They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day…
And it’s certainly the tastiest!
Breakfast food has always been one of my favorites, and if you’re anything like me…it tastes even better when someone else makes it for you.
But let’s face facts…
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Not all breakfast places are created equal!
Fortunately, the good folks over at YouGov conduct quarterly surveys to look at which brands are most popular.
(And surprisingly, Denny’s and Cracker Barrel weren’t it – which really surprised me.)
So I gathered the top 10 most popular brands…did your favorites make it on the board?
Let us know what you think in the comments!
And with that, let’s hop right in, with #10…
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Percent of Americans who have heard of it: 46%
Percent of people who know it who have a positive opinion of it: 30%
My take: I’ve always found that bagel sandwiches are better and more filling than biscuit sandwiches…because the bagels are so much bigger! Noah’s Maplehouse egg sandwich (eggs, sausage, bacon, cheddar, honey almond cream cheese, syrup on a maple French toast bagel) is just one of many excellent examples.
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Percent of Americans who have heard of it: 61%
Percent of people who know it who have a positive opinion of it: 34%
My take: While I haven’t tried every dish (at least, not yet…), everything I’ve had at Village Inn has been great. The skillets are fantastic if you’re hungry, the crepes if you’re looking for something a little more delicate (the strawberry cheesecake crepes are the best), and while their breakfast sandwich can’t compare to Noah’s, it’s still pretty good!
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Percent of Americans who have heard of it: 69%
Percent of people who know it who have a positive opinion of it: 42%
My take: Perkins serves up standard breakfast fare – skillets, biscuits, omelets, eggs benedict, steak and eggs, waffles, pancakes, and French toast. It’s all pretty good. I personally don’t like it as much as Country Inn, which has more options, but nobody asked my opinion!
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Percent of Americans who have heard of it: 67%
Percent of people who know it who have a positive opinion of it: 45%
My take: This is probably the biggest breakfast menu you’ll ever see. They’ve got just about everything you can imagine, and plenty of things you probably haven’t considered…including a section titled “Creations from our grandchildren” that includes Reese’s peanut butter cup pancakes, s’mores pancakes, and M&M pancakes. Get the croissant cinnamon French toast for another fun, unique take on breakfast.
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Percent of Americans who have heard of it: 76%
Percent of people who know it who have a positive opinion of it: 45%
My take: Einstein Bros. Bagels are a good, solid option any time you need breakfast on the go. It won’t surprise you that I especially like their breakfast sandwiches, but they’ve done some cool stuff with the bagels themselves too. Their six-cheese gourmet bagel is everything you’d hope for in a filling breakfast bagel…and their country sausage gourmet bagel literally has sausage and bacon baked into the bagel!
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Percent of Americans who have heard of it: 93%
Percent of people who know it who have a positive opinion of it: 58%
My take: The data don’t lie, but man do I think people are wrong about this one. Cracker Barrel is one of the absolute best breakfasts out there in my opinion…although I’ll admit it’s gotten a little pricey. Their country cooking just continues to be a bright spot in my day anytime I can make it out there. (Which isn’t as easy as it used to be, unfortunately.) In my opinion, it’s certainly better than #4…
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Percent of Americans who have heard of it: 92%
Percent of people who know it who have a positive opinion of it: 59%
My take: These data are from Q4 2024, and I wonder how the trends will change now that Waffle House has added a completely unreasonable 50 cent surcharge per egg on their dishes. I like Waffle House, have for a long time (their pecan waffle is an old favorite), but that’s just unacceptable.
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Percent of Americans who have heard of it: 86%
Percent of people who know it who have a positive opinion of it: 60%
My take: You may know Marie Callender’s from their excellent pies in the frozen section of the grocery store, but they also operate a line of restaurants, primarily on the West Coast, with a great breakfast menu. From bacon quiche (yum) to their banana cream pie pancake stack (!), to traditional favorites like steak and eggs, French toast, omelets, and skillets…it’s all pretty good!
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Percent of Americans who have heard of it: 95%
Percent of people who know it who have a positive opinion of it: 61%
My take: It’s Denny’s! Everyone knows it, and their slams are beloved across America. Unfortunately Denny’s has fallen on hard times lately and has been slashing both store count and menu items left and right. I doubt the recent egg surcharge they’ve added at some restaurants is helping.
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Percent of Americans who have heard of it: 96%
Percent of people who know it who have a positive opinion of it: 64%
My take: While I don’t think IHOP is the best food on this list, the data don’t lie – this is America’s most popular breakfast brand! And when you think about it, it kind of makes sense – IHOP is incredibly well-known (it’s in all 50 states, plus plenty of international locations), they have a great and cheap 55+ menu, and in general you get a solid breakfast for a few bucks less than you would at, say, a Cracker Barrel.
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So there you have it – America’s top 10 breakfast chains, according to YouGov data.
And you can see why each is so popular!
But there’s one really important question…
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Which do you like best?
Which did you expect to see on the list that isn’t there?
Let us know in the comments!
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