice
– “Croissant” or “pain au chocolat”
– Seeded toast with avocado and bacon
– Brioche French toast