17 essential all-day brunch items
By Tara Fitzpatrick
Sweet corn pancakes, breakfast tacos, huevos rancheros, anything-goes egg sandwiches and more…by your customers’ watch, it’s brunch-time anytime. Plus, recipes.
A standout brunch menu means balancing the classic savory and sweet items and mixing it up with the spicy and the offbeat (hello, Elvis breakfast sandwiches!)…check out these menu ideas and get brunchin!
French toast sandwich
Forget what you know about French toast…and breakfast sandwiches. This brunch item at Binghamton University is a sweet mash-up of brunch identities.
Breakfast fried rice
The Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl, thanks in part to the team’s favorite meal: Breakfast fried rice by Jason Buniak with Flik Hospitality group for the Eagles. “We render bacon, sauté onions in the bacon fat, add soy sauce and mix it all together with rice and scrambled eggs,” Buniak says.
Breakfast tacos
Another hit with the Eagles, these breakfast tacos are a hearty meal for the team.
On-brand
Branded waffles are an easy way to differentiate your brunch, like these found at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, N.C.
Miami Dolphins fans can now brunch at the O-B House concept (O-B stands for Oven Baked), a local restaurant partnering with Centerplate at the stadium. Big pancakes like this sweet-corn version, are served with mimosas and bloody Marys.
Bloody Mary-avocado breakfast sandwich
Speaking of bloody Marys…This recipe, from Avocados from Mexico, cuts out the middle man between two of brunch’s greatest joys, egg sandwiches and bloody Marys.
Smoothie bowls are smooth
A fairly new idea, smoothie bowls are a great way to offer a crave-worthy healthy option for brunch, like this one from William and Mary College.
Presentation is everything, and this lattice-pattern bacon on a tart by Jones Dairy is a new #brunchgoal.
More Napa Valley than county fair, these fritters, developed by the Yale University culinary team with the California Table Grape Commission, are stuffed with grapes.
Power bowl
At Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., Sodexo Executive Chef Sarah Falls has put together a power bowl with the protein power of eggs, bacon and the hearty flavor of roasted grape tomatoes.
Mango mash on toast
A fresh take on toast, this simple mango toast idea from the National Mango Board includes a remarkable flavor trifecta: mango, feta and red pepper flakes.
Don’t forget good old toast and jam!
The Diner in Rathbone Dining Hall at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., serves breakfast and brunch classics at every meal, including this orange marmalade toast.
Green chile pulled pork breakfast wrap
Pork shoulder brings the flavor that can stand up to a smoky green chili sauce in these cowboy campfire-inspired wraps from the National Pork Board.
Elvis French toast-sausage-peanut butter bun with honey and coconut
According to research from Datassential’s Breakfast Keynote, 57 percent of people say that portability is important to them. There must be an overlap in those numbers of Elvis fans, and this rockin’ grab-and-go item from Johnsonville Sausage is for them.
Blueberry-French toast muffins
French toast is a versatile player in the brunch game. These muffins, from the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council, are a step up from traditional blueberry muffins.
Avocado bruffin
Anything avocado touches turns to brunch gold, so these avocado bruffins from the California Avocado Commission could be a great addition, especially since they’re combined with bacon and fluffy brioche bread.
Huevos rancheros
There’s never a wrong time of day for huevos rancheros, from breakfast to late-night snack and all the hours in between. This recipe, from Bush’s Best Foodservice, is a protein-packed Mexican meal in a bowl.
*Originally appeared in Food Management on February 27, 2018.