Jack in the Box has upped the ante in the fast-food breakfast battle, announcing on Wednesday a new mash-up menu dubbed “brunchfast.”
A croissant brunch burger and a fried chicken and bacon sandwich, both stuffed with fried eggs, are the centerpieces the new menu, which officially rolls out Monday.
The announcement comes after weeks of speculation Jack in the Box was devising a strategy to combat McDonald’s all-day breakfast. This week, McDonald’s expanded its limited all-day menu to include biscuit sandwiches, Egg McMuffins and McGriddles in all markets. Previously, the menu was more limited.
Executives at Jack in the Box, which has offered breakfast all day since 1991, feel the chain has already owned the breakfast category
“It’s no secret breakfast news is all around. Everyone is in our space,” said Iwona Alter, vice president of product marketing and innovation.
The company has been researching brunchfast for about a year. “It’s the continuous pushing of the envelope,” Alter said.
In May, the San Diego-based burger chain filed a claim with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to trademark the term “brunchfast.” This summer, some items, such as a sourdough omelet sandwich and French toast, have been spotted on a “brunchfast” test menu two dozen Inland Empire restaurants.
Besides the burger and an Egg McMuffin-looking fried chicken breakfast sandwich, the all-day brunchfast menu include cranberry-orange muffins, a scrambler plate with bacon and homestyle potatoes, mini pancakes and a blood orange cooler.
In test primarily in Southern California, the fried chicken sandwich — layered with a fried egg, bacon and cheese — has become one of the top brunchfast sellers. It’s the first time Jack in the Box has served a sandwich on an English Muffin, Alter said.
“The chicken sandwich sings. I think it will be a big hit,” she said.
New brunchfast items will be added to the menu in the coming months, Alter said.
During the launch party, Alter said Jack in the Box has been an innovative player at breakfast for years. The company thought brunch, popular with Gen Y, would be another way to differentiate the brand as new players enter the crowded fast food segment.
Besides McDonald’s, Lake Forest-based Del Taco and Irvine-based Taco Bell have been making a big push at breakfast.
At an unveiling party in West Hollywood, Jack in the Box displayed the new dishes under sweltering heat at E.P. & L.P, a flashy rooftop restaurant and bar.
The event was attended by the chain’s iconic clown mascot, Jack Box, and his wife Cricket. The pair made a surprise announcement: They’re expecting a baby in two months. No word on whether it’s Baby Jack or Baby Jacqueline.
The baby announcement will be part of an advertising campaign launching next week. Alter said Jack Box created the menu to satisfy her cravings. “There is no craving like a pregnancy craving,” Alter said.
Breakfast is the fastest-growing meal occasion for restaurants – and its popularity among diners continues to accelerate, according to market research firm NPD. In the first six months of this year, NPD said restaurant visits were flat, with second-quarter declines in lunch and dinner visits. Breakfast and afternoon snacking were the only segments showing an increase, NPD’s midyear report stated.
As such, menus are placing a bigger emphasis on breakfast foods, with servings increasing 8 percent, NPD said. One of the hottest items landing on industry menus? The breakfast sandwich.
Industry watchers say the red-hot morning grub has been fueled by McDonald’s, which launched all-day breakfast last year.
Earlier this month, Starbucks confirmed a “weekend only” brunch test at cafes in Portland, Ore., and Seattle. Offerings include baked French toast, Belgian waffles and quiche with cage-free eggs.
“We’re looking forward to learning more but do not have additional information to share on future availability of these products in our stores, or whether we will expand the test to additional stores or markets,” the company said.
