Dinner (supper) is served!

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2cat_lady

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I say supper because down here, lunch is referred to as dinner.
We are strictly breakfast because when we're busy, it's all I can do to get my rooms changed over for checkin that I could never entertain the thought of offering another meal. But, we are VERY quiet in our cold weather months. Plus the fact, there isn't a lot of choice in my area for restaurants and some of those close early. It seems everyone would rather hibernate than go out. What if I offered a choice of three meals to my guests? DH and I thought that I could email a selection and request they make their choice at least 24 hours ahead of checkin so in that way, I'd make sure I wasn't scrambling for ingredients last minute. I just hate recommending a place for them to eat when one place is hit or miss, one is a roadhouse and one is a 15 minute drive that in the wintertime could be a little treacherous. That or recommend another B&B in the area that does evening meals. Then I'd make them ask themselves why they never stayed there in the first place. I wouldn't open this up to non-guests (since my license is only for meals to guests) and I'd only offer it during my slow time.
Any comments, thoughts or suggestions? What do you do???
 
We do it just like you are considering, at least 24h before a confirmed menu, and overnight guests only. Only if we have time.
We started offering dinner for guest on a walking/hiking holiday. We do have a number of restaurants 1 mile away, but if guests have been walking all day, and have no other means of transport, staying at the Inn for dinner is preferred.
We also offer dinner/barbecue service to whole Inn bookings, this is very popular, most groups prefer to stay "home". With the whole Inn booked we have no arrivals and have time. This place used to be a Hotel/Restaurant so space / kitchen / utensils etc were present, and we have all the licences.
 
Before you do anything, check with your local health Dept. Some places will not permit B & B to do any meal other than breakfast or require a commercial kitchen. If you are permitted, then your option sounds doable. But remember you open yourself up to more of the, "I don't like that" or I can't eat that and more PITA requirements. I would offer the options stating. NO CHANGES possible. They take it or leave it. Afterall, you aren't a restaurant. Then again, if you don't mind dealing with picky eaters, go for it. Personally I would not.
 
We don't serve meals so maybe my answer doesn't count, but for whatever it is worth I like the idea, however, do you really want to offer a choice and cook several different meals? If not a one dish meal, a choice of a couple of meats and veggies so that you don't have to spend all day in the kitchen. Guess maybe it depends on if this is an added bonus for folks to stay with you at a slower time or a special feature at an added charge.
 
Before you do anything, check with your local health Dept. Some places will not permit B & B to do any meal other than breakfast or require a commercial kitchen. If you are permitted, then your option sounds doable. But remember you open yourself up to more of the, "I don't like that" or I can't eat that and more PITA requirements. I would offer the options stating. NO CHANGES possible. They take it or leave it. Afterall, you aren't a restaurant. Then again, if you don't mind dealing with picky eaters, go for it. Personally I would not..
Definitely have to check but I think that as long as I advertise the meal along with pricing on my web page and as long as it's to an overnight guest that I'm okay. And yes, no substitutions. I don't find people fussy down here. Home style cooking is the norm. My breakfasts are 'house choice' and I've never had a problem with them.
 
Sounds like a lot of work for the same money. Can you offer it as an add on? Or a choice?
Optional supper available at a cost of $25 per person?
 
Are you willing to make all 3 different dinners? You'll get 2 couples who can't agree they all want the same meal.
You might want to phrase it, "we do evening dinner for guests. On Friday we serve..., and lay out the whole week, like the blue paste special at a diner." Then they decided if they want what you're offering that night and you know what you're serving each night.
As long as you have the time and you specify when the evening meal will be served, why not try it?
Make sure it's understood this is extra, not included.
 
Sounds like a lot of work for the same money. Can you offer it as an add on? Or a choice?
Optional supper available at a cost of $25 per person?.
Oh, definitely an add on. I was thinking $25 so I guess I'm not far off the mark.
 
Are you willing to make all 3 different dinners? You'll get 2 couples who can't agree they all want the same meal.
You might want to phrase it, "we do evening dinner for guests. On Friday we serve..., and lay out the whole week, like the blue paste special at a diner." Then they decided if they want what you're offering that night and you know what you're serving each night.
As long as you have the time and you specify when the evening meal will be served, why not try it?
Make sure it's understood this is extra, not included..
Good point. We'll have to think that possibility through.
 
Are you willing to make all 3 different dinners? You'll get 2 couples who can't agree they all want the same meal.
You might want to phrase it, "we do evening dinner for guests. On Friday we serve..., and lay out the whole week, like the blue paste special at a diner." Then they decided if they want what you're offering that night and you know what you're serving each night.
As long as you have the time and you specify when the evening meal will be served, why not try it?
Make sure it's understood this is extra, not included..
Good point. We'll have to think that possibility through.
.
See an innmate's site here for what they do. Though I would do a "set" menu and they either take it or not.
 
I am permitted to serve any meal to REGISTERED guests.We have over the years incited guests to join us for supper and we tell them what we are having so they have the option of declining. In winter months we have offered late arrivals veggie soup and Gillum House rolls for supper. The other is often spaghetti. I have not charged for these.
However, back in the day while my knees still functioned painlessly, I DID offer dinner packages. Here is what I did - I packaged the room, supper, and a packed lunch with a trail hike/bike or a routing to the covered bridges and winery and these were 2-night packages. You could easily add something they cannot pick out costs for to bury the fee you are charging for the supper so you have 3 or more items in the package. I put the lunches in insulated bags with my logo and contact info - "and the bag is a gift to you from the Gillum House". My supper was large salad bowl (help yourself - only one couple ever emptied it), homemade manicotti (one man described it to another guest as a manicotti log), a loaf of homemade French bread - recipe made 2 loaves so breakfast the next morning was bread pudding, and a couple scoops of a good ice cream for dessert. I built in $50 for the supper when they could go to a restaurant in the area for $20. No one ever complained about the price of the package but they also could not divide out how much the supper was. The package started as $295 and was $395 when I stopped doing it. If they are a one night, just take out the second night of room rate.
Adding: I made up about 20 manicotti at a time when I made homemade pasta. Manicotti is flat so east to do. I would cook the pasta, add the filling, roll it and vac-seal in packages of 2, and freeze it. I could take it out as needed (cutting costs by making in bulk), add the sauce and bake.
 
Our B&B insurance does not allow anything but breakfast. It adds that we "ARE NOT a restaurant". It also states we can serve breakfast to guests only. Plus I don't want to open myself up to health inspections...not that we're doing anything wrong but things can get pretty wild around here when all our kids, grandkids, and great grand are visiting. With my luck that's when the inspectors would come! We do offer our propane grill and charcoal grill in the gazebo for guest use though - with the understanding they make enough food for Mac and me too! Lots of guests take us up on the offer since restaurants around here have a pretty hefty wait. Good times!
 
Our B&B insurance does not allow anything but breakfast. It adds that we "ARE NOT a restaurant". It also states we can serve breakfast to guests only. Plus I don't want to open myself up to health inspections...not that we're doing anything wrong but things can get pretty wild around here when all our kids, grandkids, and great grand are visiting. With my luck that's when the inspectors would come! We do offer our propane grill and charcoal grill in the gazebo for guest use though - with the understanding they make enough food for Mac and me too! Lots of guests take us up on the offer since restaurants around here have a pretty hefty wait. Good times!.
Mac said:
Our B&B insurance does not allow anything but breakfast. It adds that we "ARE NOT a restaurant". It also states we can serve breakfast to guests only. Plus I don't want to open myself up to health inspections...not that we're doing anything wrong but things can get pretty wild around here when all our kids, grandkids, and great grand are visiting. With my luck that's when the inspectors would come! We do offer our propane grill and charcoal grill in the gazebo for guest use though - with the understanding they make enough food for Mac and me too! Lots of guests take us up on the offer since restaurants around here have a pretty hefty wait. Good times!
That sounds so awesome. I don't think I would trust my guests with fire. I'm paranoid.
 
We do the type of add-on dinner you're talking about. I've got it down to a simple procedure and each person gets to choose their soup, protein and dessert. It's very doable if you keep it simple. I will send you an e-mail so you can see how we do it on our website.
By the way, our regulations prohibited us from serving anything but breakfast, so we did what was needed to our kitchen and now it's considered commercial. We figured the $ put in to make it so would also be a benefit when we sell. We've always been inspected by the health dept., but now instead of 1 time per year, they inspect 2 times per year. Our food license fee increased also.
 
Our B&B insurance does not allow anything but breakfast. It adds that we "ARE NOT a restaurant". It also states we can serve breakfast to guests only. Plus I don't want to open myself up to health inspections...not that we're doing anything wrong but things can get pretty wild around here when all our kids, grandkids, and great grand are visiting. With my luck that's when the inspectors would come! We do offer our propane grill and charcoal grill in the gazebo for guest use though - with the understanding they make enough food for Mac and me too! Lots of guests take us up on the offer since restaurants around here have a pretty hefty wait. Good times!.
I told my Health Dept that I am in and out a lot due to City and other commitments, so they had best call first to ensure we are here to be inspected. A B & B is not like a hotel or a restaurant with "regular hours". So my Health Dept. calls at least the day before. In Sec when they called I said we had appointments the day they wanted to come (it was true) so he scheduled me for the next week.
 
We have a local catering chef for these things. He is a reasonable as any quality local restaurant, about $20 to $25 per person for a three course meal, plus tax and gratuity. He has the insurance and a sanitation license, he uses our kitchen and dining room but leaves it as clean as we do, he cooks what the guests request and we get 20% of the total.
I stop by and visit with the guests before or after dinner when appropriate but they have dinner as if they owned the place and can afford a personal chef. Some people hang out with Gary in the kitchen and have wine while he prepares and some even ask him to join them at the table, other have cocktails on the porch and wait for Gary to ring that dinner is served and he waits on them as if they were royalty.
Win-win-win
 
We have a local catering chef for these things. He is a reasonable as any quality local restaurant, about $20 to $25 per person for a three course meal, plus tax and gratuity. He has the insurance and a sanitation license, he uses our kitchen and dining room but leaves it as clean as we do, he cooks what the guests request and we get 20% of the total.
I stop by and visit with the guests before or after dinner when appropriate but they have dinner as if they owned the place and can afford a personal chef. Some people hang out with Gary in the kitchen and have wine while he prepares and some even ask him to join them at the table, other have cocktails on the porch and wait for Gary to ring that dinner is served and he waits on them as if they were royalty.
Win-win-win.
I love this idea! It sounds perfect. A personal chef.
 
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