# Why doesn't McDonalds sell Egg McMuffins all day? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 14, 2009, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-mcdonalds-sell-egg-mcmuffins-all-day/502990 "2009-07-14T16:09:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-mcdonalds-sell-egg-mcmuffins-all-day/502990/21 "2009-07-14T21:08:53Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > I was just thinking about this the other day…our local McDonalds sells $1 Filet-O-Fish on Fridays, which is crazy. Whenever I go there on Fridays, which is, uh, almost every Friday, they’ll have a stack of about 20 or so waiting to go. So when you go there and make a reasonable order of, say, five or six of them, they’ll have them. I had a point here…something about Filet-O-Fish…oh yeah. Having that stack there really messes them up because the place is physically designed to make-as-ordered. They _can’t_ have X number of Big Macs, Y number of chicken sandwiches, etc. because there is literally nowhere to put them. > > Which reminds me…is it Friday yet? Yes, Mickey D’s went through a big re-design when they went to make-as-ordered from pre-prepared. The standard layout now has a double-sided assembly line that makes a “T” with the order pick-up area. Off to one side are the grills; to the other side the fry vats. The old, huge, food-holding area under the lamps is gone, along with the metal numbers that were supposed to tell the staff when to pull the sandwiches for having exceeded the acceptable shelf-life. Someone mentioned Jack-in-the-Box. Darnit, I wish they had them here. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-mcdonalds-sell-egg-mcmuffins-all-day/502990/22 "2009-07-14T21:10:17Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > Wendy’s has breakfast? That’s new. I misspoke. I meant Jack-in-the-Box. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-mcdonalds-sell-egg-mcmuffins-all-day/502990/23 "2009-07-14T21:15:12Z")
I worked at a fast food place too. Generally, you have to cook stuff separate, so adding another menu item like one that requires eggs or sausage patties instead of buger patties will require extra cooking space. Making those items is fine if that’s all you’re going to be doing until 10:30, but mixing that and the regular menu items are a pain. When we switched from breakfast to lunch at 10:30, that’s usually the most chaotic time of the day as we couldn’t put the breakfast stuff away until the last order is taken ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2009, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-mcdonalds-sell-egg-mcmuffins-all-day/502990/24 "2009-07-14T22:43:02Z")
> [@johnspartan](#): > > The ones around here did for a year or so, and had some dang tasty stuff… and then did away with it. Must not have been selling enough. ☹ That’s what I miss for not living in a test market area. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-mcdonalds-sell-egg-mcmuffins-all-day/502990/25 "2009-07-15T00:17:17Z")
> [@postcards](#): > > Not crazy if there’s a big Catholic population, especially during Lent. No! The crazy thing is that they’re a dollar. Do you know how many Filet-O-Fish a man can eat? Well, I do now! ---
**Author:** ![Kozmik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8dc957/32.png) [@Kozmik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kozmik)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-mcdonalds-sell-egg-mcmuffins-all-day/502990/26 "2009-07-15T01:06:16Z")
All I ask is for McDonald’s to serve Egg McMuffins untill noon. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Rucksinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/898d66/32.png) [@Rucksinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rucksinator)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-mcdonalds-sell-egg-mcmuffins-all-day/502990/27 "2009-07-15T02:27:47Z")
Hardee’s (at least the ones around here) are now serving breakfast until 11, and still starting lunch at 10:30. I thought that this was great \* (at least for customers), but this thread is making me think that, for Hardee’s, this is the worst of both worlds. \*The only thing worse than wanting a burger and fries at 10:25 is wanting breakfast food at 10:35 ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-mcdonalds-sell-egg-mcmuffins-all-day/502990/28 "2009-07-15T02:32:24Z")
> [@filling\_pages](#): > > Cross Whataburger off your list, at least in North Florida. Breakfast is 11 pm - 11 am. I live right down the street from one and, at least once a month, we have to sit around waiting for 11 so we can go get taquitos. Interesting thing is even though breakfast is limited to those 12 hours, the lunch menu is still served 24 hours. Many’s a time I’ve gone in and gotten fries with my breakfast platter (better than hash browns IMO). ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-mcdonalds-sell-egg-mcmuffins-all-day/502990/29 "2009-07-15T02:54:12Z")
> [@postcards](#): > > Not crazy if there’s a big Catholic population, especially during Lent. Wasn’t the Fish-on-Friday requirement lifted years ago? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-mcdonalds-sell-egg-mcmuffins-all-day/502990/30 "2009-07-15T03:21:30Z")
Mickey-D’s loses some of my business because they don’t serve hamburgers until X AM, but stop selling breakfast at Z AM. My daily schedule can be quite irregular, and if I had breakfast at 5AM at home, I’m in the mood for lunch by 9. No can do at Mickey-D’s, so I avoid them. Other food services are more flexible. I can breakfast, lunch or dinner at the local coffee shop anytime and they open earlier, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-mcdonalds-sell-egg-mcmuffins-all-day/502990/31 "2009-07-15T03:45:06Z")
> [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](#): > > Wasn’t the Fish-on-Friday requirement lifted years ago? Yes, except for Lent. However, many folks (especially older types) are in the habit of eating fish on Fridays all year round, just because they’ve always done it that way. This trend even extends to the military, also because of tradition. In the Navy, every ship and submarine I was ever on served fish on Fridays. As the saying on my sub went, “Friday; field day; fish day!” (Field day was the weekly stem-to-stern all-hands clean-up held every Friday.) If it weren’t for fish on Fridays, how would sailors keep track of the passage of time at sea? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-mcdonalds-sell-egg-mcmuffins-all-day/502990/32 "2009-07-15T03:47:49Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Mickey-D’s loses some of my business because they don’t serve hamburgers until X AM, but stop selling breakfast at Z AM. My daily schedule can be quite irregular, and if I had breakfast at 5AM at home, I’m in the mood for lunch by 9. No can do at Mickey-D’s, so I avoid them. Other food services are more flexible. I can breakfast, lunch or dinner at the local coffee shop anytime and they open earlier, anyway. In my experience, X is always equal to Z. There is no gap in which no food is served. Around here, the changeover happens at 10:30 a.m. on weekdays, and at 11:00 a.m. on weekends. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-mcdonalds-sell-egg-mcmuffins-all-day/502990/33 "2009-07-15T03:54:24Z")
[Here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=499137) is a recent thread on this same topic. It notes that Burger King, because it broils its burgers, uses different cooking surfaces for breakfast vs. lunch/dinner and has in the past offered burgers even during breakfast time. Apparently not breakfast during the rest of the day, though. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-mcdonalds-sell-egg-mcmuffins-all-day/502990/34 "2009-07-15T11:08:44Z")
> [@robby](#): > > In my experience, X is always equal to Z. There is no gap in which no food is served. I didn’t say there was. But your desires must match what is being served at that time and my stomach doesn’t go by the clock. ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-mcdonalds-sell-egg-mcmuffins-all-day/502990/35 "2009-07-15T15:18:36Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > Interesting thing is even though breakfast is limited to those 12 hours, the lunch menu is still served 24 hours. Many’s a time I’ve gone in and gotten fries with my breakfast platter (better than hash browns IMO). Absolutely. Nothing like two bacon taquitos, an order of onion rings, and a chocolate malt to kill the munchies. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-mcdonalds-sell-egg-mcmuffins-all-day/502990/36 "2009-07-15T16:38:41Z")
Another problem is that the rotating price boards above the counter can only show breakfast or lunch, not both. ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-mcdonalds-sell-egg-mcmuffins-all-day/502990/37 "2009-07-15T16:40:01Z")
McDonalds seriously needs to take a lesson from Jack-in-the-Box, who has EVERY menu item available 24 hours a day. When I was in Seattle earlier this year, I actually did order a hearty breakfast bowl at 9PM, and sure enough, I saw one of their chefs cooking it on the grill a minute later. BTW - Wendys in NYC still has breakfast, and yes, it’s divine. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2009, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-mcdonalds-sell-egg-mcmuffins-all-day/502990/38 "2009-07-15T16:56:53Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Generally, you have to cook stuff separate, so adding another menu item like one that requires eggs or sausage patties instead of **buger** patties will require extra cooking space. Hey! Ixnay on the ugerbay! They call it the secret ingredient for a reason, ya know! ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-mcdonalds-sell-egg-mcmuffins-all-day/502990/39 "2009-07-16T03:54:03Z")
I was traveling a few weeks ago and entered the McDonalds drive-up at 7 minutes before the cut-off. I arrived at the ordering kiosk 2 minutes after the cut-off. They refused to serve breakfast. i couldn’t help it that their staff was so slow that I couldn’t get to the kiosk in time. Grrr. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2009, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-mcdonalds-sell-egg-mcmuffins-all-day/502990/40 "2009-07-16T04:02:39Z")
Back in the seventies, When just about every McDonald’s was open 24 hours, they served McMuffins for 24 hours. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-mcdonalds-sell-egg-mcmuffins-all-day/502990.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-mcdonalds-sell-egg-mcmuffins-all-day/502990.md?page=3)