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Is McDonald鈥檚 about to offer all-day breakfast, borrowing a page from Denny鈥檚, Jack in the Box, and IHOP?

Could be.

The question is getting some big buzz because McDonald鈥檚 chief executive officer Don Thompson said he鈥檚 entertaining the idea.

And, well, when this mega restaurant chain is involved, it鈥檚 also because there are a lot of people out there who might like to order a McMuffin or a Sausage Burrito at noon or at dinner time.

But for those who might be salivating at the thought, don't hold your breath.

Mr. Thompson didn鈥檛 bring the topic up on his own. It came up when he was asked during a CNBC interview Friday:

鈥淵es we would consider it,鈥� was his reply.

He followed up by saying the company needs to focus on making the most of its existing menu, that it offers all-day breakfast in some global markets, and that it鈥檚 looking into 鈥渋nnovative鈥� ways of expanding breakfast hours.

So all-day breakfast is on the company's radar. But it鈥檚 been that way for some years now.

Marketing blogger Joseph Yi, at RewardMe.com, recently explained why it might not be in McDonald鈥檚 best interest to make pancakes and other items available all day: 鈥淭he Law of Scarcity states that when a person perceives that something ... they want is in limited quantity [then] the value of the object will be greater than if it were to be abundant.鈥�

Maybe McDonald's could sell more Egg McMuffins by offering them all day, Mr. Yi says. But in the process, it might lose some cachet as the go-to place in the realm of hot fast-food breakfasts. It would give customers less reason to visit a restaurant by 10:30 a.m. (or 11 a.m. in some places).

That doesn鈥檛 mean McDonald鈥檚 won鈥檛 make the all-day plunge. But it may explain why it hasn鈥檛 happened yet, and why Thompson didn鈥檛 answer the question with a simple 鈥測es鈥� or 鈥淚鈥檓 lovin鈥� it.鈥�

Thompson did say the company is trying to be faster on its feet regarding business opportunities.

The company reported a rise in earnings for the latest quarter, but weak revenue growth disappointed investors.

At the company鈥檚 innovation center near Chicago, Thompson said 鈥渨e socialize鈥� ideas that are emerging from markets all around the world. Those include everything from menu options to delivery methods and how to use things like mobile apps and social media to connect with customers.

Globally, breakfast items are a big opportunity.

In a recent conference call with investment analysts, Thompson pledged to 鈥渇eature even more compelling new products in the United States especially in our four key growth categories of chicken, premium beef, breakfast, and beverages.鈥�

He cited breakfast item Egg White Delight, as well as premium McWraps and a Blueberry Pomegranate Smoothie, as promising menu additions.

Thompson dropped another intriguing hint: He said offering home or workplace delivery is a "big, big opportunity."