Breakfast all day: why a health nut might buy McDonald's

Posted Sep 21st 2006 2:36PM by Sarah Gilbert
Filed under: Good news, Products and Services, Rants and Raves

sarah gilbert I love breakfast.

But I'm not a morning person. And when I happen to be out and about, garage saling or running errands or recovering from what I like to call a "mommy hangover," I find myself at a McDonald's. And all I want is breakfast. Somehow the Sausage McMuffin satisfies that need I have for protein, salt, and iron, without making me feel as if I've given my soul to the demons of empty calories.

If it's after 10:30 a.m., though, I'm sunk. And given that I (a health-conscious adult who tends to steer clear of partying 'til the wee hours) want breakfast past 10:30, I can only imagine how much the considerable teenager and, umm, hungover demographics would appreciate being able to eat Sausage McMuffins and hashbrowns and all kinds of other deliciousness at 11 a.m., or 12:30, or even four in the afternoon. I know. Shocking, right?

I've thought since my own teenage years that McDonald's and fast food restaurants of every kind were ignoring a huge consumer need by cutting off breakfast in mid-morning. Now, it seems that McDonald's finally agrees; the news from Jim Skinner's presentation at the Bank of America 36th Annual Investment Conference: breakfast, all day, will soon be here. All that's needed is a change to a new "flexible operating system."

If I were the CEO of McDonald's Corporation (NYSE:MCD), I'd be slapping myself on the forehead. Doh! Why didn't they figure this out sooner? Hello? Customers don't like to be told, "no, you can't have that which you most desire. We made a rule. Breakfast 'til 10:30, not a moment later!" Customers don't come to fast food restaurants because they're looking for discipline, limits, lessons in punctuality. They come to fast food restaurants to satisfy a desire, to indulge their longings for fat, crispy, sweet, bacony sausagey eggy...

That's why I, a health nut, a disbeliever in fast food, might now buy MCD stock. Because offering breakfast all day is an indication that management gets it. McDonald's stock was up 37 cents to $38.15, a 1% increase and a few cents from its 52-week high, on the news today.

Tags: breakfast, customer, customers, demographic, egg mcmuffin, EggMcmuffin, fast food, FastFood, hashbrowns, mcdonald, mcdonald's, mcdonalds, mcmuffin, sausage mcmuffin, SausageMcmuffin, teenagers, teens

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Reader Comments (Page 9 of 9)

161

10-10-2006 @ 9:42PM

sugar merritt said...

i am exCitEd!!!!! and i live near mcdonalds love... the sausage biscuit....im lov'in it!!!

162

10-13-2006 @ 9:51PM

Amy said...

I love McDonalds breakfast, but unfortunately I work there part time, so I'm not looking forward to that, it will be hectic.

163

10-14-2006 @ 12:40PM

Mary said...

I don't normally go for fast food unless it's grilled chicken, but I love breakfast any time of the day. The Egg McMuffin is a great product; check out the nutritional information and you'll be surprised. And it has only about 300 calories to boot! I would love to drive by on my way home from work and eat it for dinner.

164

10-17-2006 @ 10:07PM

cindy said...

If you want loads of refined sodium,artifical high fructose corn syrup,a ton of trans fat,cheap nasty white bread,msg,and food additives by all means eat at Mcdonalds and posion your body and eventually kill yourself!

ummm.......aren't we all gonna die anyway? just wondering ....

165

10-17-2006 @ 10:08PM

sassygirl said...

I'm certainly not any stupider.

Posted at 11:26AM on Sep 24th 2006 by Brynne D 0 stars

um, is "stupider" a word?

166

10-19-2006 @ 10:46AM

highland said...

There are those that do shift work, drive trucks and many other types of employment that don't work on the "normal" 9-5 work day with breakfast early in the morning. I'm surprised that more restaurants/fast food places don't offer breakfast all day - and night.

167

10-17-2006 @ 10:55PM

Linda said...

I too like breakfast at different times throughout the day and evening and although I don't patronize McDonald's very often there have been times I stopped there because it was the closest place on my route to grab a breakfast item and it was after their serving time so I am happy they are getting onboard with these items after 10:30 AM.

168

10-17-2006 @ 11:24PM

Elaine Brockhaus said...

Oooo I'm looking forward to this. Remember When Wendy's had breakfast...it was GREAT. They had omelettes and tater tots. I hope they follow their "older sibling" back into the breakfast market. I also love the trend of offering fruit as an option.

169

10-17-2006 @ 11:57PM

Sadie said...

breakfast all day IS a good idea...however, I haven't eaten at McDee's since my daughter worked there in high school and informed me that the girl that made the salads didn't wash her hands after going to the bathroom! Kinda ruined the whole fast food experience for me forever....