Wendy's (WEN -0.70%) long-awaited breakfast menu is officially launching on March 2 as the burger shop announced its national debut with a selection of nine new sandwiches, including a Breakfast Baconator and classic egg, cheese, and bacon or sausage sandwiches. Although the sandwiches will be the center-point of the new menu, Wendy's is also unveiling a new Frosty-ccino coffee beverage, available in either vanilla or chocolate.
The burger shop, which has a well-known social media presence, made the announcement via Twitter, saying it hoped to spark a "Breakfast Battle."
Image source: Wendy's.
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Wendy's announced it was going national with its breakfast business last September. Originally available in just a few hundred restaurants, the burger joint saw "incredible growth opportunities" in the morning daypart.
It believes breakfast can account for as much as 10% of the chain's total sales, though it doesn't foresee the new menu being profitable until 2021.
This is also not the first time Wendy's has launched a breakfast menu, having done so once before in the 1980's, but it will be backing the effort this time with a $20 million marketing campaign. CEO Todd Penegor sees it as important for the chain's "one more visit, one more dollar" strategy to boost sales and offset declining customer visits in the quick-serve space.
Breakfast has become a battleground for restaurant stocks, with McDonald's new CEO recently saying that the chain, which has long been the daypart leader, has "to win breakfast."
