Breakfast has always been my favorite meal, it's such a wonderful way to start the day! For as long as I can remember, I have loved inviting friends and family over for breakfast brunch. Forgive my bragging but I make a great quiche and people love my pumpkin bread. So, when we purchased our B&B, I was very excited about being able to serve breakfast to our guests whom I imagined would sing my praises for years to come. Much to my disappointment, but to the delight of our guests, Bob has turned out to be the breakfast cook. Guests love his Omelettes made to order and his French Toast never disappoints. I have become the person in the background who sets the table and clears the plates. Many of our 5-Star Reviews include the comment "Awesome omelettes for breakfast!' but we have never received a comment about the beautiful table setting. Bob and I now have a kitchen dance that we perform together and, most often, I have to let him lead.
Once we established who is the chief cook and bottle washer, we were able to move onto the many other considerations that go into serving Breakfast. When creating your breakfast venue, you need to think about so much more than what will be on the breakfast plate...
What time will breakfast be served. Will you tell your guests when they need to be at the table or will you ask them what time they want to eat. There is a lot of thought that needs to go into this seemingly simple decision. Do you have room at your table to serve everyone at once or are you restricted to seating only a few at a time. Do you have guests that are not comfortable eating with others or guests that consider breakfast with strangers to be part of the B&B charm. Do you have an outside job or other activities that require you to be done serving by a specific time so that you can get on with your other commitments. Will you offer a carry-out breakfast for guests that want to eat outside of your available time or will your guests go hungry. For our guests, we offer a breakfast window of 8:00 am to 10:00 am. We have served breakfast as early as five in the morning and have sent people packing at check-out with their breakfast in a box. It's important to talk with your guests and try to get a feel for what they need. We try to be as flexible as possible but that may not work for you.
Will you offer formal or informal dining. I personally love to have the table set in all its splendor with a linen tablecloth, fine china. sparkling crystal, good silver, individual condiments and a small bell to ring for service if I have forgotten anything. In our Victorian home, this setting seems appropriate. However, someone told me that he did not want to stay at our B&B because the website breakfast pictures were too fancy and made him uncomfortable. Think about your target market and set the table for them. Consider clean up (dishwasher safe or not) and will your heart be broken if someone breaks your family heirloom china. As an alternative to formal dining, you may choose to set up a buffet for guests to self-serve themselves. One buffet I really enjoyed was an Oatmeal Spread that had every imaginable garnish available - a true work of art and a hearty breakfast! Other buffets offer cereal choices along with baked goods, juice and hot coffee. Like I said, I love eating breakfast and I've never met a breakfast I didn't like!
Will you serve Family Style or Plated Meals. For a large group of guests, that are traveling together, family style can be a great option. However, if people are not traveling together, they may not like breaking bread with strangers. Family style for smaller groups could result in more waste. We stayed at a B&B where they served their three guests with heaping plates of scrambled eggs and sausages. We didn't eat half of it and I still wonder what they did with the leftovers. If plating your meals, be sure your plates do not look half full but don't overfill them so that the foods are touching each other (some people abhor having their eggs touch their bacon). We start off every breakfast with fresh fruit, baked goods, juice and coffee. Our usual breakfast offerings include bacon with an omelette and hash browns or French toast and a side of eggs. Bob's motto is "You don't have to eat it all but you can't go away hungry". We have had only one complaint from a guest saying that we fed her too much.
Serving your best breakfast may not happen on opening day but, with practice, you will find what works for you and your guests. It's important that everyone, including you, is comfortable and satisfied with the results. Never forget, breakfast is the most important meal of the day at your B&B!
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