What Time Does Breakfast Become Brunch?

In a famous scene from "Curb Your Enthusiasm," Larry David and his pals sit down in a restaurant to have breakfast. It's 11:10 a.m. and, as Larry and his friends learn, the restaurant only serves that specific meal until 11 a.m. and is now serving lunch. Trying to circumvent the restaurant's strict policy of not serving breakfast foods after 11 a.m., Larry suggests ordering a Cobb salad and holding everything but the bacon and eggs. If only they had gone for brunch instead. The beloved combination of breakfast and lunch would have allowed Larry and friends to enjoy a range of breakfast and lunch and perhaps some dinner items, some cocktails, and, since there is no official time for brunch, arrive well after 11 a.m.

Although brunch was started by English society in the late 19th century as a formal meal after a hunt, there are few rules for when breakfast starts and brunch begins. Restaurants generally start brunch service after 10 or 11 a.m. and end at 3 or 4 p.m. But, as "Good Mornings: Great Breakfasts and Brunches for Starting the Day Right" author Michael McLaughlin stated a century after brunch was first mentioned in "Hunter's Weekly," there are many who might argue that brunch is more of a "state of mind" (via New York Times). 

Brunch is often thought of as a Sunday meal. When brunch became popular in the United States in the 1930s, it was eaten after church or, for those not worshipping, in lieu of church. Some argue that brunch is a continuation of Catholics' practice of fasting before mass and following the service with a large midday meal. Today, restaurants often serve brunch on both Saturdays and Sundays.

Many argue that brunch is a weekend phenomenon, while breakfast is for weekdays. Others associate brunch's popularity with the increasing presence of women in the workforce. In the early part of the 20th century, brunch had freed women to eat together in restaurants unaccompanied by men. This was also around the same time that President Woodrow Wilson made Mother's Day an official holiday and eventually the two became inextricably linked. Later, after more women began working outside the home, brunch was a way for women to make a simple, no-cook meal at home, or to stay out of the kitchen all together.

Another tradition that came about purely as a result of timing was the boozy brunch. Cocktails became popular during Prohibition when people, unable to get top shelf liquor, started using mixers to mask the taste of illegally produced alcohol. Soon, mimosas, Bellinis, and bloody marys became cocktails to serve with brunch eggs.

Not surprisingly, brunch menus have no set fare. Many restaurants combine breakfast and lunch menus. One of the first restaurants in the United States to serve brunch was a New Orleans restaurant called Begue's. Since French cuisine was such a strong influence in the city, Begue's started serving French-influenced dishes like pain perdu, also known as French toast. The restaurant also served Oysters Rockefeller, grillades, and grits (which are different from polenta). The one thing Begue's was unlikely to serve at the time was one brunch menu stalwart. The Waldorf Astoria and Delmonico have been warring over who invented eggs Benedict and it may not have even been invented by the time Madame Begue began serving her "second breakfast." So, the answer to when breakfast becomes brunch depends on who you ask since there are few rules on time. Now, let's talk about linner.