Breakfast at a breaking point
Plus: News from the IRC
• public
Today, we’re talking about the most important meal of the day—breakfast. It turns out that consumers are skipping the meal, or at least they’re not eating breakfast out. Plus, why are these two major food chains ditching their headquarters?
On the menu:
💠 Who should clean up after kids at restaurants?
💠 Minnesota restaurant closures continue
💠 Celebrating five years of the IRC
💠 Alinea hits the road
What we’re debating: Should servers or parents clean up a kid’s mess at a restaurant?
What we’re drinking: Refrosted martinis and polarizing cilantro cocktails.
What we’re following: Minnesota restaurant closures. The state is one of only seven that does not allow employees to earn less than minimum wage, and it does not allow mandated tip pooling—is this to blame?
Who we’re following: Eli Sussman, a chef and owner of Gertrude’s in NYC, who uses memes to express his love and frustration for the restaurant industry.
Plus: Colorado representatives introduced the Restaurant Relief Bill, which aims to help fix the pay gap between their tipped and non-tipped workers.
A breaking point for breakfast
Quick-service breakfast traffic was down nearly 7% in January compared to last year. Egg prices have been worrying consumers and operators alike, but those prices are only part of the problem facing restaurants each morning. Coffee, frozen orange juice and flour prices are all spiking, the Guardian found. While a restaurant serving dinner can raise the price of a beverage or side without diners making a fuss, on a breakfast menu, there are very few places to spread out those rising costs.
Why It Matters: Many consumers are just foregoing breakfast out, Revenue Management Solutions (RMS) found. “Breakfast is the easiest meal for consumers to skip, especially on busy weekdays when they opt for quick, at-home options,” RMS senior vice president of consulting services Richard Delvallée says. (Nation's Restaurant News)
Celebrating five years of the IRC
Almost five years have passed since the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the founding of the Independent Restaurant Coalition (IRC). What started as a conference call between 18 leaders of the restaurant and bar community has evolved into a force for change in the industry. Among its many accomplishments, the IRC worked to secure the $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund and ensured that restaurant service charges were not included in the final Junk Fees Ruling. Of course, there’s still much to be done, and with that in mind, the IRC announced an expanded leadership team and new initiatives, including tackling issues around wages, business interruption insurance and third-party delivery apps.
Why It Matters: The IRC's ongoing efforts ensure that independent establishments have a unified voice in legislative matters, access to necessary resources and a platform for addressing industry challenges. (IRC)
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Percentage of customers who wish they had more choices of restaurants that offered takeout in their area.
(National Restaurant Association State of the Restaurant Industry 2025)
💠 Dry January hit restaurants and bars differently this year
💠 A Michelin-starred chef will open a restaurant in Disneyland Paris
💠 Alinea is bringing its immersive experience to restaurants
"I was hiring managers… and real quickly I was like, ‘Who can run this store?’ I was thinking, ‘Who can replace me?’ I knew I could bounce between two restaurants pretty easily but I needed to have some people in place that could allow me to go to the next place."
-Joe Fontana, owner of Fry The Coop, which now has nine locations
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