Daypart: What Is It and How Does It Apply to Restaurants?

The restaurant industry is a notoriously grueling industry – known for long nights and weekends, and the labor challenges and personal sacrifices that come along with it. But what if there was an opportunity for an operator to get into restaurant franchising without the long hours? Focusing on breakfast and brunch, the Vicious Biscuit franchise opportunity offers a simple, single shift operational model – and a welcomed change for most restaurant operators. One daypart. That means less labor required, a better work-life balance, and a less time-intensive way to become a restaurant owner.

What Does Daypart Mean?

In the simplest terms, dayparting is the practice of dividing the day into several distinct sections, each characterized by different customer behavior or preferences. This concept is widely used in various industries, especially in advertising and broadcasting, to target specific audiences. In the context of restaurants, dayparting involves tailoring menu offerings, service styles, and marketing strategies to suit the varying needs of customers at different times of the day.

Examples of Dayparts

With restaurants, a day can typically be divided into several key sections:

• Morning (breakfast): This is the first meal of the day, usually from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. It's a time when customers are looking for quick, convenient, and often healthier meal options to start their day.
• Midday (lunch): Typically applicable from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., lunch caters to professionals on work breaks, students, or anyone seeking a midday meal. The focus here is on speed, efficiency, and value for money.
• Afternoon (snack): This period, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., often sees a slower pace. Customers might look for a coffee break, a light snack, or a casual meeting spot.
• Happy hour: This typically occurs between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. and allows customers to enjoy discounts on certain drinks, smaller bites, and other cocktail fare. It also enables the restaurant to highlight items that may move slower during other mealtimes.
• Evening (dinner): From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., dinner is the primary mealtime. Customers often seek a more relaxed and experiential dining atmosphere.
• Late night: Extending from 9 p.m. onward, this menu caters to night owls, offering anything from full meals to snacks and drinks.

In a restaurant setting, recognizing and capitalizing on these distinct times is essential. Each period presents unique opportunities and challenges. For instance, dinner could lean toward a more full-service experience with a diverse menu. Breakfast might require a quick-service model with a focus on coffee and portable items, while brunch could be more laid-back.

Vicious Biscuit approaches breakfast and brunch in a way that emphasizes our fun culture. Using the same ingredients to compose a variety of different dishes, our menu is engineered for operational efficiency. Compared with other brunch restaurants, Vicious Biscuit can execute orders quickly and with less inventory than full-service establishments. And with our easier operations, multi-unit franchisees can expand faster than a more complex restaurant model.

Benefits of a Single Daypart

Investing in a restaurant franchise that focuses on a single daypart, like Vicious Biscuit, lets you streamline operations, reduce overhead costs, and ensure a more consistent quality of service. With a pared-down menu, more targeted marketing strategies, and a simplified staff schedule, you can dedicate all your resources to honing the perfect dining experience for that daypart, which may lead to higher customer satisfaction and repeat business.

Another significant benefit of the single daypart is the potential for improved work-life balance for franchise owners and employees. You'll have more predictable hours, translating into better control over your business and personal life. With more manageable scheduling, you can reduce burnout and enhance job satisfaction among your staff, leading to lower turnover.

The ability to focus on making a single daypart great, and all the advantages that come with that, make Vicious Biscuit an attractive option for someone seeking a balanced yet potentially lucrative venture.

A Biscuit Above

The $14.6M brunch industry is growing, and at a rapid pace, as evidenced by a recent report from Square. Vicious Biscuit takes full advantage of the earlier portion of the day with our focus on being the best breakfast franchise in town. We've already built a strong brand with a loyal following — customers who have visited our locations and experienced our signature made-from-scratch biscuits creations served with a generous helping of Southern hospitality are spreading the news across the country.

Our franchisee-first franchise model offers a single-shift opportunity and comprehensive training and ongoing support to help you thrive in the fast-paced breakfast and brunch market while maintaining a healthy work-life balance and having a lot of fun along the way.

To learn more, get started.