QSR Magazine: The New Approach to Dayparts

Millennials have inspired a lot of changes in the restaurant industry, including the time that they’re looking to eat. No longer are meals limited to the traditional breakfast, lunch and dinner—snacking at all hours of the day has become commonplace. And according to Taco Bell, who created the “Fourth Meal” back in 2005, the need for additional dayparts is due in part to a lack of industry growth.

Lynn Hemans, senior director of business and social intelligence at Taco Bell, told QSR Magazine, “Clearly, our industry has not been organically growing. To grow, you need to steal share by looking at outlets of growth that haven’t been focused on."

QSR Magazine notes that nontraditional dayparts have become a multi-billion dollar industry, allowing restaurant concepts to capitalize on the climbing demand in the booming segment. By offering consumers meal and snack options specifically designed for brunch, late night or any time in between, they’re diversifying their revenue streams. And that type of flexibility in meal times is what millennials are looking for.

“Millennials want to set their own hours, so their eating and drinking habits tend to blur traditional dayparts,” said Daria Makhoukova, group director of strategy and planning for foodservice at the Coca-Cola Company. “One way operators could drive incremental sales is by offering two-item snack and beverage bundles. They should be sure to offer snack-sized portions in the mid-afternoon… but also during mid-morning and late-night.”