Studies conducted by Circona, comprising the merger of IRI and the NPD Group showed a three percent increase in traffic during February 2023 compared to the corresponding month in the previous year.  Morning mealtime visits increased by 10 percent in February but were offset by a corresponding three percent decline in sales during the dinner mealtime.  Circona determined that during February, 72 percent of total restaurant traffic was consumed away from stores pointing to the need for rapid drive-through service.

David Portalatin of Circona stated, “We are seeing strong customer traffic at breakfast and morning snack times which means consumers are looking for convenience and portable meals and snacks.”  He added, “On the other hand dinner and lunch growth has been slower due to home-centric behaviors being difficult for these day parts”.  It is apparent that inflation in the cost of menu items especially for lunch and dinner meals is a deterrent for many consumers. 

The increase in breakfast servings bodes well for both the shell egg and product segments with demand for eggs away-from-home returning to pre-COVID levels.