$6 breakfast promo in Prince George a hit as diners watch wallets
More consumers looking for ways to cut costs on food, reports show
In a packed parking lot along a busy thoroughfare, Bob Rochon has nothing but good things to say about the breakfast he just finished eating.
"Fantastic, good quality stuff," he said. "It's awesome."
But the thing that really brought him in?
"You can't beat six bucks," he said. "It's been a while since [a meal's] been that price."
Inside, others diners say the same. Almost everyone is eating an identical plate of food: bacon, eggs, hashbrowns and toast, all for $5.95 plus tax.
Mary Auger says she came in after her niece told her about the price.
"I could not believe it," she said.
"Shock," her tablemate, Bib Francis added. "We usually pay 20 bucks, minimum, for a normal bacon and egg breakfast."
The excitement of being able to purchase a full, sit-down meal for less than $10 has led to a full house every morning for OM, a fusion Indian-western restaurant in Prince George, B.C.
Opened in January 2023, the locally owned business in northern B.C. — about 514 kilometres north of Vancouver — just expanded its offerings to include a daily breakfast menu and needed to find a way to get the word out.
Instead of putting his budget toward radio or Facebook ads, owner Amit Bindra decided to spend the money on his menu: he set a break-even price of $5.95 for the February breakfast special, with the intention of getting new customers through the door once word spread about the low price. It's worked, better than expected.
"The first day, we only got about four, five tables," Bindra said. "It was just two of us working, and we were fine ... then the whole house filled up."
Now, he says, it's all hands on deck in order to keep up.
"We have all the staff, [plus] me, my mom, my dad, my sister, we're all here, running around trying to get everybody fed."
On social media the response has been swift, as well.
One commenter on Facebook said: "1990s pricing! I'm here for it!"
"Cheaper [than] McDonald's ... count me in," said another.
Bindra says he's not making much direct money on the special, though he does turn a profit if customers order coffee.
Instead, his hope is that people will enjoy the meal enough that they come back for lunch or dinner — or even breakfast in March, once the promotion ends. If he didn't have his family to help out, he says, he's not sure he could afford to run the special at all.
That's a reality faced by many restaurants, which over the past year have had to raise prices as the cost of raw ingredients has gone up — even as customers face the same squeeze.
In November 2023, a report from Restaurants Canada found that more than half its members country-wide were losing money due to a combination of rising costs and dropping customers.
Around the same time, the annual Canada's Food Price Report, led by a consortium of Canadian universities, found families were cutting back on expensive food items in response to the rising price of groceries.
Even major chains like McDonald's are noticing the change — in a recent earnings call, McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski said the company will be focusing on more low-cost options as more consumers turn to homemade meals to reduce their food budgets.
In Prince George, an Egg McMuffin meal from the fast food chain is $7.99 plus tax — $2 more than Bindra's special.
"We certainly know consumers are more wary — and weary — of pricing and we're going to continue to be consumer-led in our pricing decisions as we look forward to 2024," McDonald's Chief Financial Officer Ian Borden said in the earnings call.
A&W Canada also recently introduced a $3.99 sandwich in part to try to bring budget-conscious customers in the door.
"Everyone's money is tight right now," franchisee Priya Dhillon told The Canadian Press. "It doesn't matter what business you're in; things are just difficult."
Back in OM's parking lot, Rochon says he's no stranger to seeking out a cheap meal.
"I'm retired, so I can't afford a 25-, 30-dollar breakfast," he said.
But $5.95?
"Yeah, I might come again," he said with a laugh.
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With files from the Associated Press and the Canadian Press