Taco Bell Launches Breakfast Menu Nationally

Meanwhile, McDonald’s and Starbucks tinker with their morning meal offerings as well.

February 26, 2014

IRVINE, Calif. – Taco Bell, long reigning over the late-night fast-food kingdom, has targeted breakfast as the next daypart to conquer. “We’re famous for late night. We’re becoming famous for Happier Hour, and the good news is people still love us for lunch and dinner,” said Brian Niccol, president of Taco Bell. “But one place our customers keep asking us, ‘Why aren’t you there?’ is breakfast.”

The Tex-Mex chain will expand its morning menu March 27 after two years of testing, Nation’s Restaurant News reports. The rollout marks the largest menu expansion since the 5,800-unit chain debuted a half century ago. Currently, breakfast is served at 900 locations, mostly in the West. “Our mindset is: We’re not just getting into breakfast; we want to win at breakfast,” said Niccol.

The menu will include the Waffle Taco, A.M. Crunchwrap and Cinnabon Delights, among other items. While Taco Bell piloted a program with Seattle’s Best Coffee, the chain picked a non-branded supplier for its morning brew.

Other chains are increasing their focus on the morning, too. Starbucks announced it will debut new breakfast sandwiches from La Boulange, with the idea to improve the coffee shop’s overall food items, Bloomberg reports.

McDonald’s, which has ruled breakfast among QSRs for years, is exploring whether to expand the breakfast hours, which currently end at 10:30 a.m. “We know, as an example, that breakfast on the weekend cut off at 10:30 doesn't go very well,” said Jeff Stratton, head of McDonald's USA, in an Associated Press story.

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