Gotta laugh or else I'll cry (or scream and pull my hair out)!

This summer has been a night and day switch from the previous years of dietary restriction hell! At the end of last summer, on the webervations I changed my wording to eliminate any reference to "preference" and just if they have any "food allergies or dietary restrictions". I don't double check with them when I check them in either. That only gives more opportunity for them to tell you their likes and dislikes!

If they are served something they don't like or forgot to tell me, then too bad, so sad....there is plenty else on their plate to eat. They can tell me about it for the next day. I'm not doing the breakfast shuffle any more!! YAHOOOOO! It's been very freeing this year.

Saw quote today but do to lightning last night I had to go get all my passwords reset here...

It was something like "You think red meat is bad for you? No, it's blue-green meat that is bad for you!"

During our time in business, we have rung the changes on guests' dietary requests. I've often wondered to myself how people managed to survive before we "knew" about gluten. And eggs. And dairy. And meat. The basic foodstuffs of life seem to be poison to so many people. It's just baffling. 

A year ago at the PAII convention in Atlanta, a presenter made an offhand comment that has stuck with me: when the rest of their lives are spinning out of control, one of the things people try to control is their diet. It's not necessarily about what they eat, it's about having *control* over what they eat. That has been a good reminder to me. Maybe we should rename our industry from B&B to B&B&C: Bed & Breakfast & Control. It's really important to some people that they be different, that they get something different than what everybody else is getting. It's inconvenient and it's maddening. At its worst, it's sort of an anthropological exercise: "I can't believe you would ask me for that. Are you insane?" 

If my wife & I have learned nothing else, it has been to be less self-absorbed when we are traveling (though, truth be told, we examine the cleanliness of the toilets with a thoroughness that would give a marine drill instructor pause). Perhaps our less-than-successful guests are in fact poster children for that iconic demotivators poster: "It could be that your sole purpose in life is to serve as a warning to others."

Why did BB.com charge you 25%

"The church ladies are the worst.  They all wear big bright colored hats and think we play kazoos."

That was a direct quote from a music teacher, it made me smile. I always remember that line! All I could think of, was, the Red Hats ladies.

Ugh...got a phone call from a lady complaining that she was unable to make a one night Saturday reservation online, although rooms were showing open.  I explained our two night policy and she went on to explain that she is the wife of a pastor preaching locally that Sunday, and just needed one night.  I relented and offered our shared bath room at the full $110 rate for that one night, since the room is already booked through the night before.  I told her to make the reservation via our website when she was ready, and I would make sure she was able to.

Two minutes later, I get a reservation through bb.com for her that night...costing me a 25% commission.  So, not only did I make an exception for the one night, but now I lose out on the rate AND she sent a seperate email requesting an early "Full Breakfast".  Uh uh.  Early brekkie here is cream cheese muffins, yogurt and a fruit bowl.  Like it or lump it....guess you should have mentioned that on the phone, babe.

 This is BAD REAL BAD - DON'T LOOK YOU WILL BE SORRY!

Wait come back Rupes, she updated it, THIS is what it did have http://laurasbestrecipes.com/2010/08/chocolate-surprise-cupcakes.html

 Or y'all could meet here and Muirford can bring the do-nots.  We have 6 rooms and 2 with sofa beds...pack em in, innkeeper meetup slumber party!  What was that promotion "Sleep Around In Virginia" Or something a couple years ago.  

I am all for a donut and cheese bread round up at Muirfords.  

We DO need that Slumber Party y'all!  As soon as her season drops off...we will have to plan it!  We had a great time last year going to a B&B in PA and meeting an innmate there.  Going out to eat together, even a movie, it was fun stuff!

Has some great Mennonite ladies that bake really good here too! 

I've been there, I think.... came back home with wonderful cheese bread and cinnamon raisin swirl bread.  Our guests (and the innkeepers) really liked it!

lol no.......not from Ca....

I guess it's more about advanced age.......and whether her teeth are in her mouth.

 One day does your mother live in the Bay Area of CA?  I had a guest like this last year, two couples.  Nice as pie - the rest of the couple and couples.  She had her 5 page list of what she couldn't eat and finally I asked what she could.

I served up this fruit filled yummy breakfast and put her agreed to oatmeal in front of her.  She looked around at the other plates and said, and I repeat, "Where are MY blueberries?"  The table guests covered their mouths as to NOT laugh.  

So I just got a gluten free booking for tomorrow night.  The booking is from Canada, the name is Nordic, it says One person.  It has ONE name on the booking, A different name on the cc details and yet a THIRD DIFFERENT name on the email address.  All with the same last name.

I will wait til they are here. Looking at sail boats, it said. I will work it out then. At least one person it gluten free.  My system defaults to TWO guests so they have to specify ONE.

 One of these days one of is going to go off like the Jet Blue flight attendant.

"You won't eat eggs?  Well F___You!"   The only problem is that we don't have a chute to slide out of the breakfast room.

We all ask about allergies first.  We always try to nip it in the bud. We don't want to waste food, we don't want to make our guests unhappy.  That is the main thing.  Allergies.  Then dietary restrictions, meaning Muslim, Jewish, 7th Day Adventist, Vegetarian...

Coming to this forum and reading frustrations from innkeepers is always a hard line. This forum is a place for innkeepers to let off steam.  Please do not think this occurs near or with the guests.  Just an fyi for anyone new here.  We treat our guests with uttmost respect and courtesy even AS THEY HAND THE PLATE back to us and say "Oh no, I won't eat eggs!" and we have 15 other guests sitting there.  

We all ask about allergies first.  We always try to nip it in the bud. We don't want to waste food, we don't want to make our guests unhappy.  That is the main thing.  Allergies.  Then dietary restrictions, meaning Muslim, Jewish, 7th Day Adventist, Vegetarian...

Coming to this forum and reading frustrations from innkeepers is always a hard line. This forum is a place for innkeepers to let off steam.  Please do not think this occurs near or with the guests.  Just an fyi for anyone new here.  We treat our guests with uttmost respect and courtesy even AS THEY HAND THE PLATE back to us and say "Oh no, I won't eat eggs!" and we have 15 other guests sitting there.  

Nothing to do with brekkie but I am ready for August to be done. One email at 3:15 yesterday canceling last night. One phone call at 10 PM saying they didn't know we took dogs and they're allergic. Another cancellation. There have been a couple of others and I'm just done with listening to it all.

Interesting that friends of this morning's egg guest just arrived and said they didn't care what we were makng everything is wonderful here. And their 10 yo kid ran in and said, 'We're back!' in her native language. She keeps trying to get me to speak it to her each time they come. Luckily for me her English gets better every year!

Last weekend I had a "GPS" stay and as I was bringing in the plate of sausages into the dining room, I lost control of the plate and everything hit the deck! I said, "I guess you don't want sauage this morning."

When the loaves of English muffin bread are put on the bread plates, no one has EVER asked for toast!

I make all the bread here and because it is usually for DH used to be whole wheat when that was the dietician designated "best bread" but now, due to a program on PBS, rye bread is the bread of choice. Since I rarely eat bread it is made (other thn his) only when I need French bread for dinners or for sandwiches for packed lunches for guest packages. I would be hard-put to come up with toast.

 "I will just have toast" doesn't fly here either.  We don't have JUST TOAST.  We never have toast.  You want a warmed tortilla or a bagel? HUH BUD DO YA!?