Trends in Toasting: Breakfast Items

Recent studies around daypart growth tell a familiar story: Americans love breakfast.

The consumption of breakfasts and morning snacks, in- and away-from-home, is forecasted to grow faster than the U.S. population over the next few years, reports The NPD Group, a leading global information company. 

According to NPD’s report, annual morning snack occasions per person, in- and away-from-home, have increased by 17 percent over the past six years and are forecasted to grow by 5 percent through 2019.

So, what should an operator keep in mind as they seek to capitalize on breakfast’s popularity and find toasting equipment to meet their needs?

TEMPERATURE

In order to deliver a hot sandwich, it is critical to get temperature into the bread through toasting— whether it is an English muffin, bagel or croissant. A toasted bun helps the sandwich retain its temperature to stay warm and fresh for the customer. This is especially important for restaurants with a drive-thru since sandwiches may be consumed later. Proper toasting also helps to melt cheese, since it is typically added at an ambient temperature, for a better tasting sandwich.

SCHEDULE

Being able to serve quality breakfast items throughout the day is becoming essential — as more customers are demanding breakfast at different times. Toasting equipment needs the flexibility for multiple settings or a single setting that accommodates a wide variety of bread products to offer sufficient toasting capabilities across dayparts.

CAPACITY

During peak times, operators still want to deliver the highest quality food. Feeding a high volume of bread products into a toaster over a short period of time may result in a lighter-than-desired toast.

This inconsistency is due to the fact that bread products are bringing the internal temperature of toaster down during this peak time — which can lead to a decrease in product quality. Conversely, during off-peak times toasters can “over-toast” due to the temperature in the toasting chamber becoming too hot.  Foodservice operators need consistent, reliable quality all of the time, regardless of demand.

EXPANDED USE

Some operations have begun experimenting with toasting tortillas or flatbreads as part of their breakfast programs — heating the product before filling or topping. Additionally, switching between different bread products, such as from a delicate croissant with high butter content to a dense bagel, requires different toasting profiles that can be customized. Finding a versatile toaster to meet expanding menus helps keep kitchen equipment costs down.

Toasting creates better breakfasts and with the right toaster, operators can expect consistent products and satisfied customers.

Antunes toasters are designed with the operators’ needs in mind. Learn more about Antunes’ toasting capabilities in this video.