Is this an issue at breakfast?

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Morticia

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Do you find that guests traveling together don't eat together? So, say 3 couples or a family...1 person will come and eat at 8 and then 2 more at 8:30 and then the rest at 9 or later? Is this a problem for the way you serve breakfast? Either with seating or what seems like making the same meal for the same family 3 times?
If you have a single seating, then they'd have to all show together. But we do a 'come when you want' but I find it odd that they don't come together. And the one that shows up will say, 'No they're not ready, I'll eat now.'
 
We have the communal tables so I don't have to set for a certain number of people within groups so when they come in dribs and drabs it actually helps me, at least they are sitting down and eating. The bigger problem for us is when the entire group wants to eat together and they try to hold the chairs hostage until everyone straggles down...when we are full I have to chase 'em, you're not saving seats.
 
It is the open breakfast times. I can guarantee you I would be down on my own early for brekkie at your place, ahead of the rest of the fam. I would be there with my coffee at the table near the windows looking out on the day.
I wouldn't wait for the rest, I would do my thing. But if the man caught me there he would make me wait and sit with him til he was done.
 
The next to last one dragged in at 9:30. The last one never showed. So, there they are...one completely finished, one almost finished, one wanting toast.
 
I have a fluid breakfsat time however the guests have to tell me what time they want breakfast. I often hear one is an early riser and the other likes to sleep - so they compromise on the time. I do offer early coffee & muffins to the early riser who often goes to sit on the glider on the porch until the other comes down. More often, they jsut come down together.
The couple this morning are "milking" it. They are riding the rail-trail now and want to see the Shinn Log House when they return before checking out........Yesterday they chatted nicely with the other couple - today it was the Chat with the Innkeeper Program.
 
We always ask what time our guests would like breakfast-they can choose between 7AM-9AM sometimes earlier than 7AM but we won't do anything earlier than 6AM this gives us time to have a hot fresh breakfast whenTHEY choose to have it,much simpler and we don't have to keep anything warm. Plus we have one menu for everyone unless there are special diets...
 
We all do what we do with out own configuration and help, one innkeeper vs two is a big difference with a full house or even full tables. My food is never kept warm it is served HOT ON THE DOT, be here or miss out. Midweek we have all sorts of breakfast times, but they know and agree to them and we know in advance what time it will be.
Serving the food vs waiting on tables is another difference. This week I have had a kid helping me and she is waiting on the tables more or less and she is ALSO making tips, the stinker!
PS school starts in two days, Wed, so there goes my help! :(
 
Not sure what the issue is, you have an open breakfast time?.
Joey Bloggs said:
Not sure what the issue is, you have an open breakfast time?
The issue is- does anyone else find it a problem, concern, something to address if a group of guests continually take up tables to eat singly when they could come as a family and eat altogether.
My example for today was a family of 4 for whom we kept having to clear and reset because they didn't eat together. Another family waited for 25 minutes for all of them to make it to the table to eat together.
Essentially, it was the same problem presented in 2 different ways.
One was- feed us all individually and the other was, we'll sit here and wait until we are all present, THEN you can start making our food.
Is it an issue? Usually only if they are taking up tables when couples who would like to sit together can't because all of these singles don't sit together, but they also don't get up when they are done because the rest of the family is sleeping and they're lonesome. Or, they are place-holding. If we have a line, I will ask the placeholders if the rest of their family is going to be along in the next 2 minutes or so. Otherwise, would they be so kind as to allow this family to have the table. But I HATE doing that.
 
Make up assigned seating. Put a place card on one table for one family.
 
Make up assigned seating. Put a place card on one table for one family..
Joey Bloggs said:
Make up assigned seating. Put a place card on one table for one family.
I thought about that! Today was a tricky one as I had TWO families of 4 and one family of 3. It's always something.
 
No, never had that problem and we had a wide range of hours that they could pre-select for breakfast. Only had one breakfast "no show" in 2 years.
You have a totally open breakfast time in a range much like restaurant hours. Therefore, your guests feel like they can show up within the range, or not at all. This is their perception of what is allowable and acceptable. People wake up and start their day at different times....look at yourself and Gomez. ;-)
If this is an issue for you, you have to pin them down to a particular serving time, by party, by any kind of method that might work for your set up there.
 
Tomorrow I will be ready for them (and they'll all come together!) so I will keep them at one table and not let them pick and choose the table(s) like they did today.
 
The only time we have trouble is if we have say a family of five for example but then we put tables together. I hate people who are two and sit on a table for 4 so that when the table comes they have no where to sit. One other problem we have is our breakfast room is in the basement (14 steps) so for people with mobility problems we do upstairs breakfast and if I don't put a name tag on that table everyone tries to sit on it. where they think all the other guests but them sit is a mystry to me.
 
Cruise ships have two seatings for the 3 meals of the day.
If the later seating time fills up........then you're stuck with the early seating.......or the other way.......
 
The only time we have trouble is if we have say a family of five for example but then we put tables together. I hate people who are two and sit on a table for 4 so that when the table comes they have no where to sit. One other problem we have is our breakfast room is in the basement (14 steps) so for people with mobility problems we do upstairs breakfast and if I don't put a name tag on that table everyone tries to sit on it. where they think all the other guests but them sit is a mystry to me..
The only time we have trouble is if we have say a family of five for example but then we put tables together. I hate people who are two and sit on a table for 4 so that when the table comes they have no where to sit. One other problem we have is our breakfast room is in the basement (14 steps) so for people with mobility problems we do upstairs breakfast and if I don't put a name tag on that table everyone tries to sit on it. where they think all the other guests but them sit is a mystry to me.
We have had many 3's over the past couple of weeks (two parents plus child), so we move a table out and put an extra sitting on it so they can dine together. FOUR TIMES over these two weeks couples have come down to breakfast and sat at the table made up for 3. And you have to "Sorry, would you mind using one of the other tables so the family can site together".
Isn't it obvious!!!! It's not like that table is the only one near a window or anything special like that.
 
The only time we have trouble is if we have say a family of five for example but then we put tables together. I hate people who are two and sit on a table for 4 so that when the table comes they have no where to sit. One other problem we have is our breakfast room is in the basement (14 steps) so for people with mobility problems we do upstairs breakfast and if I don't put a name tag on that table everyone tries to sit on it. where they think all the other guests but them sit is a mystry to me..
The only time we have trouble is if we have say a family of five for example but then we put tables together. I hate people who are two and sit on a table for 4 so that when the table comes they have no where to sit. One other problem we have is our breakfast room is in the basement (14 steps) so for people with mobility problems we do upstairs breakfast and if I don't put a name tag on that table everyone tries to sit on it. where they think all the other guests but them sit is a mystry to me.
We have had many 3's over the past couple of weeks (two parents plus child), so we move a table out and put an extra sitting on it so they can dine together. FOUR TIMES over these two weeks couples have come down to breakfast and sat at the table made up for 3. And you have to "Sorry, would you mind using one of the other tables so the family can site together".
Isn't it obvious!!!! It's not like that table is the only one near a window or anything special like that.
.
What baffles me most when this happens is we only have one table for two upstairs and we only move it there on the morning of the day so where do these people think the other people who are staying eat? I mean if there are 10 cars in the car park are they not having any breakfast? or sitting anywhere? duh
 
The only time we have trouble is if we have say a family of five for example but then we put tables together. I hate people who are two and sit on a table for 4 so that when the table comes they have no where to sit. One other problem we have is our breakfast room is in the basement (14 steps) so for people with mobility problems we do upstairs breakfast and if I don't put a name tag on that table everyone tries to sit on it. where they think all the other guests but them sit is a mystry to me..
The only time we have trouble is if we have say a family of five for example but then we put tables together. I hate people who are two and sit on a table for 4 so that when the table comes they have no where to sit. One other problem we have is our breakfast room is in the basement (14 steps) so for people with mobility problems we do upstairs breakfast and if I don't put a name tag on that table everyone tries to sit on it. where they think all the other guests but them sit is a mystry to me.
We have had many 3's over the past couple of weeks (two parents plus child), so we move a table out and put an extra sitting on it so they can dine together. FOUR TIMES over these two weeks couples have come down to breakfast and sat at the table made up for 3. And you have to "Sorry, would you mind using one of the other tables so the family can site together".
Isn't it obvious!!!! It's not like that table is the only one near a window or anything special like that.
.
I have stopped using the word "obvious" - and replaced it with "oblivious"
 
Kid gloves comin' off.
If you operate breakfast like a restaurant seat the people. Put a sign there that says "Please wait to be seated."
People are sheep, they gravitate here and there for no apparent reason, or simple reasons like mine:
  • not wanting to face a wall (me).
  • wanting more space at the table to read or open a paper (me).
  • wanting to look out (me).
  • wanting to watch the interaction in the kitchen (me).
  • not wanting to have my back to the door (me).
  • not wanting to be near the door (me)
  • not wanting to be near the kitchen (me)
These are simple reasons I would choose where I choose to sit, everyone has their own. You say at check in come here for breakfast betwn 8 and 9 or whatever, I am here. Feed me.
Tell them where to sit. Or don't and let them sit where they want to sit. Seat the dang people.
 
I think you all are giving people too much credit for thinking, they don't think. They don't know the layout they don't know anything other than they are there right now and ready to eat.
I guess I am the odd man out on this it seems overly simple to me, but I have one table and two seatings majority of the time. Not a SPAN when "the kitchen is open."
 
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