Shake up your breakfast menu with a healthy carnival of colour and flavour, from turmeric shots to beetroot lattes. Anne Bruce reports

 

You’d have had to be living under a rock not to notice the explosion of bubble tea bars around the UK over the past few years. Certain demographics, younger women in particular, are now buying more bubble tea, which originated in Taiwan in the 1980s, as a breakfast drink. And much like a temperamental teenager, the breakfast drinks menus of 2023 is pushing the boundaries and breaking all the rules.

 

Juice bars are offering anything from power shakes to fruit boosters, smoothies, turmeric shots, iced oat milk chai, matcha tea and beetroot latte, showcasing a cutting edge of foodservice innovation. And that’s before you even consider the big hitters, which are always coffee and tea, and some of the exciting innovations around sourcing, cold-filtering and wellness blends.

 

Top of the morning

 

Health is the big selling point in the breakfast drinks arena, as customers want to get their day off to a good start – and these items can also attract a healthy margin for operators. Breakfast shots have emerged as a popular choice, says Simon Hellier, executive chef at event venue the ICC in Birmingham, run by Amadeus.

 

Glow shots, with ingredients such as yuzu and calamansi, a Philippine lime, are on sale at the venue in a variety of flavours and with a range of nutritional benefits, and come with a piece of skewered fresh fruit on top.

 

“They will always be a firm part of our breakfast offering. Now, we’re working to shake up breakfast perceptions, offering ‘shot breaks’ and not ‘coffee breaks’ as an example,” he says.

 

It might be the aesthetics that attract health-conscious individuals to try breakfast shots for the first time, but effectively communicating the benefits is also essential, he says.

 

Beet the clock

 

As part of the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, coffee brands also need to evolve their offering to be more in tune with “health-obsessed drinkers”, according to the Mintel Coffee Report 2022. It suggests that decaffeinated, low-caffeine or supplement diets to support healthy living are also a rising trend.

 

Options such as beetroot, turmeric and matcha lattes are moving to the top of the menu. Beetroot latte, which is usually dairy-free, is high in nitrates which improve bloodflow and muscle recovery, and it has become a well-known pre-workout drink on Instagram.

 

“While there is no caffeine in beetroot and turmeric lattes, they contain many important nutrients and vitamins that can improve health,” comments Richard Lowry, head of coffee at Bidfood. “They are the perfect option for consumers who like having a late breakfast or those wanting a coffee experience without caffeine.”

 

These colourful drinks “not only taste great but look fabulous too,” he adds, highlighting that the Mintel research shows that 46% of consumers agree that drinking coffee every day has health benefits.

 

Offering special diet alternatives is also key. With the increase in dairy allergies and intolerances and the rise of plant-based diets, non-dairy milks such as soy, oat and almond are increasingly popular, says Laura Taylor, buyer at foodservice consultancy and procurement specialist Allmanhall.

 

“For baristas, oat milk is particularly successful as it foams well and allows them to create latte art in the same way as cow’s milk.”

 

Other dairy-free alternatives include hemp milk, which contains 60mg of full-spectrum cannabidiol, with CBD a growing trend in the food and drink industry.

 

Ethical options

 

The mainstay breakfast hot drinks such as teas, lattes, cappuccinos and mochas still remain central to a successful menu.

 

“When it comes to breakfast, hot drinks will always play a key role, so it’s important to get them right,” says Lee Hyde, senior beverage innovation manager at flavoured syrups maker Monin.

 

Hot chocolate is also enjoying a resurgence and is ahead of the flat white, he says. However, with tea and coffee in particular, sustainability and ethics has become a key customer concern. Mintel’s report states that responding to increased consumer demand for sustainably and ethically sourced coffee is the future direction for suppliers. More and more coffee companies are partaking in ‘direct action’, meaning they are helping those who live and work where the coffee beans come from directly.

 

Lowry says: “Ethically sourced ingredients have become a top priority for both consumers and operators. So, if you’re doing something to support the coffee farmers and communities where your beans come from, let your customers know.”

 

A simple box out on your menu or table talker with photos of the work achieved will inform consumers of the good work that’s being done by them simply ordering their coffee, he advises.

 

Operators should also look at opportunities to upsell coffee, he adds: “Asking whether they’d like a flavoured shot of vanilla or caramel or whether they would like their coffee to be stronger or weaker will show that you’re being attentive to their needs and increase your margin.”

 

Tis the season

 

Adding seasonal variations to the menu, such as a warm spiced gingerbread latte at Christmas or a salted caramel affogato in summer will also help operators drive sales of breakfast drinks. Seasonal variations in demand also need to be factored in. Operators can make hot drinks appealing in the summer by considering alternate milks, reduced sugar variations and incorporating summer flavours, such as strawberry, watermelon and coconut, suggests Hyde.

 

Lowry says: “The demand for gourmet coffee is higher than it’s ever been, and while the average cost of a coffee has increased from £2.70 to £3.20, people are expecting some luxury in their cup. In fact, 55% of people agree that premium coffee is an affordable luxury, so the last thing you want to do is serve them hot mud.”

 

During this time of inflation and the cost of living crisis, operators can’t afford to take their drinks customers for granted. Outlets need to understand their audience; you need to have the right selection of drinks to suit your customer base and demographic, says Hyde.

 

“Understand who buys from you – and who you want to sell to – and adjust your menu accordingly. Flex it too, if you need to, and offer a weekday and a weekend menu if you find your customer base varies.”

 

With plenty of competition out there at breakfast, keeping your customers coming back to you is crucial. “Loyalty schemes are a great way of making your customers stick and this is an opportunity that’s too often missed in hotels and restaurants – coffee shops are the experts in this,” says Lowry. “Consumers will jump on a loyalty scheme if it means a free cup of coffee or two. It’s one of the biggest ways to increase margin because it encourages repeat purchases.”

 

Fast food

 

Whatever you do, make sure you can do it quickly. Breakfast can be one of the busiest times of the day, so the speed at which you can prepare the drinks and serve the customers matters.

 

Joe Stockwell, business development manager at Caffeine Limited, which distributes coffee machine ranges, urges operators to invest in the right equipment to help them speed through the drinks orders. “Customers are in a hurry, they want to get a coffee quickly and go about their day,” he says.

 

Efficiency is key in serving the morning crowd. And choosing what to serve is really the challenge for the operator who has to wade through all the noise on the drinks market. You need to pick out a menu that is the right blend of fun and excitement for your particular morning crowd, to cater to those who want a brown sugar matcha boba tea and those for whom a traditional English Breakfast is all that’s needed to hit the spot.

 

Suppliers

 

Allmanhall www.allmanhall.co.uk

 

Amadeus www.amadeusfood.co.uk

 

Bidfood www.bidfood.co.uk

 

Caffeine Limited www.caffeineonline.co.uk

 

Monin (Bennett Opie) www.bennettopie.com/collections/monin