Chef Scott Sajovitz has been in your shoes; he’s been in your apron; he’s crunched the numbers in cramped back offices.

The former restaurant owner, who first trained in an Italian kitchen under the famed Vince Bruno in Arkansas and now serves as the brand manager for Performance Foodservice in Little Rock, knows that adding a daypart service can be intimidating. But given the state of the breakfast/brunch market — it might just be worth it.

Pull stat:

One of the most notable trends in the market is the surge in demand for all-day breakfast menus, adopted by more than 65% of U.S. breakfast restaurant chains as of 2023. This accommodates diverse consumer schedules and has led to a 19% increase in per-store breakfast traffic for certain restaurants.

*Market Reports World, Breakfast Restaurant Market Overview

More Flavor, Fewer Ingredients

For restaurants that do primarily lunch and dinner service, Chef Scott recommends a deliberate approach, starting with a weekend brunch menu, for example.

“Not only is it my favorite daypart to play with, it’s the most profitable, because you can add in so much flavor with fewer ingredients — like breakfast tacos or flatbreads,” the chef explained.

“When we see restaurants having success [with breakfast], it’s because of creative flavors you can’t get somewhere else.”

The chef referenced the McCormick® Flavor Forecast as a guide for inspiration. “Charred, smoky, and tropical flavors are areas that can boost breakfast,” he said. “One of the words they used in the ’26 edition was ‘attainable opulence,’ which means you can do some cool fusion flavors without being Michelin-star level. We just introduced three Village Garden® Aiolis and playing around with those can elevate dishes, even if it’s just a drizzle of chipotle aioli over a breakfast burrito.”

If you already provide breakfast service, chef suggests identifying existing menu items that can be “jazzed up.”

“That’s where I really love [Latin-inspired brand] Contigo® — you can add those extra spice levels, those popular international flavors and pack a lot of punch, a lot of profitability.”

Chef mentioned a crowd-pleasing Greek restaurant in Little Rock that utilizes items from the Mediterranean brand Zebec®. “Those little Zebec Pitas are great for breakfast,” he said. “They use Zebec Gyro Meat, some scrambled eggs, some cheese, and that’s their signature Breakfast Gyro.”

Wake Up to Value

As you ease breakfast into other days of the week, chef recommends ramping up to-go.

“A lot of people are on-the-move, so consider breakfast handhelds and snack-type options. We just introduced readymade Guest House® Donuts, which you can make sweet-and-savory sandwiches out of, like a Rise ‘n’ Grind Cronut-Style Sammie, and pair with best-in-class Coda Coffee® or Guest House Premium Teas as part of a value meal.”

Pull stats: 71% of office workers in urban areas purchase breakfast on their commute.

Online delivery saw the largest rise in recent years, comprising 35% of all breakfast sales.

Chef is a big fan of sending out orders in premium packaging as well. “Put your beautiful items in a First Mark® Recyclable Container, with a black bottom, clear top that highlights your food and your presentation. Make it easy to do online orders, easy-to-make, easy-to-take in a nice package that travels well and doesn’t spill,” he said.

“And don’t forget to put it out there,” chef explained. “Put it on Instagram, TikTok, whatever your platform is, you gotta promote it.

“You know the phrase ‘If you build it, they will come’? Well, that’s good for cornfields and baseball ghosts,” he said with a smile, “but you can’t expect folks to know you have a Breakfast Huarache on the menu unless you start to tell that story.”

With You, All Day

Chef Scott loves the restaurant industry. He loves creating new items, but most importantly, he loves helping restaurants solve problems. And he knows that labor is often top-of-mind.

“Take Nature’s Best Dairy® Liquid Eggs with citric acid,” he said. “If you want to save breakfast all day, you can hold those on a steam well, and the acid helps them maintain their color and appearance.”

Chef Scott highlighted Contigo Tortillas for a variety of breakfast/brunch applications, and he also called out Ridgecrest® Pre-Roasted Peppers and Onions.

“They’ll save you on time and labor, and then couple that with our West Creek® Cubed Potatoes — we call them country hashbrowns around here — but they have a little more of a homemade look, a little more made-with-love feel.”

Consumers’ lifestyles continue to evolve, but one thing is certain, they love their breakfast however — and wherever they can get it. Consider adding elements of this popular daypart throughout the day to meet demand and shine some sunlight on profitability.