Yo quiero Taco Bell breakfast burrito!

The Mexican-style fast-food chain that caters to the late-night snacking crowd with tacos and gorditas introduced a breakfast menu Thursday at almost 800 restaurants in 14 states.

Pennsylvania and New Jersey are not on the list, but if the launch goes well, Taco Bell plans to begin selling its breakfast burritos and hash browns in its 5,600 locations nationwide by 2014.

Taco Bell is entering the mad scramble by fast-food heavyweights to compete for the morning on-the-go crowd. Breakfast has become the most important meal of the day for restaurants, accounting for virtually all of the industry’s growth in the past five years.

Breakfast’s new popularity has a lot to do with the economy. When people are out of work, they don’t dine out much. Lunch sales, in particular, fall because they’re not grabbing a bite to eat during the workday.

And at a time when people are cutting back on discretionary spending, breakfast is a cheaper alternative when eating out than dinner. Fast-food restaurants have taken notice.

Subway started offering breakfast in 2010. Wendy’s is starting to get into the breakfast game, too.

And Burger King, Starbucks and McDonald’s in recent years have been expanding their offerings of everything from breakfast sandwiches to oatmeal and smoothies.

For its part Taco Bell is teaming with such popular brands as Johnsonville, Cinnabon, Tropicana and Seattle’s Best for its breakfast menu items that range in price from 99 cents to $2.79.

The menu includes burritos stuffed with eggs and either sausage, bacon or steak; sausage and egg wraps; hash browns; hot or iced coffee; and orange juice.