#AllDayBreakfast: I’m lovin’ it

Posted on October 23, 2015, 1:30 p.m.
by Taylor Shelnutt.

What’s better than a McMuffin and hash browns for breakfast? A McMuffin and hash browns for lunch. And dinner. And maybe a midnight snack.

McDonald’s launch of the long-awaited #AllDayBreakfast on Oct. 6 brought shouts of joy from late risers and midday cravers. Fans of breakfast from the Golden Arches stubbornly waited until after the 10:30 a.m. usual cutoff, sauntering in at a later hour to take full advantage of their newfound fast food freedom.

The social buzz was rampant after the announcement, in large part due to McDonald’s own digital capitalization. The fast food company teased the launch for several weeks, but its tweet on the evening before gained over 15,000 favorites and 11,000 retweets. Several GIFs tweeted on the day of the launch helped maintain excitement and audience engagement. The McDonald’s Instagram, Facebook and Vine accounts also had photo and video posts to get the word out.

What’s the motivation behind McDonald’s finally giving in to the cries of hotcake lovers? It could be an attempt to keep its declining sales from continuing to fry. McDonald’s breakfast is notoriously popular, claiming about 18 percent of sales in the industry and making it the true breakfast king. By bringing breakfast to other mealtimes, its popularity could be the boost Ronald McDonald needs.

The all-day breakfast strategy could also be the fast food giant’s latest effort to win the so-called breakfast wars in the industry. It seems that the morning mealtime is only increasing in popularity, and other restaurants are jumping to claim a piece of the pie. McDonald’s will have to continue to prove why it deserves your breakfast loyalty if it hopes to remain on top.

Another possibility: McDonald’s realized the need to respond to consumers’ desires. If your patrons want breakfast all day and will readily purchase it, why not supply it? Happy customers make for better business. And in the end, that’s what good PR is all about.

We might see the beginning of a trend if this strategy works out for McDonald’s. Chick-fil-A, Taco Bell and Burger King still crush your breakfast dreams if you come in a minute late, though Burger King is trying to differentiate itself by serving items from its regular menu with your morning coffee. But if McDonald’s sees substantial growth from breakfast-for-dinner lovers, the other fast food giants might follow suit. I’m lovin’ it.

Of course, the all-day breakfast menu isn’t exhaustive. Certain items will still be limited to the pre-10:30 a.m. timeframe. But for anyone that needs a little pick-me-up later on in the day, the choices are still plentiful. After all, you can’t have your [hot]cake and eat it too.