• Ad Age, Friday, April 2, 2010 10:04 AM

In a volley in its war on McDonald's dominance at breakfast, Burger King has broken a new 30-second spot in which the mascot King burgles the recipe for the Sausage McMuffin with Egg sandwich. "It's not that original but it's super affordable ... egg, sausage and cheese on a toasted English muffin," quoth the voiceover. BK's version only costs a buck.

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," a spokeswoman predictably responds to Rupal Paekh's request for comment. Paekh points out that breakfast is becoming the most competitive day-part for fast food restaurants.

Gary Stibel, founder-CEO of New England Consulting Group, says that Subway, Burger King and McDonald's will all see sales increases with new breakfast offerings, cutting into the share of casual and family restaurants. "The big winner here will be Subway; they've got more locations and theirs is a far more innovative menu," Stibel predicts. Karlene Lukovitz detailed Subway's plans in Marketing Daily earlier this week. Starbucks is also stepping up efforts to dish out more morning meals.

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