Maya del Sol's Brioche French Toast
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By Kathleen Furore
Sunday brunch customers at Maya del Sol in Oak Park, Illinois, have a variety of menu options from which to choose — chilaquiles, huevos rancheros, a breakfast burrito, steak skillet and Abuelita chocolate pancakes to name a few. And while there are always dishes that come and go, depending on sales and the season, one item has been a mainstay: the French Toast, made with brioche dipped in vanilla-cinnamon egg wash then topped with cajeta, candied pecans, fresh bananas, mangoes, strawberries and vanilla ice cream.
The fact that brunch is a popular daypart at this restaurant in Chicago’s nearest western suburb is consistent with recent industry data about consumers’ evolving dining-out habits.
“While spending on food and beverages used to peak on Fridays at lunchtime in 2019, it’s now peaking during Saturday brunch,” says the Q2 Restaurant Industry Report from Square. For the report, Square analyzed the hourly share of card-present transactions at U.S. food and drink establishments from April 1 through June 30 from 2019 to 2023. “In 2019, Saturdays between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. made up 8.54 percent of weekly spend. In 2023, those hours now contribute 10.06 percent of spend.”
The recently released “What’s in Store for 2024?” report from Technomic, Inc. predicts there’s more good news ahead on the brunch front.
“On the weekends, brunch will become the new dinner thanks to its equally appealing social aspects, large adult beverage selections and lower average checks,” the report says.
When and What to Menu
The makeup of brunch menus, and the hours they’re served, run the gamut from breakfast-focused dishes served from very early morning until noonish to a combination of breakfast and lunch offerings available from 9 or 10 a.m. until 2 or 3 in the afternoon. Some restaurants offer brunch on Saturdays and Sundays, others just one weekend day each week.
How can a Mexican restaurant make decisions about hours and menu items that makes the most sense for their location and clientele? Should the focus be on egg dishes? Sweet offerings like French toast and pancakes? Tortas, burritos and other favorites from the regular lunch or dinner menu?
Restaurant consultant Izzy Kharasch, president of Chicago-based Hospitality Works, has a few pointers.
Say a restaurant wants to offer a somewhat limited menu of breakfast-focused items. That might appeal to customers who drop in between by 10 a.m. or so — but what about late-risers? Or customers coming in after a mid-morning church service?
“People who come in later are more likely to be looking for more lunch items,” Kharasch says. That means adding items from your lunch and/or dinner menu can boost sales during the brunch timeframe. “Restaurants have to look at their clientele and have a good feel for what they‘ll order,” Kharasch stresses.
The decision about the day or days of the week to offer brunch is important, too.
“Typically, people think of brunch on Sunday, but we try to do it more strategically,” Kharasch says when asked how he advises clients to make that decision. “If you’ve been doing brunch only on Sundays and it hasn’t been a huge hit, consider moving it to Saturdays. if you already do a good lunch business on Saturdays from 11 to 2, try a 9 a.m. start, adjust the menu, and see what happens.”
Just remember that starting earlier will add additional costs.
“If you typically open at 11 a.m., adding brunch will require you to open one to two hours earlier, which will result in higher labor costs — and you will have to change some of the food items on the menu,” Kharasch cautions.
The Profit Picture
Besides being a hook to reel in customers on weekend mornings and early afternoons, brunch offers another important perq, too: It’s better than lunch and dinner from a bottom line perspective.
As the Square report notes, breakfast items are typically less expensive than other restaurant offerings, making it an affordable option for diners and sellers alike.
According to Ming-Tai Huh, general manager of restaurants at Square, weekend brunch tends to be higher-margin and produces higher per-person spend than the typical weekday lunch. “These recent consumer habits are likely driving strong revenues per table for the restaurants that attract a regular brunch crowd,” Huh said in a press release about the survey,
Kharasch concurs.
“Things like eggs and French Toast are great for profitability,” Kharasch says. “They look good, and you can charge a good price and drive a better bottom line than you can with lunch or dinner items.”
Liquor also can play an important role in a brunch’s profitability picture.
“If done right, liquor can be a big factor in a great brunch,” Kharasch says.
Bottomless mimosas and Bloody Marys are common offerings that let restaurants tack on an extra $10 to $15 per person for an endless supply of those popular morning cocktails. However, Kharasch sees his clients trying new offers such as the Make Your Own Mimosas option that he helped introduce at Old Juan’s Cantina in Oceana, California.
“The idea is to charge a reasonable price for a bottle of champagne and bring it to the table in a bucket with a selection of juices and fruit,” Kharasch explains. Wait staff ask a guest how they would like their mimosa prepared, then pour the first glass. After that, says Kharasch, “The guests are off and running, creating their own drinks.”
It’s a fun, attention-getting way to boost alcohol sales.
“Other customers see it and it looks so great that they say, ‘What’s that? We’ll do it, too,’” Kharasch adds. “And if there are four people at the table, they might end up ordering a second bottle of champagne.”
The option also lets the restaurant control the amount of liquor their guests drink, instead of just guessing how much a customer will end up consuming for the extra $10 to $15 they pay for bottomless cocktail options.
Marketing is Key
Whether you’ve had brunch for a while and want to boost business, have added it just recently, or are trying to decide if you should offer it, there are things to consider.
“The biggest mistake restaurants make is that they do brunch and don’t market it,” Kharasch says. “You have to offer some promotions and utilize great social media!”
If you’re launching a new brunch, post the new menu on Facebook and Instagram and send emails announcing the debut to every customer or prospective customer in your data base, Kharasch suggests.
Special, limited-time coupons are also something to consider to bring customers through your doors, especially during those first important weeks of your brunch business.
“If there is a business next door, take coupons that offer a discount on the first or second week of Sunday brunch, and give the same kinds of certificates or coupons to your regular lunch and dinner guests — maybe even a certificate for half off,” he says.
Even after your brunch business is fairly well established, the marketing can’t stop — which means continually focusing on promotions and social media posts.
As Kharasch concludes, “You have to drive traffic — it doesn’t just magically happen.”
Kathleen Furore is the editor of el Restaurante.
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