Making more of breakfast on the go: inspiration from Denmark

Breakfast is attracting more attention across food to go as operators look to grow sales beyond the core lunchtime occasion. However, the breakfast daypart covers a wide range of needs, from a quick coffee and pastry to more substantial or healthier options.  

Our recent research trip to Copenhagen highlighted how Danish operators are adapting their propositions to meet this breadth of demand. Across convenience stores, bakeries and foodservice specialists, breakfast ranges combine simple food and drink deals with bakery, bowls and portable formats, giving consumers different ways to access the morning occasion.  

Keep convenience and value at the heart of the occasion 

Breakfast is often a functional occasion, especially so when purchased on the go. Our latest occasions research shows that on the go occasions are most likely to happen alone and be part of daily routine, so breakfast occasions here are most likely to be about primarily fulfilling the needs of hunger and sustenance for the day. As a functional occasion, consumer focus is often on convenience and value so simple propositions designed around individual purchase are most relevant here.  

Circle K brings a coffee and a croissant together in a clear breakfast proposition, reducing the need for consumers to navigate a wider range or build their own combination. Underpinned by great value with a clear price point which helps encourage the additional food purchase with a coffee, or vice versa, completing the total occasion.  

Making the everyday breakfast decision easy is particularly important in convenience-led locations, where consumers may have limited time and a mental threshold of how much they are prepared to spend on a functional occasion.  

Serve a broader range of breakfast needs 

Convenience remains important at breakfast, but consumers are not always looking to serve the same needs. Some may be looking for a familiar bakery option alongside a hot drink, while others want something that feels more substantial or offers an alternative to traditional breakfast products. Operators and retailers need to provide enough variation to meet different needs across the morning, without making the range unnecessarily complex. 

Danish operators are targeting these needs in different ways. Lagkagehuset uses its bakery credentials to provide familiar baked options as part of the morning occasion, while Paleo offers breakfast bowls alongside coffee and tea, providing an alternative to a more traditional bakery-led breakfast. 

The contrast highlights the importance of considering the different needs that can sit within breakfast rather than relying on a single type of morning offer. What is relevant will depend on the operator and its customer base, but there is scope to provide choice across different appetites and preferences while remaining consistent with the wider proposition. The aim should not be to serve every possible breakfast need, but understand which needs are currently underserved and where the existing proposition can credibly stretch. 

Make breakfast work on the go 

Format is also important when breakfast needs to fit around morning routines. 

The refrigerated breakfast offer at 7-Eleven in Copenhagen Airport includes breakfast pots alongside bottled drinks, while Buka offers contained breakfast pots with different combinations of ingredients and toppings. 

 These formats highlight the importance of considering how the product needs to work within the overall occasion. Portable options can sit alongside more traditional bakery and hot food, broadening the range of morning needs an operator can serve. 

For retailers in particular, breakfast and evening remain more difficult food to go missions to capture than lunch. Building credible, daypart-specific propositions while maintaining convenient execution will be important in competing for more of this spend. 

What this means for operators and retailers 

• Keep convenience central. Make the breakfast occasion quick to understand, choose and consume.  

• Make value easy to see. Use simple combinations and bundles to provide a clear reason for consumers to buy both elements.  

• Offer meaningful choice. Balance hot and cold options with lighter and portable alternatives where relevant. Ensure the range fits in with the wider proposition and doesn’t add lots of additional complexity.  

What this means for suppliers 

• Develop for different breakfast needs. Consider convenience, health and indulgence when developing morning products.  

• Design for portability. Formats need to reflect how products will be bought and consumed in each location.  

• Support efficient execution. Products should be straightforward for operators to stock, prepare and service across the morning.