I love breakfast, and I love brunch even more. As a self-confessed foodie, nothing is more comforting than having some fluffy scrambled eggs and warm biscuits for a weekend meal. This playful portmanteau, of breakfast and lunch combined, evokes feelings of a more relaxed and less harried meal. My twin brother, though, vehemently disagrees. We agree to disagree to keep the peace.
Brunch has risen to more popularity in recent decades mostly brought about by the millennial generation, and has been a growing trend since 2004. Brunch is not just having breakfast for lunch but denotes a more relaxed atmosphere shared amongst friends and family, fostering a sense of connectedness and deeper bonding.
Brunch as a concept may have been around longer than we think. Many historians think that the meal was originated from England’s weekend post-hunt breakfasts, where a sumptuous breakfast spread is served consisting of chicken livers, eggs, bacon, fruit and sweets. It is a tradition to gather with friends to celebrate and share stories about the hunt. The term “brunch” was first coined and appeared in print in an 1895 Hunter’s Weekly article, where author Guy Beringer suggested this meal later in the morning, citing that it is, “…cheerful, sociable and inciting…it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” Brunch eventually made its way to the United States through Hollywood. In the ‘30s, Hollywood stars making transcontinental train trips often stop in Chicago to have a late morning meal usually in a hotel restaurant. As more women joined the labor force after World War II, brunch became more conventional as married women needed to take much well-deserved breaks by having Sunday brunch in restaurants.
With the rising popularity of brunch, many restaurants are expanding menus to accommodate this demand, thereby increasing their revenue with many offering various creative options such as unlimited mimosas and new dishes. This demand is fueled further by social media, especially with the shifting focus on not the food itself but on the lifestyle and image attached to brunch itself such as luxury, leisure and happiness, which are attributes that appeal very much to the younger crowd.
In recent years however, brunch has been associated with socioeconomic status, where certain communities are able to enjoy a leisurely meal as well as the expense that comes with it. Some may have been more critical of this lifestyle as catered only to the privileged and indulgence, many cannot afford. Social media also has propped up the image of brunch as many influencers highlight the hippest or coolest brunch spots typically with hefty price tags.
Given recent economic considerations here in the United States, which includes the high cost of goods as well as tariffs, brunch may very well be an actual luxury and rather than just a perceived one. Let’s go over the typical brunch staples: eggs, bacon and coffee.
Egg prices have steadily increased over the years but the highest spikes in recent years mostly due to the bird flu outbreak in 2022 and continues to wreak havoc in farms today. Couple that with continued increase in demand drive these prices higher with supply issues struggling to keep up.
What about our beloved bacon? Bacon has continued to steadily increase over time mostly due to increase demand from overseas as well as rising costs of feed, and intermittent interruptions because of animal diseases.
Climate change has negatively affected coffee producing countries and have greatly reduced yield rates. The continued increase in demand for coffee and shrinking supply continue to drive coffee prices. The Trump administration’s proposed tariffs may potentially drive coffee prices even further.
So what does this mean for the brunch as whole. As with anything we as humans will continue to adapt. Whether by introducing with new menu items that will downplay the usual staples, or even shifting the whole trend over to different meals altogether.
Time to come up with newer portmanteaus? Linner, Dunch, anyone?
Image Sources:
Data for eggs, bacon and coffee prices can be found via: www.fred.stlouisfed.org
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