In recent times breakfast and brunch have expanded from a distinctive day part into a bigger revenue opportunity across the day, with all-day breakfasts now proliferating on café and club menus. At the same time, the ongoing staff and skills shortage in foodservice has meant more businesses are relying heavily on readymade products which can be cost-effectively employed to cut down on prep time while delivering customer satisfaction.
Given its acknowledged importance as the first meal of the day, today’s consumers have been educated that breakfast is not something which should be skipped. Hence the growing demand for breakfast meals which cafes, hotels, restaurants and even some pubs have been quick to capitalise on.
French-born and trained chef David Bitton and his wife Sohani started in the café business more than two decades ago, and today Bitton Gourmet Café & Grocer is not only a much-loved local icon in the inner-city Sydney suburb of Alexandria, it has since been complemented by Bitton Oatley, a café, bistro and functions venue in Sydney’s southern suburbs, and Bitton Rose Bay which is a café by day and cosy French bistro by night.
The current crop of breakfast offerings in foodservice are being driven by the rising cost of living. That’s the word from chef Adam Moore, which he says is reflected in emerging menu trends: “People are still wanting to go out, they may not be doing brunch as much, but they are doing breakfast, as it’s perceived as a not-so-costly meal and a great way not only to socialise but also for informal business meetings.”
