For years, bacon has been a popular menu ingredient; 85% of consumers say they either like or love it — inspiring restaurants across the country to include it on their menus.1
While bacon may have traditionally been associated with breakfast, the foodservice industry in the past two decades has developed numerous ways to expand its use, according to Chris DuBois, executive vice president at Circana.
Today, bacon is served during multiple dayparts in dishes that feature a variety of cuts and flavors, such as All-Natural, Hardwood-Smoked Heritage by HatfieldTM Black Pepper, Maple Bourbon and Double Smoked Thick Cut Bacon, which provide a hearty texture and a bold taste.
Restaurants might offer a bacon-infused pasta dish, for example — like this Creamy Pasta Carbonara made with Heritage By HatfieldTM Black Pepper Thick Cut Bacon — or empanadas that contain Heritage by Hatfield’sTM Maple Bourbon, Black Pepper and Double Smoked Thick Cut Bacon.
“You see bacon in literally every part of the meal — all the way from cocktails through appetizers and desserts,” DuBois says. “Bacon is one of those ultimately flexible proteins that can go in upscale restaurants and fast food, help create excitement and drive a lot of traffic.”
Bacon’s Innate Value Proposition
Bacon appears on 68% of all U.S. menus, with a menu versatility score of 68 (out of 100) and a food versatility score of 97. It’s most commonly used in American cuisine, with potato skins (64.5% of total incidences), burgers (26.1%), egg dishes (19.7%), protein sides (17.7%) and cold sandwiches (16.7%) accounting for the top five applications of the ingredient.1, 2
While adding bacon to any dish isn’t guaranteed to magically boost its allure, research indicates bacon possesses the power to potentially elevate consumer interest. Bacon was a common component in the top 10 limited-time-offer menu items consumers expressed an interest in purchasing in spring 2025, for example, appearing in burgers, sandwiches and mac and cheese.3
Given bacon’s considerable appeal, it’s a prime target for operator upselling, elevating check averages by a few cents or even a few dollars.
A $2.75 average upcharge isn’t uncommon; although the cost can differ. The Greene Turtle, for instance, adds $2.50 to the check if a guest wishes to include bacon in an item, while Del Taco charges $1. At Bagel Street Café, which has more than 20 locations in California’s Bay Area, it costs $2.85 to add bacon to a sandwich. Edina, Minnesota’s Good Earth will top a burger with three slices for $5; and you can get bacon as a 12-inch pizza topping at Rudino’s Pizza and Grinders in Raleigh, North Carolina, for $1.99.2
Where Bacon Leads, Guests Follow
Bacon is especially big business for bacon-themed restaurants, which seize upon the ingredient’s savory appeal by specializing in it.
Wake ’n Bacon in Chicago typically cooks up 10–20 pounds of the protein between Monday and Thursday and 40–50 pounds during the weekend, according to President and Chief Bacon Eater Gabriel Ayala.
The eatery’s menu, which draws cuisine elements from China, El Salvador and other countries, includes a grilled cheese made with bacon jam, an egg-and-tater-tot breakfast plate served with bacon and a flavored bacon flight.
“Bacon, for me, is a staple of breakfast and any brunch place,” Ayala says. “[That’s] what we want to be known for.”
The fatty, salty cured pork has been an integral part of the fast casual chain Farmer Boys’ menu since its inception nearly 40 years ago. Farmer Boys promotes bacon’s inclusion in dishes through in-store signage, TV advertising, social media and other PR efforts.
Bacon items like the Bacon Boy — a double cheeseburger with two hickory-smoked strips — quickly became popular. Guests can also add bacon to other dishes for a location-specific upcharge. With the right marketing and menu strategies, you can make bacon sizzle in your restaurant too.
Effectively Publicizing Bacon Offerings
In addition to occasional bacon-themed promotions, Farmer Boys held an online search for a bacon intern in 2019. Contestants were asked to post a video to Instagram explaining why they’d be the best person to sample bacon menu items for a day and rate strips for flavor and thickness.4
The company, which received photos, songs, poems and videos from contenders, was blown away by the response. “Our objectives were to highlight bacon; create a fun, experiential way to celebrate bacon; and engage our guests,” says Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Larry Rusinko. “We had entries from all ages and geographic locations. The promotion helped us engage fans while reaching a new audience that wasn’t familiar with the Farmer Boys brand.”
When a new addition to its series of boxed value offerings was announced in April 2024 — the $9.99 Bacon Big Cheese Box, containing a quarter-pound beef burger topped with hickory-smoked bacon and American cheese, fries and a regular drink — the restaurant chain billed the item as “the ultimate value box for bacon lovers.”5
Because bacon is sometimes regarded as an indulgent element, highlighting its presence in dishes — and showcasing the visual appeal of strips served on their own — can be an effective marketing technique.
Wake ’n Bacon customers, according to Ayala, have responded well to mouthwatering images of the eatery’s menu items and ingredients.
“We’ve done videos and reels and pictures of how we actually make the bacon,” he says. “People flock to that. They love seeing how bacon is actually made. Bacon visually looks really good, especially when you’ve got the rendering of the fat and all the juices come out.”
A New Culinary Frontier for Bacon
Bacon isn’t always an ideal addition to every dish; some operators may feel it’s more important to focus on having a varied menu that includes options for people who don’t eat meat or pork.
Bacon, however, is an impressively versatile ingredient — with the ability to be part of a breakfast omelet one second and an addition to gourmet popcorn the next. Chefs can include bacon in stuffing; use the protein’s fat to roast hash browns and other items; or even use bacon lardons as a topping.
As a result, the foodservice industry’s approach to using the protein is becoming more innovative by the day, according to DuBois. And consumers are starting to feel more comfortable trying new bacon-centric recipes at home too.
“The creativity from the foodservice side is just exploding — you get beer-battered snacks, cocktails with bacon; it seems like it could be in anything,” he concludes. “The key to bacon’s success is that it’s just so flexible. The smell and taste are so good that people want to be creative with it, because they know their customers will like it.”
Sources
- SNAP bacon menu and consumer data, Datassential, Oct. 2, 2025
- SNAP Menu Trends, Datassential, Oct. 2, 2025
- “Consumers Favor Limited-Time Offers Featuring Chicken and Bacon,” Restaurant Business, April 30, 2025
- “This Dream Job Will Pay You $1,000 to Eat Bacon All Day,” Thrillist, Aug. 8, 2019
- “Farmer Boys® Debuts the Ultimate Value Box for Bacon Lovers,” Farmer Boys, April 3, 2024
Find out more about our Heritage by HatfieldTM and other bacon offerings on our website.
