Your thoughts on McDonald's All Day Breakfast

This past Tuesday, McDonald's had opened up an all day breakfast menu across the USA. Many believe McDonald's did this as an attempt to improve the chain's declining sales in the states, and I'd imagine they'll do all day breakfast internationally at some point too. This was some exciting news for people who only go to Mickey D's for their breakfast options, but be warned, not every breakfast item is available. The following is on that all day breakfast menu:

• *Egg McMuffin
• *Sausage McMuffin (w/ and without egg)
• *Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuit
• *Sausage Biscuit (w/ and without egg)
• Hotcakes (w/ and without sausage)
• Fruit n' Yogurt Parfait
• Sausage Burrito
• Fruit & Maple Oatmeal
• Hash Browns

First off, there are some notable omissions on that menu that will be some deal breakers for some, such as no McGriddles or the Bagel sandwiches. Second, I put those asterisks on the McMuffin and Biscuit items because those are available all day depending on the region. Both can't be available all day. This map shows which areas get McMuffins and which get Biscuits:

I'm torn about the limited menu actually. I mean it sucks that McDonald's didn't get really crazy with the menu and just give people every b-fast item to choose from during lunch and dinner hours. But at the same time, they probably want to conserve resources because even they may know that they'd have a McGriddle shortage after countless customers order that after breakfast.

And speaking of McGriddles, I actually had one (BEC) for breakfast on the day when all day breakfast launched because I kept hearing that it was the best overall item on the chain's entire menu. For the record, I go to McDonald's twice a year at most. It was tasty, but I wouldn't call it the greatest fast food breakfast ever.

Curious as to what you all think of this strategy, or if you have any place in your heart to care for any news related to McDonald's anymore? I think this should give Mickey D's a spark in sales in the short term, but could counter against them if they don't make some changes. I'd probably have monthly specials to give people a breakfast item they would want for a limited time and then switch things up to maintain resources while spicing up the selection.

Or maybe this will be a time when people will create the new McGangBang by mixing an Egg McMuffin with a McDouble or McChicken off the dollar menu. Who knows?

I'm in London, UK, and the Breakfast menu is the bane of my existence - why can't I buy fries, chicken nuggets and a milkshake at 9am?! grrrrr I hate breakfast menus.

@mocbucket62: I have a theory about the limited menu, one that I think can apply to why it took McDonald's so long to actually put an all-day breakfast into the market.

I think there's only so much retrofitting to the actual cooking equipment itself that they can do to keep it going throughout the day, and only so much space to put the gear needed to run a breakfast shit all day, that a lot of older stores simply cannot do it. Usually, when McDonald's transitions overnight (In my experience, from 3 a.m. - 4 a.m.), they have to set up a bunch of breakfast-specific stuff. They have to wheel out and plug in a toaster specifically for the muffins and bagels, because they won't fit in the normal bun toaster. They have to change the temps/heights on the clamshell grill to cook sausage patties and bacon instead of burger patties. They have to reset the oven temp to bake biscuits instead of apple pies.

Depending on the space available in the particular store, that may also require hauling some items like the bun steamer for the Filet-o-Fish to the back to make space. There's also the issue of the hot cabinet. It's the wall of heating elements full of what looks like library drawers you see in the back. When you cook stuff, like beef patties for example, you put them into a tray and slide them into a specific slot, which is set to keep them at a particular temp. Each tray slot has a timer on it, so that when the timer goes off, you're supposed to dump whatever is in there and start fresh. Those temps and timer durations have to be set differently for breakfast stuff, especially eggs.

Speaking of eggs, you have to cordon off at least two clamshell grills to cook eggs -- one for the round eggs like you get on a McMuffin, and the scrambled you get in the platters and bagel sandwiches (The folded eggs you get in the biscuits and McGriddles are precooked and microwaved, one of the only things that actually gets microwaved at McD's). Because of the issues with eggs and cross contamination, nothing gets cooked on those grills other than eggs until you can scrub them clean after (What used to be) the breakfast shift.

I think their menu reflects what they were able to hodgepodge together to actually operate 24/7 with the least resistance. And I still don't really know HOW they're managing to make it work, especially in smaller stores.

My theory is based completely on stuff I saw when I worked at a McDonald's for about 2.5 years during high school, and since then, I've been fascinated by the workings of national fast food chains.

The sheer scale that has to go into decisions they make is absolutely fascinating to me. For example, a while back they took the Double Cheeseburger, which has two slices of cheese and two beef patties, off the $1 menu. They replaced it with the McDouble, which has one slice of cheese and two beef patties. I bet that single decision, to take a slice of cheese off the $1 sandwich, went through multiple high-level meetings, market testing, PR testing, etc. And think about the monetary scale of it. One slice of cheese seems like nothing, but the $1 menu is the most-ordered stuff, and there are McDonald's literally everywhere. That one slice of cheese was almost assuredly a million-dollar decision.

I'm also from the UK and I don't think that I've ever had a McDonalds breakfast menu item! I much prefer their other options but do sometimes think I should try something.

I only care about the hashbrowns

@pontoon_yacht: Interesting theory. Thanks for all that input on the limited menu and for going through all the nuts and bolts on working in a McDonald's kitchen. Also reading about the McDouble replacing the Double Cheeseburger on the Dollar Menu was really fascinating.

@mocbucket62: Thanks! It could be way off base, as it's just speculation from working the overnight shift of an old McDonald's during the summers in high school.

Why wouldn't you go to a local diner to be served by a real waiter or waitress? Is there even a town in teh USA that doesn't have a diner or small restaurant that serves breakfast?

You don't have to be some food nut to know fast food is crap. Its not a 'treat' to get a good, freshly cooked breakfast...it is the LEAST you should expect for yourself.

@monkeyking1969: Because I've never seen a diner with a drive-thru. And some of us have to work stupid early in the morning, or work two jobs even.

@monkeyking1969: You've never been late for work and needed a really fast, really easy breakfast that you can eat while you travel? I would love to sit down to a nice breakfast every morning, but sometimes I don't have time for that. That's what a sausage and egg McMuffin is for. I don't think most people (excluding Dan Ryckert of course) would say they prefer fast food to the "real thing."

No McGriddle no sale here, I mean, I'd rather a burger either way but the McGriddle is the obviously superior menu item compared to all the other ones.

I've never been able to eat McDonald's breakfast without getting a stomach ache so I haven't had it in a long time. Now Burger King breakfast on the other hand is my jam.

I don't know if theyre doing it in Canada, but we've got so many Tim Hortons that'll sell you a breakfast sandwich (on whatever you want) that it doesnt really matter. Surely Dunkin Donuts has a similar thing?

No Steak Bagel = crap. Also I like the Biscuits more, who cares if I'm not a southerner.

Would be a huge pain in the ass for the employees though.

This guy gets it

The McDonald's near me must have been part of a trial run, since it's had breakfast anytime for weeks. The only McDonald's breakfast I'd ever go for were sausage McGriddles or hotcakes and sausage. I did have the latter for dinner last night after the Cubs win.

We recently started this maybe 2 months ago in Australia. We seem to be the guinea pigs for McDonalds ideas down here since Australia is one of the only countries where profits haven't shrunk in recent years.

I'm in the biscuit only zone. Haven't tried it yet, but it seems like an alright idea. Some folks really like breakfast type foods, I'm not one of em though. I have to be craving breakfast foods to actual order them (I've ordered chili for breakfast, and it was just fine with me).

Egg McMuffin and coffee goes down a treat in the morning. But I don't eat their often tbf.

Damn why do i have to live in a Mcmuffin state?!?

I don't think I've had McDonalds breakfast for around 15 years, but the only thing I've ever had was a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit. Those not being available means I won't give this a chance.

@monkeyking1969: Not all of us have the time to sit down at a diner for a wholesome, fatty yet delicious meal. If I could get that type of the meal on the go in less than 5 minutes then heck yeah.

@monkeyking1969: Lots of reasons. For breakfast food, I'd imagine speed is the most likely option. I love diners, don't get me wrong -- when I travel in the U.S., one of the main things I look for is local diners. But most people either cannot or will not wake up an extra hour early in order to go to a diner before work, when a hot meal can be purchased from McDonald's in much less time.

There's also the geographic issue. McDonald's are statistically more likely to be close to where you work, especially if the Interstate is at all used in your commute to work.

It's also probably important to note that the stuff McDonald's is serving for breakfast is not really all that far off from what you'd get at a lot of standard diners. It's actual eggs, sausage, bacon, muffins, biscuits, etc. Yeah, it's all wrapped up in sandwich form by a teenager, but it's not like it's plastic.

I'm going to secede from the Union and form The State of McGriddles. Who's with me?

I'm in an McMuffin zone and that killed my excitement for all-day breakfast. I need those biscuits.

I go to another fast food place for a quick breakfast. Much preferred on my part.

How the hell is Florida a Mcmuffin state? This sucks! I don't know a single person who gets the Mcmuffin over a biscuit. Also no Mcgriddle? C'mon ! I was kind of excited for this menu change and it instead disappointed me.

@cubidog1: I mean, the state is culturally divided, but you'd think they'd make like, Ocala and up part of the biscuit territory, and everything Orlando and south muffin territory.

I use McDonalds as sort of an emergency tool if I'm stranded and starving somewhere. The more options the better I say.

Also, McGriddles are off the wimmy wam wam wozzle!

@cale: Sinister looking male avatar has been replaced!? Oh noes.

This must me be a regional thing. Most of the diners (We call them 'Coney Islands') around where I'm at have drive-thru windows.

For whatever reason when I read this thread's title I laughed really fucking hard. I don't know why. It just seemed absured to me. Thank you.

I like hash browns, if my local McDonalds served them 24/7 I wouldn't be able box anymore. That being said, due to getting Posion ivy all over my body from work I'm unable to train for 2 weeks. So I'll enjoy this bliss now, and pay like hell for it later. Orange juice at night would also be welcome.

This is a huge landmark for our culture as a whole. I've been waiting for this moment my whole life.

I think that it is cool to finally see McDonalds join the All-Day Breakfast club (Jack in the Box has been doing it for some time). Personally, I prefer the breakfast meals from Jack in the Box, since I don't believe that they limit the breakfast menu and their iced coffee (Caramel and Hazelnut) go really well with their breakfast choices.

Dear God people actually like Hashbrowns.

That about sums it up.

And in the Pacific Northwest, I'm in the 'I've never seen a diner with a drive-thru' camp. Even the faster diners around here are 'come in, sit down, and there'll be a minimum of about ten minutes before your food arrives'.

They are only offering muffins in my area, no biscuits or bagels so the heck with that. If I really want breakfast food during non-breakfast hours I'll make it myself, or go somewhere like Crackle Barrel or IHOP.

There's not a McDonalds (or any fast food joint) near me, or on my commute. So it's not something I eat regularly. But sometimes it's the easiest place to grab a quick meal while on a day/weekend trip. I prefer their bagel options, or maybe a mcgriddle, but a sausage/egg mcmuffin is fine too. Having more options certainly isn't a bad thing.

As for diners - if you know the place and what kind of food/service you're getting, then by all means, go there. Or if you're not in a hurry and feel like trying a new place. As for McDonalds, sometimes people just go with what they know, for better or worse.

East coast, Delaware. It's full menu. Could it have anything to do with a new Popeye's opening 50yds away ? The conspiracy theorists can figure that one out. I work nights and you can get the big breakfast with hotcakes when we take our first break at 11pm.

Canada's not getting this, at least not yet, which really bums me out since I end up eating at one McDonald's or another a couple times a week

Yay, I live in a McMuffin area. =P

I don't like McDonalds food, but for some reason I really like Sausage and Egg McMuffins... even though they always make me sick.

later breakfast is good fof hungover weekends but I cant see another reason though.

also mgriddles are gross.

I love their bacon egg and cheese bagels specifically (they got that SAUCE), too bad they aren't apart of this. I did stop there and get some hotcakes and sausage, as well as a hash brown for lunch the other day.

Either way, next to the McDonald's is a nice Mexican restaurant that will make me a breakfast burrito with chorizo any time they're open.

Don't listen to your stupid body, keep pounding those suckers.

High highs, low lows.

I put nuggets on a mcmuffin; it was okay.

I came here to say this exact thing. If this means all-day hashbrowns then I am down.