Fast food breakfast is in a state of flux right now, to say the least. Chains are struggling to find ways of serving a customer base that might no longer need that quick grab-and-go option along a morning work commute. The polite term for this turmoil has been “menu streamlining,” but the translation is that a lot of the stuff you love is getting the axe. (I guess I should ask: did anyone truly love Taco Bell’s Mini Skillet Breakfast Bowl?)
Now, Eat This, Not That has a slideshow of 13 breakfast items disappearing from fast food and chain restaurant menus in 2020. It turns out that not even Denny’s is immune to menu downsizing! So long, Sizzlin’ Supreme Skillet. IHOP is also getting rid of a few entrees—I’ll see you in hell, Simple n’ Fit Omelet. You taste like cold, hard responsibility, and breakfast is a time for joy.
Other items on the chopping block:
- Panera French Toast Bagel
- IHOP Belgian Chocolate Pancakes
- Burger King Sausage Burrito
- Burger King Oatmeal (they had oatmeal?!)
- Starbucks Spicy Chorizo, Monterey Jack & Egg Breakfast Sandwich
- McDonald’s Bacon Egg and Cheese Bagel
- McDonald’s Fruit and Yogurt Parfait
- Other assorted items that don’t bear mentioning here
And just today, we reviewed McDonald’s new breakfast pastries, the only breakfast items that continue to be available all day. Our conclusion? It sure would be nice to eat a McGriddle for lunch instead of a middling cinnamon roll.
The point is, fast food breakfast is having an identity crisis. What do we want it to become? Should chains continue to offer a rotation of splashy “breakfast innovations,” or stick to a small, curated menu of timeless classics? And are any of you mourning any of the departing breakfast items outlined above? Let us know if you’ve started a petition to save the Fruit and Yogurt Parfait.