What Happened To All-Day Breakfast At McDonald's?
In 2015, fans of McDonald's were excited to have their pleas answered by the chain's debut of all-day breakfast. But five years later, McDonald's suddenly eliminated these offerings. You might think this had to do with pandemic-era supply chain issues, but former McDonald's corporate chef Mike Haracz explained on TikTok that it had more to do with kitchen resources and profit-minded franchisees. "McDonald's wanted to get rid of all-day breakfast well before the pandemic happened," Haracz revealed. "The issue with all-day breakfast is that it takes up the real estate in the kitchen that could be used for lunch and dinner service."
With cooks constantly replenishing breakfast items throughout open hours, it reduced the time and workspace they could spend on the lunch and dinner menu. "Owner-operators did not at all want all-day breakfast," Haracz explained, using a company term for franchise owners. "They said people are going to come [to McDonald's] anyway, let's just make them order what we normally have." Simplified menu offerings mean more efficient kitchens, which means more money for each store. "McDonald's wanted to be as profitable as possible," he said.
@chefmikeharacz Replying to @ChetNorris1 Former #McDonalds corporate chef talks about all day breakfast. #mcdonaldssecrets #mcdonaldsccsing #fastfoodstories #fastfoodlife #fastfood #foodtiktok #foodtok #McDonaldsTikTok #mcdonaldschallenge #mcdonaldshacks #fyp #breakfast #breakfastideas #breakfastclub #breakfasttime #breakfastchallenge
Does McDonald's all-day breakfast still exist in some form?
McDonald's all-day breakfast might still exist at a store near you, but it's unlikely. Its unpopularity with franchisees led many U.S. locations to ditch the menu when McDonald's corporate did — though one Los Angeles-area location continued all-day breakfast until at least 2022, suggesting the final call may lie with franchisees. In Canada, though, all-day breakfast is still part of the regular McDonald's lineup at participating locations.
Despite the logistical difficulties presented by all-day breakfast, McDonald's consumers seem to miss it, and the brand seems to be aware. Griping that "no one asks for all day lunch," McDonald's may have recently teased a possible return of all-day breakfast on X, formerly Twitter. However, there has been no actual change to the menu yet.
For now, most McDonald's customers will have to show up in the morning for breakfast. McDonald's breakfast service usually ends at 10:30 a.m., though some locations may occasionally continue breakfast until 11:00 a.m.