Americans Say a Good Breakfast Is Worth Losing Sleep Over

Forks down, Americans say they will opt for a good, hot breakfast over 15 extra minutes of sleep and, when it comes to what to eat, consumers' taste buds don't cut corners. According to a new survey conducted by Braun Research for Panera Bread, three quarters of respondents will cut their shut-eye short for a good breakfast. An equal percentage of consumers say freshness and quality ingredients are essential components of a good morning meal.

The survey offers a peek into Americans' breakfast habits, opinions and preferences:

America is a country of early birds who rely on breakfast to start the day right

• Nearly half of Americans classify themselves as "early birds" (46%) rather than night owls (24%). Over three-quarters of Americans are awake by 7AM. Over 80% of Americans are ready and out the door in an hour or less.

• Fueling this "early bird" lifestyle, the majority (61%) of Americans eat breakfast everyday.

• Paying attention to mom's claim that breakfast is the "most important meal of the day," Americans confirm that a good breakfast does tip the scales in the right direction, boosting energy (56%), mood (44%), and productivity (40%).

• For a third of Americans starting with a good breakfast can even help curb snacking (36%) and makes them nicer to others: colleagues (29%) or a spouse/significant other (29%).

A good breakfast is worth losing sleep over and helps us face the day

• Breakfast is an integral part of Americans' daily routine -- so much so that three-quarters of respondents say they would opt for a good breakfast over 15 minutes of extra sleep.

• When Americans know their day will be tough, they look to a hot breakfast to help them face the morning -- omelets (25%), breakfast sandwiches (23%), and pancakes (23%) are their fuel of choice.

• Americans also fess up that Mondays are when they crave a hot breakfast the most -- coming back from weekends requires a good morning meal to remedy the Monday blues.

• Most would actually choose to have breakfast by themselves (37%) rather than with a local sports star (19%), a TV morning anchor (14%), or their mayor (6%).

Americans want fresh breakfast options with quality ingredients -- and most can tell the difference

• Three quarters (75%) of Americans eat out or purchase breakfast on occasion, while a third (32%) does so at least once a week.

• Nearly half (43%) of Americans say they aren't generally pleased with the taste and quality of available breakfast sandwiches.

• When Americans eat out they do not want overly processed ingredients in their breakfast sandwiches (36%), and say they are turned off by breakfast sandwiches with eggs that are reminiscent of a sponge (36%) and bread that can be hard or stale (36%).

• Most people prefer a fresh cooked egg in their breakfast sandwich (82%) and can tell if it's not (75%). Nearly everyone (90%) prefers that their breakfast sandwich be made fresh over frozen.

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