Warm and welcoming restaurant furniture could play an important role in enticing Brits out for breakfast during the winter months - and research from Mintel shows that hot and healthy breakfasts are on trend for the coming cold spell.
Very nearly half (49%) of all Britons identify themselves as porridge eaters, with 23% of the population eating a bowl of the hot stuff almost every day; and it's not just older people, as while 56% of 45 to 54-year-olds enjoy porridge, a respectable 39% of 16 to 24-year-olds also eat it often.
"Sales of porridge are thriving as Brits trade up to an increasing array of premium and on-the-go porridge products," Mintel reports. "The hot cereals segment has proved to be the star performer within the breakfast cereals market."
In particular, since 2008, sales of hot cereals have almost doubled, to reach over £240 million in 2013; and in terms of volume, sales are up by 20%, from 65 million kilograms in 2008 to more than 80 million kg in 2013.
Over the past six months, more than nine out of ten Britons have eaten cereals at least once, including hot cereals like porridge.
And Heidi Lanschuetzer, food and drinks analyst at Mintel, says porridge has "found a way to tap into the out-of-home breakfast occasion", with many consumers also welcoming its health benefits on common concerns like cholesterol and maintaining satiety until later in the day.
Putting all of this together makes for a compelling business propositions for any eateries that are not yet serving porridge - and particularly for those that currently do not open for breakfast at all.
But in order to make the most of the potential profits to be found in porridge, the right atmosphere is essential, from comfortable restaurant furniture that allows still-sleepy customers to relax while enjoying a warming breakfast, to lighting that is not too harsh on early-morning eyes, but helps patrons to gradually wake up for the day's events.
Catering for this growing trend in such a way could help to extend profitable trading hours earlier into the morning, feed loyal customers the food they want, and get everybody's day off to a better start.