Breakfast at 8am

[Don Draper]

How about split couples? They'll pick a time but (usually) husband down early for coffee, hungry, tells me wife wants to sleep in, not so sure what/if she wants breakfast (diet pepsi, maybe ). Rare, but happens. Not much of a problem as the late-comer doesn't expect the full treatment..

How about split couples? They'll pick a time but (usually) husband down early for coffee, hungry, tells me wife wants to sleep in, not so sure what/if she wants breakfast (diet pepsi, maybe ). Rare, but happens. Not much of a problem as the late-comer doesn't expect the full treatment.

This happens a lot. Worst is when we're really busy and the early bird snags a table and parks there for 2 hours. If I ask if the spouse is joining them I get, 'Oh, yes s/he'll be right down.' And they never show. At 9:25 I will say, 'Breakfast is over, would you like to eat before the kitchen closes?' And they make a mad dash to the room to get the spouse.
That probably annoys me more than anything. Someone who holds us hostage with 'they'll be right down' and the person takes another hour. Well, like I said, 9:30 the kitchen closes.
.

That probably annoys me more than anything. Someone who holds us hostage with 'they'll be right down' and the person takes another hour. Well, like I said, 9:30 the kitchen closes.

This is hard on us too, with 12 seats and up to 21 people here. We won't let them "camp out" if someone else is waiting to eat, but then we just have two tables. Hubs has gotten quite good at politely inviting them to take their juice/coffee into the parlor so someone else can sit to eat.
Then you have the super people who are willing to jump up at any time if they see someone else waiting to eat. The people who realize they just might NOT be the center of the Universe...those are my people!!!

 

[Skamokawa]

We have them chose their breakfast time the night before. It hasn't been a problem for us. No one has been more than 10 minutes late, and that is rare.

 

[gillumhouse]

How about split couples? They'll pick a time but (usually) husband down early for coffee, hungry, tells me wife wants to sleep in, not so sure what/if she wants breakfast (diet pepsi, maybe ). Rare, but happens. Not much of a problem as the late-comer doesn't expect the full treatment..

How about split couples? They'll pick a time but (usually) husband down early for coffee, hungry, tells me wife wants to sleep in, not so sure what/if she wants breakfast (diet pepsi, maybe ). Rare, but happens. Not much of a problem as the late-comer doesn't expect the full treatment.

This happens a lot. Worst is when we're really busy and the early bird snags a table and parks there for 2 hours. If I ask if the spouse is joining them I get, 'Oh, yes s/he'll be right down.' And they never show. At 9:25 I will say, 'Breakfast is over, would you like to eat before the kitchen closes?' And they make a mad dash to the room to get the spouse.
That probably annoys me more than anything. Someone who holds us hostage with 'they'll be right down' and the person takes another hour. Well, like I said, 9:30 the kitchen closes.
.

That probably annoys me more than anything. Someone who holds us hostage with 'they'll be right down' and the person takes another hour. Well, like I said, 9:30 the kitchen closes.

This is hard on us too, with 12 seats and up to 21 people here. We won't let them "camp out" if someone else is waiting to eat, but then we just have two tables. Hubs has gotten quite good at politely inviting them to take their juice/coffee into the parlor so someone else can sit to eat.
Then you have the super people who are willing to jump up at any time if they see someone else waiting to eat. The people who realize they just might NOT be the center of the Universe...those are my people!!!
.

The people who realize they just might NOT be the center of the Universe...those are my people!!!
(Gasp!!) I'm not?????

 

[Copperhead]

I used to wait. Now when they are not there within 10 minutes I knock and check .... it saves me a lot of sitting around and waiting, and gives me an ETA IF and when they actually will show up.

Or just do what they did at one B&B I stayed in - they put on the player piano LOUD as a wake up call 30 minutes before breakfast time. If you were staying there, or even the neighbors in good weather, you were UP.

 

[Alibi Ike]

I used to wait. Now when they are not there within 10 minutes I knock and check .... it saves me a lot of sitting around and waiting, and gives me an ETA IF and when they actually will show up.

Or just do what they did at one B&B I stayed in - they put on the player piano LOUD as a wake up call 30 minutes before breakfast time. If you were staying there, or even the neighbors in good weather, you were UP.

.

It's just not that important to me to actually wake guests up! The guests are adults. They know if they want breakfast or not.

 

[JBloggs]

There is nothing that will turn my day like a no show or a late for breakfast appearance...now the shoe is on my foot. I have been doing early breakfasts all week and now everything is set for the NEXT seating and where are they?

 

[Alibi Ike]

Interesting morning. Guests had a taxi arriving at 8:30 so requested an 8 AM breakfast. Arrived for breakfast at 8:15. Knew what was on the menu. One of them did not want that. (Not couldn't eat it, didn't want it.) Other guest starts running down a list of options. 'How about eggs? How about toast? How about a muffin?'
I have to stop him and explain there are 2 items available: what we told them we were serving or cereal.
By this time it is too late and they have to leave, their taxi is honking outside.

 

[Copperhead]

Interesting morning. Guests had a taxi arriving at 8:30 so requested an 8 AM breakfast. Arrived for breakfast at 8:15. Knew what was on the menu. One of them did not want that. (Not couldn't eat it, didn't want it.) Other guest starts running down a list of options. 'How about eggs? How about toast? How about a muffin?'
I have to stop him and explain there are 2 items available: what we told them we were serving or cereal.
By this time it is too late and they have to leave, their taxi is honking outside..

Oh brother! Grrr.

 

[Don Draper]

Interesting morning. Guests had a taxi arriving at 8:30 so requested an 8 AM breakfast. Arrived for breakfast at 8:15. Knew what was on the menu. One of them did not want that. (Not couldn't eat it, didn't want it.) Other guest starts running down a list of options. 'How about eggs? How about toast? How about a muffin?'
I have to stop him and explain there are 2 items available: what we told them we were serving or cereal.
By this time it is too late and they have to leave, their taxi is honking outside..

Good for you for sticking! I am so non-confrontational that I usually cave and give them toast or whatever. PITA's.

 

[Alibi Ike]

Interesting morning. Guests had a taxi arriving at 8:30 so requested an 8 AM breakfast. Arrived for breakfast at 8:15. Knew what was on the menu. One of them did not want that. (Not couldn't eat it, didn't want it.) Other guest starts running down a list of options. 'How about eggs? How about toast? How about a muffin?'
I have to stop him and explain there are 2 items available: what we told them we were serving or cereal.
By this time it is too late and they have to leave, their taxi is honking outside..

Good for you for sticking! I am so non-confrontational that I usually cave and give them toast or whatever. PITA's.
.

And again we wait...
And at 9:35, we stopped waiting. Everything put away. If I wasn't waiting for payment, I'd go outside and do something at this point. But here we sit.
And, at 11, we threw out the coffee and spousal unit left the house to go to an exhibit at the museum.
And I wait...

 

[Tom]

Interesting morning. Guests had a taxi arriving at 8:30 so requested an 8 AM breakfast. Arrived for breakfast at 8:15. Knew what was on the menu. One of them did not want that. (Not couldn't eat it, didn't want it.) Other guest starts running down a list of options. 'How about eggs? How about toast? How about a muffin?'
I have to stop him and explain there are 2 items available: what we told them we were serving or cereal.
By this time it is too late and they have to leave, their taxi is honking outside..

Good for you for sticking! I am so non-confrontational that I usually cave and give them toast or whatever. PITA's.
.

Me too; easier to fire up a muffin, a glass of juice, coffee and let them rush off. We even bought nice non-plastic to-go hot cups after several guests wanted another cup for the road.

 

[Alibi Ike]

Interesting morning. Guests had a taxi arriving at 8:30 so requested an 8 AM breakfast. Arrived for breakfast at 8:15. Knew what was on the menu. One of them did not want that. (Not couldn't eat it, didn't want it.) Other guest starts running down a list of options. 'How about eggs? How about toast? How about a muffin?'
I have to stop him and explain there are 2 items available: what we told them we were serving or cereal.
By this time it is too late and they have to leave, their taxi is honking outside..

Good for you for sticking! I am so non-confrontational that I usually cave and give them toast or whatever. PITA's.
.

Me too; easier to fire up a muffin, a glass of juice, coffee and let them rush off. We even bought nice non-plastic to-go hot cups after several guests wanted another cup for the road.
.

Me too; easier to fire up a muffin, a glass of juice, coffee and let them rush off. We even bought nice non-plastic to-go hot cups after several guests wanted another cup for the road.

We offer coffee to go if someone is in a rush. We could throw juice in a to go cup as well. What we weren't going to allow was the guest to choose their own menu. We don't have a fully stocked kitchen. What's in the fridge at any given moment is what we were going to serve.
This is why we don't, absolutely do not, like it when guests hit us with 'I can't eat that' when they sit down. And 'I don't want that' gets you a box of cereal. Which, btw, they could have taken with them but chose not to.

 

[white pine]

Interesting morning. Guests had a taxi arriving at 8:30 so requested an 8 AM breakfast. Arrived for breakfast at 8:15. Knew what was on the menu. One of them did not want that. (Not couldn't eat it, didn't want it.) Other guest starts running down a list of options. 'How about eggs? How about toast? How about a muffin?'
I have to stop him and explain there are 2 items available: what we told them we were serving or cereal.
By this time it is too late and they have to leave, their taxi is honking outside..

Good for you for sticking! I am so non-confrontational that I usually cave and give them toast or whatever. PITA's.
.

Me too; easier to fire up a muffin, a glass of juice, coffee and let them rush off. We even bought nice non-plastic to-go hot cups after several guests wanted another cup for the road.
.

As a coffee hound, coffee to go, warms my heart. Not in plastic? Better yet, I hate drinking out of plastic. What kind of to go cups to you have? Are they very expensive? Do you have them with your logo on them? What a great idea!

 

[egoodell]

Interesting morning. Guests had a taxi arriving at 8:30 so requested an 8 AM breakfast. Arrived for breakfast at 8:15. Knew what was on the menu. One of them did not want that. (Not couldn't eat it, didn't want it.) Other guest starts running down a list of options. 'How about eggs? How about toast? How about a muffin?'
I have to stop him and explain there are 2 items available: what we told them we were serving or cereal.
By this time it is too late and they have to leave, their taxi is honking outside..

Good for you for sticking! I am so non-confrontational that I usually cave and give them toast or whatever. PITA's.
.

Me too; easier to fire up a muffin, a glass of juice, coffee and let them rush off. We even bought nice non-plastic to-go hot cups after several guests wanted another cup for the road.
.

As a coffee hound, coffee to go, warms my heart. Not in plastic? Better yet, I hate drinking out of plastic. What kind of to go cups to you have? Are they very expensive? Do you have them with your logo on them? What a great idea!
.

We get nice cardboard coffee to go cups at Sam's club

 

[Alibi Ike]

Interesting morning. Guests had a taxi arriving at 8:30 so requested an 8 AM breakfast. Arrived for breakfast at 8:15. Knew what was on the menu. One of them did not want that. (Not couldn't eat it, didn't want it.) Other guest starts running down a list of options. 'How about eggs? How about toast? How about a muffin?'
I have to stop him and explain there are 2 items available: what we told them we were serving or cereal.
By this time it is too late and they have to leave, their taxi is honking outside..

Good for you for sticking! I am so non-confrontational that I usually cave and give them toast or whatever. PITA's.
.

Me too; easier to fire up a muffin, a glass of juice, coffee and let them rush off. We even bought nice non-plastic to-go hot cups after several guests wanted another cup for the road.
.

As a coffee hound, coffee to go, warms my heart. Not in plastic? Better yet, I hate drinking out of plastic. What kind of to go cups to you have? Are they very expensive? Do you have them with your logo on them? What a great idea!
.

If we were going to use thousands of them, a logo would be a great idea. But guests are going to drink and toss and it's rare that they take a coffee anyway. (We have had guests walk out the door with our mugs in their hands, tho!)

 

[Penelope]

Interesting morning. Guests had a taxi arriving at 8:30 so requested an 8 AM breakfast. Arrived for breakfast at 8:15. Knew what was on the menu. One of them did not want that. (Not couldn't eat it, didn't want it.) Other guest starts running down a list of options. 'How about eggs? How about toast? How about a muffin?'
I have to stop him and explain there are 2 items available: what we told them we were serving or cereal.
By this time it is too late and they have to leave, their taxi is honking outside..

Good for you for sticking! I am so non-confrontational that I usually cave and give them toast or whatever. PITA's.
.

Me too; easier to fire up a muffin, a glass of juice, coffee and let them rush off. We even bought nice non-plastic to-go hot cups after several guests wanted another cup for the road.
.

As a coffee hound, coffee to go, warms my heart. Not in plastic? Better yet, I hate drinking out of plastic. What kind of to go cups to you have? Are they very expensive? Do you have them with your logo on them? What a great idea!
.

As a coffee hound, coffee to go, warms my heart. Not in plastic? Better yet, I hate drinking out of plastic.

I agree. Good coffee, to go, is a great thing!

 

[JBloggs]

Interesting morning. Guests had a taxi arriving at 8:30 so requested an 8 AM breakfast. Arrived for breakfast at 8:15. Knew what was on the menu. One of them did not want that. (Not couldn't eat it, didn't want it.) Other guest starts running down a list of options. 'How about eggs? How about toast? How about a muffin?'
I have to stop him and explain there are 2 items available: what we told them we were serving or cereal.
By this time it is too late and they have to leave, their taxi is honking outside..

Good for you for sticking! I am so non-confrontational that I usually cave and give them toast or whatever. PITA's.
.

Me too; easier to fire up a muffin, a glass of juice, coffee and let them rush off. We even bought nice non-plastic to-go hot cups after several guests wanted another cup for the road.
.

As a coffee hound, coffee to go, warms my heart. Not in plastic? Better yet, I hate drinking out of plastic. What kind of to go cups to you have? Are they very expensive? Do you have them with your logo on them? What a great idea!
.

As a coffee hound, coffee to go, warms my heart. Not in plastic? Better yet, I hate drinking out of plastic. What kind of to go cups to you have? Are they very expensive? Do you have them with your logo on them? What a great idea!

They sell them insulated with lids at stuffmart and just about every grocery store, usually near the paper plates or bbq section with charcoal etc (whcih is always hardest to find in a grocery store!) Don't waste money on logo's, unless they are ceramic cups.
I have been cleaning out these deep corner cupboards with lazy susan and about 6" area to reach in and out and twist your back out and go into traction, that are now a catch-all. Man o war the crap in there I held onto just in case I needed it (this is annually.) I really do a sort out once a year, but when the season gets busy it fills up again, get it off the counter, so shove it in there. So now it is sorted, once again, til this time next year!
Things I never use that I had in there:

• Water carafes (Thought I would place on table, but don't)
• Ice buckets (have 4 diff models, use the same one and two all the time, but need to keep them just in case someone needs one beyond #1 and #2)
• LG Plastic Cups (like camping ones, can't give away, never use)
• addtl ice cube trays in misc shapes (stuffed them back in)
• milk shake maker (reminded me that we need to use that some more, forgot about it)
• Decaf coffee maker (rarely used, so cleaned and put back)
• this that and the other (put it back in just in case) and I don't take just in cases lightly, if I don't use it then it goes bye bye - but in this biz there are plenty of "just in cases"
• Vietnamese coffee makers (per cup size) will use, can't toss, prefect for one cups while camping

 

[Alibi Ike]

Interesting morning. Guests had a taxi arriving at 8:30 so requested an 8 AM breakfast. Arrived for breakfast at 8:15. Knew what was on the menu. One of them did not want that. (Not couldn't eat it, didn't want it.) Other guest starts running down a list of options. 'How about eggs? How about toast? How about a muffin?'
I have to stop him and explain there are 2 items available: what we told them we were serving or cereal.
By this time it is too late and they have to leave, their taxi is honking outside..

Good for you for sticking! I am so non-confrontational that I usually cave and give them toast or whatever. PITA's.
.

Me too; easier to fire up a muffin, a glass of juice, coffee and let them rush off. We even bought nice non-plastic to-go hot cups after several guests wanted another cup for the road.
.

As a coffee hound, coffee to go, warms my heart. Not in plastic? Better yet, I hate drinking out of plastic. What kind of to go cups to you have? Are they very expensive? Do you have them with your logo on them? What a great idea!
.

As a coffee hound, coffee to go, warms my heart. Not in plastic? Better yet, I hate drinking out of plastic. What kind of to go cups to you have? Are they very expensive? Do you have them with your logo on them? What a great idea!

They sell them insulated with lids at stuffmart and just about every grocery store, usually near the paper plates or bbq section with charcoal etc (whcih is always hardest to find in a grocery store!) Don't waste money on logo's, unless they are ceramic cups.
I have been cleaning out these deep corner cupboards with lazy susan and about 6" area to reach in and out and twist your back out and go into traction, that are now a catch-all. Man o war the crap in there I held onto just in case I needed it (this is annually.) I really do a sort out once a year, but when the season gets busy it fills up again, get it off the counter, so shove it in there. So now it is sorted, once again, til this time next year!
Things I never use that I had in there:

• Water carafes (Thought I would place on table, but don't)
• Ice buckets (have 4 diff models, use the same one and two all the time, but need to keep them just in case someone needs one beyond #1 and #2)
• LG Plastic Cups (like camping ones, can't give away, never use)
• addtl ice cube trays in misc shapes (stuffed them back in)
• milk shake maker (reminded me that we need to use that some more, forgot about it)
• Decaf coffee maker (rarely used, so cleaned and put back)
• this that and the other (put it back in just in case) and I don't take just in cases lightly, if I don't use it then it goes bye bye - but in this biz there are plenty of "just in cases"
• Vietnamese coffee makers (per cup size) will use, can't toss, prefect for one cups while camping

.

I have a ton of carafes! They are in the fridge of all places to keep them cold! Good idea to ge clear them out. I have a bunch in the cupboard as well. I have yet to find a good glass container for milk that I keep in the guest fridge. NONE of the caps ones I have have survived contact with guests. They pull and yank and break them them off.
Still looking, tho. Would like to remove the plastic milk carton and have milk in a glass container. Never mind, just solved my own problem...I will buy milk in the glass bottle! Duh.

 

[gillumhouse]

Interesting morning. Guests had a taxi arriving at 8:30 so requested an 8 AM breakfast. Arrived for breakfast at 8:15. Knew what was on the menu. One of them did not want that. (Not couldn't eat it, didn't want it.) Other guest starts running down a list of options. 'How about eggs? How about toast? How about a muffin?'
I have to stop him and explain there are 2 items available: what we told them we were serving or cereal.
By this time it is too late and they have to leave, their taxi is honking outside..

Good for you for sticking! I am so non-confrontational that I usually cave and give them toast or whatever. PITA's.
.

Me too; easier to fire up a muffin, a glass of juice, coffee and let them rush off. We even bought nice non-plastic to-go hot cups after several guests wanted another cup for the road.
.

As a coffee hound, coffee to go, warms my heart. Not in plastic? Better yet, I hate drinking out of plastic. What kind of to go cups to you have? Are they very expensive? Do you have them with your logo on them? What a great idea!
.

I have to-go cups with lids that I got at the office supply (Staples), heapy paper-type, not styrofoam. Cheap? no, but they are the large size, not the small cups. Guests like that they are getting a CUP of coffee instead of a cup. No logos. I can fix a full breakfast in to-go form.

 

[Basil Fawlty]

I hear you. Grrr is right. We set up muffins/coffee for early risers, but as for the rest, - I give 'em boundries: "Breakfast is served from 8:30-10:00am" If they haven't managed to show up by 10a, then, POOF! VOILA! Le Petit Dejeune is Gone! (Ok, well, I leave muffins and coffee. I'm a patsy at heart...)
I do this mindful of the French waiters I have POed. If the card on your table says that lunch is finis at 2pm - at 2:02, the pink tablecloth magically levitates away carrying the last of your lunch with it...