Beer at Breakfast? Martinis in the Morning? The latest alcoholic beverage trends are taking their place on morning menus. It is said that Queen Elizabeth I – the monarch so frequently depicted in a starched, ruffled collar and thick, white makeup – awoke each morning to a breakfast of two pints of beer. For centuries it wasn’t uncommon for Europeans to enjoy a beer with breakfast, and the tradition continues in many countries; social media was abuzz when the president was served a traditional wheat beer with his Bavarian breakfast on a trip to Germany over the summer. If it’s good enough for the Queen, is it good enough for American consumers? Increasingly, the answer is “Yes.” Breakfast has been one of the true sweet spots in the industry for the past few years, with major chains like McDonald’s and White Castle adding all-day breakfast, 72
in the Mix Magazine
and casual, chef-driven restaurants upping the breakfast and brunch game with more innovative options, and onsite segments like the hotel industry attracting a new generation of foodies with on-trend breakfast menus. Now operators are moving beyond the traditional morning cocktails like Bellinis, mimosas and Bloody Marys, and are adding craft beers, trend-driven cocktails and wines that go beyond the sparkling varieties, to create a beverage menu that equals the entrée options, which can bump up the check average and attract more Millennials. In fact, Millennials are far more interested in new breakfast trends than other age groups, according to Datassential’s MenuTrends Keynote Report on breakfast.