Something new for us - an event in the inn

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TheBeachHouse

TheBeachHouse

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This Friday, one family is taking the whole inn to celebrate a Bar Mitzvah at sunrise on Saturday. They want to do it by the sea, but it will likely end up taking place in our smallish living room. They asked for breakfast to be served after the ceremony.
Our breakfast room is a bit tight if more than a few people are serving themselves at the same time. We showed them the space and told them the limitations but they loved it.
We also told them we are not gourmet cooks and just put out the basics. They are fine with it.
SO, we are serving a buffet of: coffee cake, banana bread and pumpkin muffins and Anadama bread; assorted cereals with milk; scrambled eggs, pancakes and bacon and sausage (they said they LOVE bacon and I even said, "for a religeous ceremony?" they said, yes.) Yogurt parfaits in wine glasses and a three melon salad. Oj, cranberry juice, milk.
I'm a little nervous to seat 14 - 16 at one time. We have 14 actual chairs at tables. So it should work.
Anyway, we've never done an event before, so I'm nervous, but excited. After they leave, the inn closes and we are off on vacation. (and it's ok to say that on the internet because we are not leaving the house unattended. Two other people live there full time.)
 
Generally speaking, a group like this won't all sit down at the same time. The kid(s) will wander off. They will stand around chatting. They will pick off the buffet rather than plate up and sit down. The parents will be entertaining their guests. You'll be fine.
 
great insight. thanks.
so I should plan more for a cocktail party type atmosphere. makes sense now that you say it.
 
buffet style - let them serve themselves. i agree, they will stand and sit. they will move about to all common areas they can access. like a house party. some will usually want to go off alone or two just chatting. make sure table surfaces where someone might sit with a drink are protected.
we're heading into cold weather and they may all hunker down inside with their coffee and tea afterwards. children, too? hot cocoa. (grownups like it also) interesting that they requested bacon.
i had a lot of groups like this and it was fine. i did basic, homestyle cooking and plenty of it. folks loved it.
you'll do great.
 
seashanty said:
buffet style - let them serve themselves. i agree, they will stand and sit. they will move about to all common areas they can access. like a house party. some will usually want to go off alone or two just chatting. make sure table surfaces where someone might sit with a drink are protected.
we're heading into cold weather and they may all hunker down inside with their coffee and tea afterwards. children, too? hot cocoa. (grownups like it also) interesting that they requested bacon.
i had a lot of groups like this and it was fine. i did basic, homestyle cooking and plenty of it. folks loved it.
you'll do great..
Click to expand...
Thanks.
They were really nice. They mentioned a 3 year old and the fact that we say we don't take children under 12. I was very open. I told them, we don't encourage children because most of our guests are getting away from the children and don't want to be distracted by one.
But in your/their case, of course this 3 year old is probably the light of everybody's life including the young guest of honor's.
 
seashanty said:
buffet style - let them serve themselves. i agree, they will stand and sit. they will move about to all common areas they can access. like a house party. some will usually want to go off alone or two just chatting. make sure table surfaces where someone might sit with a drink are protected.
we're heading into cold weather and they may all hunker down inside with their coffee and tea afterwards. children, too? hot cocoa. (grownups like it also) interesting that they requested bacon.
i had a lot of groups like this and it was fine. i did basic, homestyle cooking and plenty of it. folks loved it.
you'll do great..
Click to expand...
You noticed the bacon too? Must be a mixed group.
 
Glad it all went well. And don't worry about not being gourmet - I make wonderful delicious breakfast but I'm not gourmet and I don't try to make it seem that way on my website. I don't think saying orange french toast or cranberry poached pears, etc. are gourmet but that's because I've seen some inn breakfasts that were truly gourmet - four true courses of top gourmet food. I list a few guest favorites but none are "gourmet". I just got an average (not in character for us) TA review from a guy who said he was disappointed in his stay because he was led to believe he would be in for a gastronomically delightful experience - his words. I guess he created that vision for himself. His other review for a nearby B&B during his visit here from England raved about the blueberry muffins, bacon and tons of home fries he was served, the best home fries he's ever experienced. I guess I should have made home fries and he'd have been happy. So you can't please everyone and I'm sure your food is great -- but don't think less of yourself because the word gourmet hasn't been attributed to your breakfasts. And as you can see if it comes across as fancy and someone was expecting it to be the most gastronomically fancy pants breakfast ever they will be disappointed.
 
MtnKeeper said:
Glad it all went well. And don't worry about not being gourmet - I make wonderful delicious breakfast but I'm not gourmet and I don't try to make it seem that way on my website. I don't think saying orange french toast or cranberry poached pears, etc. are gourmet but that's because I've seen some inn breakfasts that were truly gourmet - four true courses of top gourmet food. I list a few guest favorites but none are "gourmet". I just got an average (not in character for us) TA review from a guy who said he was disappointed in his stay because he was led to believe he would be in for a gastronomically delightful experience - his words. I guess he created that vision for himself. His other review for a nearby B&B during his visit here from England raved about the blueberry muffins, bacon and tons of home fries he was served, the best home fries he's ever experienced. I guess I should have made home fries and he'd have been happy. So you can't please everyone and I'm sure your food is great -- but don't think less of yourself because the word gourmet hasn't been attributed to your breakfasts. And as you can see if it comes across as fancy and someone was expecting it to be the most gastronomically fancy pants breakfast ever they will be disappointed..
Click to expand...
I think guests assume 'gourmet' at a b&b. No matter what our websites say!
We've had comments that the breakfast wasn't gourmet. I've responded back that we don't claim anything but home cooking and thank you for pointing that out for everyone.
None of our photos show gourmet food. None of the recipes on our site are gourmet.
Like you said, he talked himself into thinking gourmet.
We were at another inn a few years ago with friends. We all agreed that the breakfast was pretty plain. Nothing special about the flavors, the presentation was blah. The meat was overcooked.
The cook came out and chatted with us and said breakfast was the area he considered to be his specialty. He went on to tell us about how he blended the different flavors and was insulted when someone couldn't eat one of the ingredients as it spoiled the meal to leave anything out.
We sat there dumbfounded. He thought he was serving gourmet food. It was plain as plain could be.
Must be in the eye of the beholder.
 
Update. It went very well. The group was clean and behaved. They loved breakfast. They LOVED the bacon and ate every bite. They all thought the parfaits were lovely. Ate 7 of 9. (14 people total including a 4 year old.)
Loved the sunrise pictures. The host left $30 for the maid and the host's parents left $10. The kids were good.
The downside - the host's Mother went outside to take pictures of the cat and noticed a half eaten koi fish on the beach by the pond. They told us about it and I gasped causing everyone to run to the window to see a half eaten koi fish over 2 feel ong. Pretty gross. I was apologizing while they were all giving me condolences. As it turns out, they got exactly what they wanted. And we were more than happy to have them.
 

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