Breakfast - it's all about timing

[Morticia]

Can i suggest you shift your perspective?
People see you are busy. I never had a complaint - just lots of offers to help which of course I could not accept. Your guests may not feel they are waiting too long.
My guests would come in to the dining area any time between 8 and 10 am. Unless they requested an early breakfast.
The coffee was in two enormous coffee urns so they could help themselves.
I had tent cards and a sign saying what breakfast was. I'd step out and greet them and ask if they wanted what I was making or they could have yogurt and granola type things. (I stopped having all these things out on the buffet table because people would eat (or pack up to go) EVERYTHING. But I welcomed them to make toast if they wanted while they waited. I had two toasters, one on either end of the buffet table, and folks seemed to like to busy themselves with that.
I was surprised when people said they were surprised that I made their breakfast so quickly when I felt s.l.o.w. Like you, it was probably 15-20 minutes from sitting down that I put their breakfast in front of them ... depending and especially if I had lots of guests. Has anyone ever complained that they were waiting a long time?
I had newspapers and local tourist magazines available for them to read ... printouts of the weather ... lists of all manner of things to do in the area. So they could certainly be busy while they waited or talking to other guests or just quiet - relaxing. I always had music playing and there was a cd that was most popular. It was music but had wind chimes and fog horns and sea gulls and boats in the background and people thought it was sounds from outside in the harbor..

I started off wanting to take longer so we could do some dishes that take longer.
It could be me thinking it's taking too long, not the guests. But I wanted to know general opinion on guests waiting 20+minutes for the starter.
I've got all the same things you did for reading material plus games on the tables. And me running around asking what everyone is doing that day, do they need directions, ideas, etc.
The help yourself stuff is out on the counter and I'm always refilling the coffee.
I don't recall too many guests saying they had to leave before their food arrived. But that's more on them thinking they were going to run down, sit and immediately have food in front of them. Maybe thinking it was a buffet?
.

Maybe try a very simple menu to choose from for the entrees. Then, there is definitely the perception that everything is cooked to order (even though your folks can see that, I sometimes wonder from your posts if your guests are awake and alert in the mornings). Some people might even opt out, just preferring the fruit starter and any baked goods. A few others here tried that...I'd be curious what their feedback is.
.

We thought about menus. Filled out the previous night and then just cooked up in the morning, no subs at that point.
But then I've seen the stress it brings on Gomez to make different entrees. Even omelets with something left out cause him pain.

 

[happykeeper]

Can i suggest you shift your perspective?
People see you are busy. I never had a complaint - just lots of offers to help which of course I could not accept. Your guests may not feel they are waiting too long.
My guests would come in to the dining area any time between 8 and 10 am. Unless they requested an early breakfast.
The coffee was in two enormous coffee urns so they could help themselves.
I had tent cards and a sign saying what breakfast was. I'd step out and greet them and ask if they wanted what I was making or they could have yogurt and granola type things. (I stopped having all these things out on the buffet table because people would eat (or pack up to go) EVERYTHING. But I welcomed them to make toast if they wanted while they waited. I had two toasters, one on either end of the buffet table, and folks seemed to like to busy themselves with that.
I was surprised when people said they were surprised that I made their breakfast so quickly when I felt s.l.o.w. Like you, it was probably 15-20 minutes from sitting down that I put their breakfast in front of them ... depending and especially if I had lots of guests. Has anyone ever complained that they were waiting a long time?
I had newspapers and local tourist magazines available for them to read ... printouts of the weather ... lists of all manner of things to do in the area. So they could certainly be busy while they waited or talking to other guests or just quiet - relaxing. I always had music playing and there was a cd that was most popular. It was music but had wind chimes and fog horns and sea gulls and boats in the background and people thought it was sounds from outside in the harbor..

I started off wanting to take longer so we could do some dishes that take longer.
It could be me thinking it's taking too long, not the guests. But I wanted to know general opinion on guests waiting 20+minutes for the starter.
I've got all the same things you did for reading material plus games on the tables. And me running around asking what everyone is doing that day, do they need directions, ideas, etc.
The help yourself stuff is out on the counter and I'm always refilling the coffee.
I don't recall too many guests saying they had to leave before their food arrived. But that's more on them thinking they were going to run down, sit and immediately have food in front of them. Maybe thinking it was a buffet?
.

Maybe try a very simple menu to choose from for the entrees. Then, there is definitely the perception that everything is cooked to order (even though your folks can see that, I sometimes wonder from your posts if your guests are awake and alert in the mornings). Some people might even opt out, just preferring the fruit starter and any baked goods. A few others here tried that...I'd be curious what their feedback is.
.

We thought about menus. Filled out the previous night and then just cooked up in the morning, no subs at that point.
But then I've seen the stress it brings on Gomez to make different entrees. Even omelets with something left out cause him pain.
.

I would never do a menu. I shudder at the thought. It is Chef's Choice with dietary considerations.

 

[gillumhouse]

Can i suggest you shift your perspective?
People see you are busy. I never had a complaint - just lots of offers to help which of course I could not accept. Your guests may not feel they are waiting too long.
My guests would come in to the dining area any time between 8 and 10 am. Unless they requested an early breakfast.
The coffee was in two enormous coffee urns so they could help themselves.
I had tent cards and a sign saying what breakfast was. I'd step out and greet them and ask if they wanted what I was making or they could have yogurt and granola type things. (I stopped having all these things out on the buffet table because people would eat (or pack up to go) EVERYTHING. But I welcomed them to make toast if they wanted while they waited. I had two toasters, one on either end of the buffet table, and folks seemed to like to busy themselves with that.
I was surprised when people said they were surprised that I made their breakfast so quickly when I felt s.l.o.w. Like you, it was probably 15-20 minutes from sitting down that I put their breakfast in front of them ... depending and especially if I had lots of guests. Has anyone ever complained that they were waiting a long time?
I had newspapers and local tourist magazines available for them to read ... printouts of the weather ... lists of all manner of things to do in the area. So they could certainly be busy while they waited or talking to other guests or just quiet - relaxing. I always had music playing and there was a cd that was most popular. It was music but had wind chimes and fog horns and sea gulls and boats in the background and people thought it was sounds from outside in the harbor..

I started off wanting to take longer so we could do some dishes that take longer.
It could be me thinking it's taking too long, not the guests. But I wanted to know general opinion on guests waiting 20+minutes for the starter.
I've got all the same things you did for reading material plus games on the tables. And me running around asking what everyone is doing that day, do they need directions, ideas, etc.
The help yourself stuff is out on the counter and I'm always refilling the coffee.
I don't recall too many guests saying they had to leave before their food arrived. But that's more on them thinking they were going to run down, sit and immediately have food in front of them. Maybe thinking it was a buffet?
.

Maybe try a very simple menu to choose from for the entrees. Then, there is definitely the perception that everything is cooked to order (even though your folks can see that, I sometimes wonder from your posts if your guests are awake and alert in the mornings). Some people might even opt out, just preferring the fruit starter and any baked goods. A few others here tried that...I'd be curious what their feedback is.
.

We thought about menus. Filled out the previous night and then just cooked up in the morning, no subs at that point.
But then I've seen the stress it brings on Gomez to make different entrees. Even omelets with something left out cause him pain.
.

I would never do a menu. I shudder at the thought. It is Chef's Choice with dietary considerations.
.

I agree. No menu. Eat it or leave it.

 

[EmptyNest]

Menu? You are just asking for more trouble Mort! Give them what you want to make and the rest can eat cereal and yogurt. Don't even go there.

 

[Morticia]

Menu? You are just asking for more trouble Mort! Give them what you want to make and the rest can eat cereal and yogurt. Don't even go there.

.

Menu? You are just asking for more trouble Mort! Give them what you want to make and the rest can eat cereal and yogurt. Don't even go there.

We thought about it briefly after a spate of dietary restrictions that made us cook multiple things at once anyway. Because no one meal covered every restriction.

 

[Morticia]

How the new setup worked out. Gomez likes it better because he feels less rushed. I didn't ask anyone except the kids what they wanted in their omelets. So that sped things up. (Going on the theory that no one said they couldn't eat something.)
However, still had 2 groups (a 5 top and a 3 top) show up at once so the wait time didn't go down.