That’s terrible service. Our policy was the cut off at 10:30 but accept everyone who was in line at the time. Sometimes that would necessitate doing breakfast until 11 but it kept people happy
dammit… now I want a freaking egg mc muffin and hash browns.
If breakfast were Egg McMuffins only, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal. Every McDonald’s I’ve worked in has had a clamshell grill for burgers, bacon, and sausage (and McRib when it’s that time), and a flat grill (well, griddle, technically) where eggs are cooked, which is set to a lower temperature. Canadian bacon just has to be warmed through, so it’s not that big of a deal to do that anywhere you’ve got a little free grill room (it’s actually done out of the way of the clamshells anyway, or on the egg grill). I imagine the the costs of keeping the egg grill hot all day would outweigh the benefits/profits of selling a few Egg McMuffins all day long, let alone the waste that would happen when they didn’t sell too many, and the chorus of bitching people wanting Sausage McMuffins, which are clearly superior 
(And hash browns are cooked at 365 degrees, and fries at 335, IIRC ;))
The thing is, McDonald’s not only sells breakfast during breakfast hours, but they also sell the rest of their menu as well. You can still purchase a Big Mac, an order of fries, or even Chicken McNuggets during breakfast hours.
So, if this is the case, why can’t they just continue to sell all their items throughout the day? The answer seems to be because the foods have different cooking temperatures/requirements and there are space limitations.
Okay, so basically, they’re inconveniencing themselves by selling both breakfast and regular menu items until 10:30? And after 10:30, once breakfast gets put away, things return to a more normal state?
Well, from what I’ve noticed, their regular menu is getting pretty varied itself. They have the standard burgers, but there’s also a grilled chicken sandwich, a crispy chicken sandwich, a Filet-O-Fish, and the aforementioned McNuggets.
Surely, these items all have different cooking requirements too, right? And, yet they somehow manage to get it done. So is it really that much more difficult to cook a sausage patty, or pancakes, or eggs?
Jack In The Box has recently started doing it (without any significant modification to their kitchens), as well as many 24-hour restaurants (Denny’s, IHOP, etc.), so what’s the big deal?
Not in my local McDs you can’t.
At 10:30 they stop serving breakfasts and start with the Big Macs etc., ask for a Big Mac before 10:30 and you’re out of luck
Not at the McDonald’s around here, either.
Wendy’s use to have breakfast and it was great.
Wikipedia says, “The range of foods offered depends on the time of day. Lunch items such as hamburgers and fries are generally not served during breakfast time, from store open (or about 4:00am in 24-hour stores) to 10:30am on weekdays or 11:00am on weekends. In some 24-hour McDonald’s restaurants (such as airports and service plazas), some lunch items are already available cooked to order (as in a buffet). Most breakfast items are not served at any time except breakfast, but there are some exceptions; hotcakes, Cinnamon Melts (replaced cinnamon rolls), and bacon are always available upon request at most McDonald’s restaurants.”
Wow. It must be an L.A. thing then. I have yet to go to a McDonald’s where regular menu items are not served during breakfast hours.