The CulinaryWoman Newsletter, 10/8/23
Breakfast and lunch places are the hottest trend in dining
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Daylight Dining Is In The Restaurant Spotlight
My mother often mused about opening a little cafe. She wasn’t interested in all day service. She only wanted to serve breakfast and lunch and close up by 3 pm. It turns out that she was years ahead of her time.
One of the hottest trends in restaurants right now are places that only sell breakfast and lunch, according to Restaurant Business, the industry trade publication.
You might have a branch of First Watch near you. They sprang up all over the Detroit area in the last year, including one in Ann Arbor. Other chains and independents are also competing in the daylight space.
These spots are nothing new, of course - cafes open only through lunch have long been a mainstay of business districts, where activity dies down when commuters head home. And lots of smaller towns have little places that shut once kids are out of school.
But the breakfast and lunch focus is turning into big franchised business. Nine of the 50 chains on Restaurant Business’ Future 50 list are “midscale” or family dining concepts, including breakfast concepts such as Breakfast Republic and Huckleberry’s as well as First Watch.
First Watch’s Impressive Growth
The latter is expanding like, well, hotcakes. First Watch was actually founded 40 years ago in Pacific Grove, California. The name comes from the nautical term for the first shift taken by each morning on a sailing ship.
First Watch’s founders, Ken Pendery and John Sullivan, also started the Le Peep chain. In 2014, they bought The Good Egg chain and subsequently purchased The Egg & I.
First Watch now has 500 locations in 29 states, with 9,000 employees. I’ve dined in the Novi, Michigan one with my brother Frank. The food was fine, and there is an extensive menu with modifications for many food preferences. I found the vibe a little sterile, but when you have that many locations, you can’t expect a personal touch.
Smaller daylight focused chains are growing, too. Cafe Patachou in Indianapolis has seven locations. Grand Rapids, Mich., is home to Anna’s House, a retro-style diner with 11 locations.
Big Bad Breakfast, founded in Oxford, Miss., by chef John Currence, now has 18 locations across the South with three more in the works. Ruby Slipper, based in New Orleans, has 20 locations from North Carolina to Louisiana.
Room for smaller players
Independent daylight restaurants flourish in many places. Nick’s Original House of Pancakes here in Ann Arbor has had lines out the door since it opened in 2009. That is our godmother Maxine digging into her favorite Nick’s meal in 2019.)
Even though a branch of First Watch opened a few blocks away, owner Nick Panos tells me he’s barely felt an impact.
Given the crowds that patiently wait for tables, I asked whether he might consider staying open longer and introducing dinner service. “No. I’d have to expand the menu, more staff and remarket it,” he replied.
Nick isn’t surprised that daylight restaurants are growing in popularity. “Everyone is finding their niche. You can’t be everything to everyone,” he says.
Likewise, the trend is great news for places like bakeries and bagel shops whose menus span the two meals as well as coffee places whose menus include food. It shows that the market for daytime dining has lots of room to grow.
Behind the interest in daytime dining
There are several factors in what’s happening.
Staffing. For owners, the limited hours help manage staffing. While the hiring crunch seems to be easing, being open 8 am to 2 pm means only one full shift is needed; some employees can even work a half shift and combine it with a night time job or be home when school lets out.
Cost. Breakfast and lunch are generally cheaper to prepare than dinner, aside from the temporary spike in egg prices. Ingredients like pancake batter can be used for multiple items, as can beaten eggs.
Choices. Given how many people have different dining preferences, a breakfast and lunch place can satisfy almost anyone. Need it to be vegetarian? Leave off the meat. Carbo loading? Breakfast is a runner’s dream. Vegan? Have a nice fruit bowl or veggie hash.
Sober serving. While some spots have liquor licenses, the majority of these spots do not serve alcohol. That provides a family atmosphere and eliminates hassles for staff, as well as the owner’s expense of getting a liquor license.
Accommodating. Those of us who work remotely are always looking for places where we can dine and do business. One of my favorite respites in Phoenix was The Henry, the flagship of Sam Fox’s restaurant group. It features all-day dining, rather than daylight, but it attracts many customers who work on laptops and host clients.
With days already getting shorter, I can easily see breakfast and lunch places doing strong business in coming months. After all, you want to be snug as a bug at home when it gets dark outside.
Gulf Coast Shrimpers Are Struggling
One thing I loved about Louisiana was the wide availability of locally caught shrimp. I enjoyed visiting the shrimp lot in Westwego, across the river from New Orleans, where you found shrimp in all sizes at reasonable prices.
However, those shrimpers are feeling the punch from imports. According to this report on NPR’s Here and Now, shrimpers from Texas, Louisiana and elsewhere in the Gulf are appealing to the federal government for help.
Meet Hardy Kiwis, The Tropical Fruit Grown Up North
We think of Kiwis as a fruit from southern climates. After all, Kiwi is a nickname for natives of New Zealand. But, a fruit farmer in Washington State is growing nine varieties of hardy kiwis that can withstand northern winters.
Robert Williams said one of his most popular varieties at Broken Shovel Kiwi Far, is the Michigan State kiwi, named for his alma mater in East Lansing.
Like conventional kiwis, hardy kiwis are good sources of fiber, antioxidants and vitamins C and E. The Michigan State kiwi has no fuzz and looks like a big green grape. It can be eaten whole, preserving nutrients that might be lost through peeling.
Interestingly, there are no Michigan State kiwis on the MSU campus, according to MSU Today, although there are two documented arctic kiwi vines on campus: one in the botanical garden and one growing near the Plant Biology Laboratories.
Who knows? Given all the other types of produce happily growing north of their origin, you may be seeing kiwis where you may least expect them, too.
Keeping Up With CulinaryWoman
Last week, I wrote about Katie Jacobs’ delightful new cookbook for The Takeout. We published her recipe for chocolate chip cookie Graham crackers, which make wonderful s’mores.
I was delighted that USA Today’s Todd Price quoted me and referenced Intersection: Everything That Moves in his fascinating story about electric vehicle battery plants across the South.
Please sign up for Intersection, which includes my serialized sequel to The End of Detroit. I am also posting updates on the United Auto Workers strike. Go here.
Chilly weather has finally arrived in Ann Arbor, so I am hustling to harvest my herbs for flavored oil and vinegar and making vats of apple sauce. I hope you are having a splendid fall where you are.
I’ll see my paid subscribers tomorrow with Red Beans & Advice and everyone else next week. Stay well!
Did you get to the Zingerman’s Deli pop up in New York City this weekend? Read more about Zingerman’s in my book.
Satisfaction Guaranteed: How Zingerman's Built a Corner Deli into a Global Food Community https://a.co/d/iGXmne7