Brunch once meant serving scrambled eggs and diced potatoes mid-morning with a slightly larger side of fresh fruit and an occasional mimosa. But today, brunch is breaking out of its shell. While we’ll likely never ditch the traditional omelet or popular French toast, a lot of restaurants are adding bigger, edgier flavors to their brunch menu that are typically reserved for dinner. For instance, in New York City a trendy spot called Gupshup is offering a brunch dish called Chennai Kottu, featuring scrambled eggs with naan, onion, tomato curry leaves and green chilies. And it doesn’t stop with the entrées. Brunch’s makeover extends right onto the beverage menu where one can now find unique concoctions like a Watermelon Pisco Sour at Virginia’s Rhodeside Grill or shareable boozy punch bowls. If one thing is for certain. Brunch is no longer boring… it’s bold!

Grow Your Brunch Business

Offering breakfast beyond traditional breakfast hours pays dividends especially with younger consumers such as Millennials and Gen Z. These groups are seeking more affordable options with exciting, unmitigated flavor that they can take with them. Brunch has the ability to deliver all of it! For instance, Nation’s Restaurant News recently published an article about Condado Tacos, commenting on the success of their grab-and-go breakfast tacos. Brunchify your own menu with four simple tips:

1. Brunch Fusion - as noted above, brunch is evolving. Explore menu offerings that combine traditional breakfast ingredients with less traditional, on-trend flavors.
2. Leverage Beverage - think outside of Bloody Mary’s and mimosas. Instead, remind yourself that it is 10:30am somewhere and consider offering full-bodied drink menus.
3. For Here or To Go - learn from Condado Tacos. Brunch is no longer limited to sit-down buffets. Portability and convenience is key!
4. Brunch is Special - all that said, Brunch is still viewed as a social event often reserved for special occasions. Checkout more brunch trends and recipes by downloading our free Brunch infographic.