Here's What Time McDonald's Really Serves Breakfast

Most of us have enjoyed a hearty McDonald's breakfast, whether it is the Egg McMuffin, Sausage McGriddle, Hotcakes, or Hash Browns. But, if you're looking for a quick morning meal, you'd better get to your local McDonald's restaurant before a certain time. According to Parade, McDonald's breakfast has been around for a long time — since 1971, to be exact — but the hours during which it is served have been in flux since then.

Currently, McDonald's franchise hours vary by store and Mashed found conflicting information regarding general hours. Parade reports that some McDonald's restaurants serve breakfast from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday through Thursday, and from 5 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Fridays. Conversely, The Breakfast Hours reports that McDonald's eateries are open for breakfast until 10:30 a.m. on weekdays and 11:00 a.m. on weekends, with most restaurants opening at 5 a.m., but with some locations opening as early as 3 a.m.

Breakfast hours haven't always been limited. Per Parade, McDonald's debuted their all-day breakfast menu in 2015, but put a halt to the service in 2020, citing the need to "simplify operations" in their kitchens and offer "better speed of service and order accuracy" for their customers (via Twitter). One Reddit user, who claims to be a former McDonald's employee, explained the limited breakfast hours have to do with efficiency and food safety, writing, "Eggs are cooked at a lower temperature than the beef and chicken on the grills, and there is only so much grill space. If they were to do that [serve breakfast all day], everything would take slightly longer and slow things down."

However, the return of all-day breakfast hasn't been ruled out, as the tweet from McDonald's official account continues, claiming the chain is "evaluating if and how [they] will bring" it back. But not everyone is in favor of bringing back all-day breakfast. The National Owners Association, a group made up of McDonald's owner-operators, conducted a survey on the issue and found that most advocate for keeping the breakfast menu restricted to certain hours. "The limited menu and ease of operations are allowing our teams to focus and provide blazing fast service," said the association's chairman, Blake Casper (via Restaurant Business Online). The moral of the story: If you're interested in finding out their breakfast hours, call or visit your local McDonald's store and ask.