McDonald's is finally rolling out all-day breakfast

Meena Thiruvengadam
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Want an Egg McMuffin for lunch? If a pilot program being tested at McDonald’s works out, that may become an option. WSJ’s Ilan Brat explains on MoneyBeat. Photo: Getty (Originally published March 31, 2015)
Want an Egg McMuffin for lunch? If a pilot program being tested at McDonald’s works out, that may become an option. WSJ’s Ilan Brat explains on MoneyBeat. Photo: Getty (Originally published March 31, 2015)

Starting Oct. 6, you'll be able to order an Egg McMuffin or Hotcake Platter any time you want.

McDonald's (MCD), which has long been under pressure to extend its breakfast hours, has finally succumbed and said Tuesday that it would start selling breakfast all day at its more than 14,300 U.S. stores. The world's biggest burger chain quickly began tweeting the news to its followers who had been pushing for the change with a series of GIFs.

McDonald's has been testing all-day breakfast in select markets since March. Franchisees approved the change in a vote last week, The Wall Street Journal first reported.

The company later confirmed the move and  a spokeswoman said much of the rest of its menu would stay intact. "Regions can determine what, if any, menu items need removing based on local customer preferences," McDonald's Director of Media Relations Lisa McComb said in an emailed statement.

McDonald's, whose sales have suffered in recent years, has been making a number of changes aimed at reversing a slowdown in sales. Among the moves: toasting hamburger buns longer to increase flavor and introducing one-third pound sirloin burgers.

McDonald's isn't providing sales projections for its all-day breakfast expansion, but McDonald's USA President Mike Andres told the Journal the company was pleased with results at the 200 stores that have been testing the offering.

A recent Bloomberg report citing a franchisee presentation said McDonald's was predicting all-day sales of Egg McMuffins could increase sales by up to 2.5% per year.

The Oak Brook, Ill.-based company had been limiting breakfast hours due to the size of its kitchen grills. "They simply don’t have the room for all of our menu options at one time — especially considering we use our grill to prepare many items on our breakfast menu," the company said on its website.


 

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