Pet Peeves

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Proud Texan

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I've started a list of pet peeves. You may add to it if you wish.
Pet Peeve No. 1: Hair Everywhere!
I'll swear to God that I could knit myself a sweater with all the hair that I collect on the floor in the drains and on every surface of the room. Sometimes there's not an ounce of DNA showing that anyone's been in the room. Other times it looks like someone's been shaving a gorilla in there. Yech.
Pet Peeve No. 2: Why don't linens ever fit the way they're supposed to?
Fitted sheets are either too shallow or too deep. You either have to stretch them until the mattress buckles or you have way too much left over so you have a saggy sheet. I know the box spring is partly to blame, but why can't everything be universal and fit the way it's supposed to.
Bedskirts NEVER have enough of the colored hangy-down part (technical term) available to show so part of the white that goes over the box spring shows around the edges. We're going to resort to those little screw pins to hold the bedskirts in place, but then they'll be too short. I'm going to have to remove the casters off of the bed base in order to lower everything down again.
Pet Peeve No. 3: Do you stain your sheets at home the way you do here?
Last year we raised our prices just to help cover the dry cleaning on SHEETS. These nasty people come here with their greasy, bleachy, colored substances and proceed to ruin perfectly good sheets. Do they do that at home?
Pet Peeve No. 4: Do you people ever bathe?
Two days and not one wash cloth or bath towel is used and the tub is bone dry. Apparently, people are using the washcloths provided for makeup removal to take a sponge bath from the sink. I do think this explains some of the stains. (see Pet Peeve #3)
Pet Peeve No. 5: How much trash can two people generate in a one night's stay?
A lot. I guess I should wear a hazmat suit and sort the trash so some of it could be recycled...but I don't want to.
Pet Peeve No. 6: Read the Damn Confirmation Letter!
This has been discussed on numerous threads, but the directions and instructions are given to you for a reason. When you don't read them, I want to kill you dead with a big rock then charge your credit card to ship your body home.
I feel better now.
 
Odd, I have found the bedskirts are too long and I am hemming all of them this month. I will say that I got a great bedskirt at JCP that actually has added matching fabric where it drapes over the boxspring so on that one bed I never see the muslin part of the bedskirt.
Peeve 5- One 50 gallon trash container's worth from one room on a one night stay.
Peeve 6- Please don't show up on the wrong day and blame me.
My peeves are pretty standard-
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning.
wink_smile.gif
)
Don't show up 6 hours early and expect to check in.
 
1 - pet peve arrive before 11am which is our check out time and look totally surprised that you can't get into your room.
2- instead of asking where to park if you can't immediately see anywhere you drive round and round in circles getting crosser and crosser when you could have been parked up easily if you had had the sense to ask.
3- be totally surprised we are not an 80 bed hotel with a pool, restaurant and room service
4- have no clue what you have booked.
5- complain that a single with a private external bathroom has a private external bathroom.
6- allow your company to book the cheapest thing avaliable or book the cheapest thing avaliable for yourself and then complain it is not a suite.
7 - complain a victorian B&B (with full access statement which tells you all the stairs how many steps and floors) doesn't have a lift.
8- bring 10 tons of luggage for a 1 night stay.
9 - have a mobility problem, not put it in your special requirements and then complain about the stairs.
10- I have yet to think of but I will!
 
Bedskirts are made to fit standard box springs and standard height metal bed frames. We actually set ours up and put thumb tacks in them to hold them where they need to be... or we sew on velcro on the box spring and the bedskirt, so they don't move.
As for sheets, mattress heights used to be standard and sheets were made with elastic running on both sides and 1/8th of the way at the top and bottom. This produced a sheet that was snug on the bed. But that's when sheets were made in the USA. Today it's cheaper to produce sheets that will handle a mattress up to 18" thick and some people think it's easier to have elastic all around. The end result, you have to tuck everything under (and the reason to tack or velcro the bedskirt).
As for stains, always wash in cold! The two most prevalent stains on sheets that I see are semen and blood and both of those will set if you put heat to them. Oxy has saved a lot of sheets and soaking in oxy is top on my lists of how to get rid of a stain. Second in line is shout gel, which you can put on and let sit for up to a week before laundering. The brush is handy, too.
Pet peeves....
  • Guests who don't read, anything.
  • Guests who surprise you with allergies at breakfast, especially when they are GF.
  • Guests who take apart things (we have had a shower faucet taken apart and broken.)
  • Guests who don't ask for help when they need it.
  • Guests who arrive with a car but never mention they will need parking and don't seem to understand why you can't magically create a legal spot for them on the street by simply wishing one for them.
  • Guests who don't tell you when they will arrive, so you are tethered, like a dog to the house.
  • Guests who make up fake reviews on TA because they have an agenda.
 
Bedskirts are made to fit standard box springs and standard height metal bed frames. We actually set ours up and put thumb tacks in them to hold them where they need to be... or we sew on velcro on the box spring and the bedskirt, so they don't move.
As for sheets, mattress heights used to be standard and sheets were made with elastic running on both sides and 1/8th of the way at the top and bottom. This produced a sheet that was snug on the bed. But that's when sheets were made in the USA. Today it's cheaper to produce sheets that will handle a mattress up to 18" thick and some people think it's easier to have elastic all around. The end result, you have to tuck everything under (and the reason to tack or velcro the bedskirt).
As for stains, always wash in cold! The two most prevalent stains on sheets that I see are semen and blood and both of those will set if you put heat to them. Oxy has saved a lot of sheets and soaking in oxy is top on my lists of how to get rid of a stain. Second in line is shout gel, which you can put on and let sit for up to a week before laundering. The brush is handy, too.
Pet peeves....
  • Guests who don't read, anything.
  • Guests who surprise you with allergies at breakfast, especially when they are GF.
  • Guests who take apart things (we have had a shower faucet taken apart and broken.)
  • Guests who don't ask for help when they need it.
  • Guests who arrive with a car but never mention they will need parking and don't seem to understand why you can't magically create a legal spot for them on the street by simply wishing one for them.
  • Guests who don't tell you when they will arrive, so you are tethered, like a dog to the house.
  • Guests who make up fake reviews on TA because they have an agenda.
.
People who spill sugar everywhere so it sticks to everything (had this yesterday).
 
Odd, I have found the bedskirts are too long and I am hemming all of them this month. I will say that I got a great bedskirt at JCP that actually has added matching fabric where it drapes over the boxspring so on that one bed I never see the muslin part of the bedskirt.
Peeve 5- One 50 gallon trash container's worth from one room on a one night stay.
Peeve 6- Please don't show up on the wrong day and blame me.
My peeves are pretty standard-
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning.
wink_smile.gif
)
Don't show up 6 hours early and expect to check in..
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning. )
You really think this will solve this? It won't, I can attest to that!
cry_smile.gif

 
Odd, I have found the bedskirts are too long and I am hemming all of them this month. I will say that I got a great bedskirt at JCP that actually has added matching fabric where it drapes over the boxspring so on that one bed I never see the muslin part of the bedskirt.
Peeve 5- One 50 gallon trash container's worth from one room on a one night stay.
Peeve 6- Please don't show up on the wrong day and blame me.
My peeves are pretty standard-
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning.
wink_smile.gif
)
Don't show up 6 hours early and expect to check in..
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning. )
You really think this will solve this? It won't, I can attest to that!
cry_smile.gif

.
copperhead said:
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning. )
You really think this will solve this? It won't, I can attest to that!
cry_smile.gif
Note I said 'no reason'. Anything that comes up in the morning is unreasonable.
wink_smile.gif

I really need to think that thru now. How to handle the morning breakfast issues they neglected to tell us about after all the opportunities to do so.
I guess what really gets me is the guest then expects us to make what they want. 'I can't have that, but I can have this...' something not at all on the agenda. There are days we really, seriously do NOT have whole wheat bread to make toast with. This is considered a crime of some sort by some guests.
'OK, then, I'll have a muffin. No muffins??!! How about some banana bread? Really? No banana bread??? What exactly are you running here if I can't get breakfast?'
The list of things I've been asked for when a guest doesn't want what's being served is amazing.
 
Odd, I have found the bedskirts are too long and I am hemming all of them this month. I will say that I got a great bedskirt at JCP that actually has added matching fabric where it drapes over the boxspring so on that one bed I never see the muslin part of the bedskirt.
Peeve 5- One 50 gallon trash container's worth from one room on a one night stay.
Peeve 6- Please don't show up on the wrong day and blame me.
My peeves are pretty standard-
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning.
wink_smile.gif
)
Don't show up 6 hours early and expect to check in..
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning. )
You really think this will solve this? It won't, I can attest to that!
cry_smile.gif

.
copperhead said:
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning. )
You really think this will solve this? It won't, I can attest to that!
cry_smile.gif
Note I said 'no reason'. Anything that comes up in the morning is unreasonable.
wink_smile.gif

I really need to think that thru now. How to handle the morning breakfast issues they neglected to tell us about after all the opportunities to do so.
I guess what really gets me is the guest then expects us to make what they want. 'I can't have that, but I can have this...' something not at all on the agenda. There are days we really, seriously do NOT have whole wheat bread to make toast with. This is considered a crime of some sort by some guests.
'OK, then, I'll have a muffin. No muffins??!! How about some banana bread? Really? No banana bread??? What exactly are you running here if I can't get breakfast?'
The list of things I've been asked for when a guest doesn't want what's being served is amazing.
.
There is no way you are a restaurant! If they don't eat what you serve, just say this is what you can have as an alternate, no menu choices! what part of do you see a menu???? No!!! Do you not understand???
 
Odd, I have found the bedskirts are too long and I am hemming all of them this month. I will say that I got a great bedskirt at JCP that actually has added matching fabric where it drapes over the boxspring so on that one bed I never see the muslin part of the bedskirt.
Peeve 5- One 50 gallon trash container's worth from one room on a one night stay.
Peeve 6- Please don't show up on the wrong day and blame me.
My peeves are pretty standard-
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning.
wink_smile.gif
)
Don't show up 6 hours early and expect to check in..
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning. )
You really think this will solve this? It won't, I can attest to that!
cry_smile.gif

.
copperhead said:
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning. )
You really think this will solve this? It won't, I can attest to that!
cry_smile.gif
Note I said 'no reason'. Anything that comes up in the morning is unreasonable.
wink_smile.gif

I really need to think that thru now. How to handle the morning breakfast issues they neglected to tell us about after all the opportunities to do so.
I guess what really gets me is the guest then expects us to make what they want. 'I can't have that, but I can have this...' something not at all on the agenda. There are days we really, seriously do NOT have whole wheat bread to make toast with. This is considered a crime of some sort by some guests.
'OK, then, I'll have a muffin. No muffins??!! How about some banana bread? Really? No banana bread??? What exactly are you running here if I can't get breakfast?'
The list of things I've been asked for when a guest doesn't want what's being served is amazing.
.
Okay, I guess the discussion should start with how you are doing breakfast that they feel that they can do this to you. I've had only one or two people try this, ever. So, something in the way that you set up breakfast is making them feel entitled to do this...
I'll explain how we have things set up and they maybe we can look at how you do it.
When a guest arrives for breakfast we have both a table of 6 set up and a counter for 2 set up. (We can push it to 8 and 3 if we have to.) On the table is the orange juice, milk, water. There is also usually a plate of something like muffins, danish, cheese or meat on the table as well. The first dish (ie yogurt, fruit, etc) is set up for them as well. In the centre of the table is jam, honey, nutella, etc along with spoons so that they don't cross contaminate. Sugar and cream are there as well. Coffee is in a carafe on the table and labelled. (I've never had anyone ask for other juices, either, but then we don't stock any other juices, really.)
On the far wall are two stations. Station 1 has cereal including oatmeal with bowls and packets for hot chocolate. Station 2 has a hot water dispenser, our coffee maker (coffee has been poured into the carafe to keep it hot, but the coffee maker is set up to make another pot in an emergency. And next to this is a pod brewer in case we need decaf or they want flavoured brown water. On the mantle is a selection of teast including green, decaf and black. On the counter next to the two spots are bagel and bread and the toaster. Then we usually announce saying "... and today we are making..." and that's that. We leave no room for orders, we don't ask. If they have an issue they will usually tell me that they don't want what I'm serving and at that point I simply say "enjoy the other items." or if I have time, offer a plain omelette or french toast.
If I have someone who is gluten free, I usually point out the items we have and tell them that if they want bread or toast to tell me, since we keep it frozen. If I have prepared for them, I have usually done it, first, so nothing cross contaminates and I can rewarm or reuse what is left for the rest of the guests.
If they tell me a food issue at the breakfast table, I'm attentive, but if impossible to accomodate I simply say that I'm sorry they didn't tell me ahead of time so we could prepaer something and offer the alternatives that are available. I don't take orders and I don't ask them what they want, ever! When you ask question you invite people to fill them in as they wish... and eggs benedict can be a possibility and it's too many steps! Can I make you a plain omelette instead?
As for bread, we usually only carry a whole wheat and not white, we carry bagels (sliced in half) and we can pull frozen bagels out of the freezer in an emergency. But they don't get a selection of bread either. It's what's next to the toaster. They make do.
 
Odd, I have found the bedskirts are too long and I am hemming all of them this month. I will say that I got a great bedskirt at JCP that actually has added matching fabric where it drapes over the boxspring so on that one bed I never see the muslin part of the bedskirt.
Peeve 5- One 50 gallon trash container's worth from one room on a one night stay.
Peeve 6- Please don't show up on the wrong day and blame me.
My peeves are pretty standard-
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning.
wink_smile.gif
)
Don't show up 6 hours early and expect to check in..
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning. )
You really think this will solve this? It won't, I can attest to that!
cry_smile.gif

.
copperhead said:
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning. )
You really think this will solve this? It won't, I can attest to that!
cry_smile.gif
Note I said 'no reason'. Anything that comes up in the morning is unreasonable.
wink_smile.gif

I really need to think that thru now. How to handle the morning breakfast issues they neglected to tell us about after all the opportunities to do so.
I guess what really gets me is the guest then expects us to make what they want. 'I can't have that, but I can have this...' something not at all on the agenda. There are days we really, seriously do NOT have whole wheat bread to make toast with. This is considered a crime of some sort by some guests.
'OK, then, I'll have a muffin. No muffins??!! How about some banana bread? Really? No banana bread??? What exactly are you running here if I can't get breakfast?'
The list of things I've been asked for when a guest doesn't want what's being served is amazing.
.
Okay, I guess the discussion should start with how you are doing breakfast that they feel that they can do this to you. I've had only one or two people try this, ever. So, something in the way that you set up breakfast is making them feel entitled to do this...
I'll explain how we have things set up and they maybe we can look at how you do it.
When a guest arrives for breakfast we have both a table of 6 set up and a counter for 2 set up. (We can push it to 8 and 3 if we have to.) On the table is the orange juice, milk, water. There is also usually a plate of something like muffins, danish, cheese or meat on the table as well. The first dish (ie yogurt, fruit, etc) is set up for them as well. In the centre of the table is jam, honey, nutella, etc along with spoons so that they don't cross contaminate. Sugar and cream are there as well. Coffee is in a carafe on the table and labelled. (I've never had anyone ask for other juices, either, but then we don't stock any other juices, really.)
On the far wall are two stations. Station 1 has cereal including oatmeal with bowls and packets for hot chocolate. Station 2 has a hot water dispenser, our coffee maker (coffee has been poured into the carafe to keep it hot, but the coffee maker is set up to make another pot in an emergency. And next to this is a pod brewer in case we need decaf or they want flavoured brown water. On the mantle is a selection of teast including green, decaf and black. On the counter next to the two spots are bagel and bread and the toaster. Then we usually announce saying "... and today we are making..." and that's that. We leave no room for orders, we don't ask. If they have an issue they will usually tell me that they don't want what I'm serving and at that point I simply say "enjoy the other items." or if I have time, offer a plain omelette or french toast.
If I have someone who is gluten free, I usually point out the items we have and tell them that if they want bread or toast to tell me, since we keep it frozen. If I have prepared for them, I have usually done it, first, so nothing cross contaminates and I can rewarm or reuse what is left for the rest of the guests.
If they tell me a food issue at the breakfast table, I'm attentive, but if impossible to accomodate I simply say that I'm sorry they didn't tell me ahead of time so we could prepaer something and offer the alternatives that are available. I don't take orders and I don't ask them what they want, ever! When you ask question you invite people to fill them in as they wish... and eggs benedict can be a possibility and it's too many steps! Can I make you a plain omelette instead?
As for bread, we usually only carry a whole wheat and not white, we carry bagels (sliced in half) and we can pull frozen bagels out of the freezer in an emergency. But they don't get a selection of bread either. It's what's next to the toaster. They make do.
.
THAT SOUNDS GOOD TO ME! And I also like they can MAKE DO!
 
Odd, I have found the bedskirts are too long and I am hemming all of them this month. I will say that I got a great bedskirt at JCP that actually has added matching fabric where it drapes over the boxspring so on that one bed I never see the muslin part of the bedskirt.
Peeve 5- One 50 gallon trash container's worth from one room on a one night stay.
Peeve 6- Please don't show up on the wrong day and blame me.
My peeves are pretty standard-
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning.
wink_smile.gif
)
Don't show up 6 hours early and expect to check in..
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning. )
You really think this will solve this? It won't, I can attest to that!
cry_smile.gif

.
copperhead said:
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning. )
You really think this will solve this? It won't, I can attest to that!
cry_smile.gif
Note I said 'no reason'. Anything that comes up in the morning is unreasonable.
wink_smile.gif

I really need to think that thru now. How to handle the morning breakfast issues they neglected to tell us about after all the opportunities to do so.
I guess what really gets me is the guest then expects us to make what they want. 'I can't have that, but I can have this...' something not at all on the agenda. There are days we really, seriously do NOT have whole wheat bread to make toast with. This is considered a crime of some sort by some guests.
'OK, then, I'll have a muffin. No muffins??!! How about some banana bread? Really? No banana bread??? What exactly are you running here if I can't get breakfast?'
The list of things I've been asked for when a guest doesn't want what's being served is amazing.
.
Okay, I guess the discussion should start with how you are doing breakfast that they feel that they can do this to you. I've had only one or two people try this, ever. So, something in the way that you set up breakfast is making them feel entitled to do this...
I'll explain how we have things set up and they maybe we can look at how you do it.
When a guest arrives for breakfast we have both a table of 6 set up and a counter for 2 set up. (We can push it to 8 and 3 if we have to.) On the table is the orange juice, milk, water. There is also usually a plate of something like muffins, danish, cheese or meat on the table as well. The first dish (ie yogurt, fruit, etc) is set up for them as well. In the centre of the table is jam, honey, nutella, etc along with spoons so that they don't cross contaminate. Sugar and cream are there as well. Coffee is in a carafe on the table and labelled. (I've never had anyone ask for other juices, either, but then we don't stock any other juices, really.)
On the far wall are two stations. Station 1 has cereal including oatmeal with bowls and packets for hot chocolate. Station 2 has a hot water dispenser, our coffee maker (coffee has been poured into the carafe to keep it hot, but the coffee maker is set up to make another pot in an emergency. And next to this is a pod brewer in case we need decaf or they want flavoured brown water. On the mantle is a selection of teast including green, decaf and black. On the counter next to the two spots are bagel and bread and the toaster. Then we usually announce saying "... and today we are making..." and that's that. We leave no room for orders, we don't ask. If they have an issue they will usually tell me that they don't want what I'm serving and at that point I simply say "enjoy the other items." or if I have time, offer a plain omelette or french toast.
If I have someone who is gluten free, I usually point out the items we have and tell them that if they want bread or toast to tell me, since we keep it frozen. If I have prepared for them, I have usually done it, first, so nothing cross contaminates and I can rewarm or reuse what is left for the rest of the guests.
If they tell me a food issue at the breakfast table, I'm attentive, but if impossible to accomodate I simply say that I'm sorry they didn't tell me ahead of time so we could prepaer something and offer the alternatives that are available. I don't take orders and I don't ask them what they want, ever! When you ask question you invite people to fill them in as they wish... and eggs benedict can be a possibility and it's too many steps! Can I make you a plain omelette instead?
As for bread, we usually only carry a whole wheat and not white, we carry bagels (sliced in half) and we can pull frozen bagels out of the freezer in an emergency. But they don't get a selection of bread either. It's what's next to the toaster. They make do.
.
We don't have anything out except the juice, coffee & tea. And the cereal, which is out all the time. If bread is part of the meal it's plated along with the entree. We have been telling the guests, 'This is what is for breakfast,' when they arrive. That way, the assumption was, if there was an issue they forgot to mention, now's the time.
We may stop that and announce breakfast in the morning, as has happened to us everywhere we have ever gone!
What makes guests think they can request anything is not my asking them what else can we get for them if they can't eat what we're serving. I don't know what it is. If someone suddenly discovers at 8 AM that they are gluten intolerant on a day we have FT then I will offer, if it is at all possible, scrambled eggs. But I ask the cook first if there are enough eggs for that. And if he feels like going out of his way.
We've had parents say to their kids, 'What would you like honey? Pancakes? Eggs? Waffles? FT?' I have to stop them right there and say, 'The breakfast is this...' A lot of times the parents will say, 'Then just a bagel for me.' WHERE did they see a bakery sign anywhere in my house?
Lots and lots of spouses will come to the kitchen after they see someone else being served and say, 'My spouse can't eat that.' Why the spouse didn't mention it when told what was coming is always a mystery.
Another one is someone saying they'll have bacon with the breakfast when sausage was given to them.
I had the patriarch of a family of 4, when a potato pie was set in front of them (after they were told what was coming) tell me, 'We do not eat potatoes for breakfast.' Period. Dad pushed the plate back at me. We were new at the time so we made that family a whole different breakfast. (Same family demanded we handle their lost luggage claim while they went out for the day and dented my car. They were just in the wrong place.)
My guess is that guests of all kinds were able to order breakfast to suit at other B&B's. Or the only other B&B's they've ever stayed at have a menu. (There are 2 of them in my town...just about anything you want is available every morning.)
We really do not keep frozen anything except breakfast meats.
The backup plan is scrambled eggs for gluten-intolerant guests and cereal and toast for egg intolerant guests. Everyone who wants it can have the breakfast meat with those choices.
The problem really lies in treating these complaining guests differently than other guests who are still sitting there eating something they may not have wanted either, but being 'good sports' about it. I don't want to delve into someone's medical problems in front of other people, but there are times I do. 'So sorry you are not able to eat bread, here are your scrambled eggs.' Or, 'My dad is allergic to eggs, too, I know how annoying it can be at breakfast to have to eat oatmeal when everyone else is having eggs.'
 
Odd, I have found the bedskirts are too long and I am hemming all of them this month. I will say that I got a great bedskirt at JCP that actually has added matching fabric where it drapes over the boxspring so on that one bed I never see the muslin part of the bedskirt.
Peeve 5- One 50 gallon trash container's worth from one room on a one night stay.
Peeve 6- Please don't show up on the wrong day and blame me.
My peeves are pretty standard-
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning.
wink_smile.gif
)
Don't show up 6 hours early and expect to check in..
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning. )
You really think this will solve this? It won't, I can attest to that!
cry_smile.gif

.
copperhead said:
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning. )
You really think this will solve this? It won't, I can attest to that!
cry_smile.gif
Note I said 'no reason'. Anything that comes up in the morning is unreasonable.
wink_smile.gif

I really need to think that thru now. How to handle the morning breakfast issues they neglected to tell us about after all the opportunities to do so.
I guess what really gets me is the guest then expects us to make what they want. 'I can't have that, but I can have this...' something not at all on the agenda. There are days we really, seriously do NOT have whole wheat bread to make toast with. This is considered a crime of some sort by some guests.
'OK, then, I'll have a muffin. No muffins??!! How about some banana bread? Really? No banana bread??? What exactly are you running here if I can't get breakfast?'
The list of things I've been asked for when a guest doesn't want what's being served is amazing.
.
Okay, I guess the discussion should start with how you are doing breakfast that they feel that they can do this to you. I've had only one or two people try this, ever. So, something in the way that you set up breakfast is making them feel entitled to do this...
I'll explain how we have things set up and they maybe we can look at how you do it.
When a guest arrives for breakfast we have both a table of 6 set up and a counter for 2 set up. (We can push it to 8 and 3 if we have to.) On the table is the orange juice, milk, water. There is also usually a plate of something like muffins, danish, cheese or meat on the table as well. The first dish (ie yogurt, fruit, etc) is set up for them as well. In the centre of the table is jam, honey, nutella, etc along with spoons so that they don't cross contaminate. Sugar and cream are there as well. Coffee is in a carafe on the table and labelled. (I've never had anyone ask for other juices, either, but then we don't stock any other juices, really.)
On the far wall are two stations. Station 1 has cereal including oatmeal with bowls and packets for hot chocolate. Station 2 has a hot water dispenser, our coffee maker (coffee has been poured into the carafe to keep it hot, but the coffee maker is set up to make another pot in an emergency. And next to this is a pod brewer in case we need decaf or they want flavoured brown water. On the mantle is a selection of teast including green, decaf and black. On the counter next to the two spots are bagel and bread and the toaster. Then we usually announce saying "... and today we are making..." and that's that. We leave no room for orders, we don't ask. If they have an issue they will usually tell me that they don't want what I'm serving and at that point I simply say "enjoy the other items." or if I have time, offer a plain omelette or french toast.
If I have someone who is gluten free, I usually point out the items we have and tell them that if they want bread or toast to tell me, since we keep it frozen. If I have prepared for them, I have usually done it, first, so nothing cross contaminates and I can rewarm or reuse what is left for the rest of the guests.
If they tell me a food issue at the breakfast table, I'm attentive, but if impossible to accomodate I simply say that I'm sorry they didn't tell me ahead of time so we could prepaer something and offer the alternatives that are available. I don't take orders and I don't ask them what they want, ever! When you ask question you invite people to fill them in as they wish... and eggs benedict can be a possibility and it's too many steps! Can I make you a plain omelette instead?
As for bread, we usually only carry a whole wheat and not white, we carry bagels (sliced in half) and we can pull frozen bagels out of the freezer in an emergency. But they don't get a selection of bread either. It's what's next to the toaster. They make do.
.
We don't have anything out except the juice, coffee & tea. And the cereal, which is out all the time. If bread is part of the meal it's plated along with the entree. We have been telling the guests, 'This is what is for breakfast,' when they arrive. That way, the assumption was, if there was an issue they forgot to mention, now's the time.
We may stop that and announce breakfast in the morning, as has happened to us everywhere we have ever gone!
What makes guests think they can request anything is not my asking them what else can we get for them if they can't eat what we're serving. I don't know what it is. If someone suddenly discovers at 8 AM that they are gluten intolerant on a day we have FT then I will offer, if it is at all possible, scrambled eggs. But I ask the cook first if there are enough eggs for that. And if he feels like going out of his way.
We've had parents say to their kids, 'What would you like honey? Pancakes? Eggs? Waffles? FT?' I have to stop them right there and say, 'The breakfast is this...' A lot of times the parents will say, 'Then just a bagel for me.' WHERE did they see a bakery sign anywhere in my house?
Lots and lots of spouses will come to the kitchen after they see someone else being served and say, 'My spouse can't eat that.' Why the spouse didn't mention it when told what was coming is always a mystery.
Another one is someone saying they'll have bacon with the breakfast when sausage was given to them.
I had the patriarch of a family of 4, when a potato pie was set in front of them (after they were told what was coming) tell me, 'We do not eat potatoes for breakfast.' Period. Dad pushed the plate back at me. We were new at the time so we made that family a whole different breakfast. (Same family demanded we handle their lost luggage claim while they went out for the day and dented my car. They were just in the wrong place.)
My guess is that guests of all kinds were able to order breakfast to suit at other B&B's. Or the only other B&B's they've ever stayed at have a menu. (There are 2 of them in my town...just about anything you want is available every morning.)
We really do not keep frozen anything except breakfast meats.
The backup plan is scrambled eggs for gluten-intolerant guests and cereal and toast for egg intolerant guests. Everyone who wants it can have the breakfast meat with those choices.
The problem really lies in treating these complaining guests differently than other guests who are still sitting there eating something they may not have wanted either, but being 'good sports' about it. I don't want to delve into someone's medical problems in front of other people, but there are times I do. 'So sorry you are not able to eat bread, here are your scrambled eggs.' Or, 'My dad is allergic to eggs, too, I know how annoying it can be at breakfast to have to eat oatmeal when everyone else is having eggs.'
.
On our website and in the confirmation we state that "GF or vegan" breakfast needs at least "two-days" prior notice. It gives us an "out" if we need it. "Sorry, I wish you had told us earlier. We will do our best with what we have."
We always have GF bread in the freezer. We also make sure it is vegan, so that it's a 2-for-1. Vegan butter... we call that jam! Local bagels are great, but they don't keep long, so they need to be frozen if not used quickly.
Maybe our guests are more consciencious. I have the odd "I don't eat eggs", which just make due with what is there. Some vegetarians who don't announce until breakfast. But since we don't usually serve meat with breakfast, it's not a problem.
I do not ever accomodate bad behavious in that way. They can simply make due with what else is there and they do. Maybe it's because we are known for our very varied breakfast that I don't seem to get this problem. I don't think I have ever made scrambled eggs, sausage or bacon. But that's me.
 
Odd, I have found the bedskirts are too long and I am hemming all of them this month. I will say that I got a great bedskirt at JCP that actually has added matching fabric where it drapes over the boxspring so on that one bed I never see the muslin part of the bedskirt.
Peeve 5- One 50 gallon trash container's worth from one room on a one night stay.
Peeve 6- Please don't show up on the wrong day and blame me.
My peeves are pretty standard-
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning.
wink_smile.gif
)
Don't show up 6 hours early and expect to check in..
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning. )
You really think this will solve this? It won't, I can attest to that!
cry_smile.gif

.
copperhead said:
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning. )
You really think this will solve this? It won't, I can attest to that!
cry_smile.gif
Note I said 'no reason'. Anything that comes up in the morning is unreasonable.
wink_smile.gif

I really need to think that thru now. How to handle the morning breakfast issues they neglected to tell us about after all the opportunities to do so.
I guess what really gets me is the guest then expects us to make what they want. 'I can't have that, but I can have this...' something not at all on the agenda. There are days we really, seriously do NOT have whole wheat bread to make toast with. This is considered a crime of some sort by some guests.
'OK, then, I'll have a muffin. No muffins??!! How about some banana bread? Really? No banana bread??? What exactly are you running here if I can't get breakfast?'
The list of things I've been asked for when a guest doesn't want what's being served is amazing.
.
Okay, I guess the discussion should start with how you are doing breakfast that they feel that they can do this to you. I've had only one or two people try this, ever. So, something in the way that you set up breakfast is making them feel entitled to do this...
I'll explain how we have things set up and they maybe we can look at how you do it.
When a guest arrives for breakfast we have both a table of 6 set up and a counter for 2 set up. (We can push it to 8 and 3 if we have to.) On the table is the orange juice, milk, water. There is also usually a plate of something like muffins, danish, cheese or meat on the table as well. The first dish (ie yogurt, fruit, etc) is set up for them as well. In the centre of the table is jam, honey, nutella, etc along with spoons so that they don't cross contaminate. Sugar and cream are there as well. Coffee is in a carafe on the table and labelled. (I've never had anyone ask for other juices, either, but then we don't stock any other juices, really.)
On the far wall are two stations. Station 1 has cereal including oatmeal with bowls and packets for hot chocolate. Station 2 has a hot water dispenser, our coffee maker (coffee has been poured into the carafe to keep it hot, but the coffee maker is set up to make another pot in an emergency. And next to this is a pod brewer in case we need decaf or they want flavoured brown water. On the mantle is a selection of teast including green, decaf and black. On the counter next to the two spots are bagel and bread and the toaster. Then we usually announce saying "... and today we are making..." and that's that. We leave no room for orders, we don't ask. If they have an issue they will usually tell me that they don't want what I'm serving and at that point I simply say "enjoy the other items." or if I have time, offer a plain omelette or french toast.
If I have someone who is gluten free, I usually point out the items we have and tell them that if they want bread or toast to tell me, since we keep it frozen. If I have prepared for them, I have usually done it, first, so nothing cross contaminates and I can rewarm or reuse what is left for the rest of the guests.
If they tell me a food issue at the breakfast table, I'm attentive, but if impossible to accomodate I simply say that I'm sorry they didn't tell me ahead of time so we could prepaer something and offer the alternatives that are available. I don't take orders and I don't ask them what they want, ever! When you ask question you invite people to fill them in as they wish... and eggs benedict can be a possibility and it's too many steps! Can I make you a plain omelette instead?
As for bread, we usually only carry a whole wheat and not white, we carry bagels (sliced in half) and we can pull frozen bagels out of the freezer in an emergency. But they don't get a selection of bread either. It's what's next to the toaster. They make do.
.
We don't have anything out except the juice, coffee & tea. And the cereal, which is out all the time. If bread is part of the meal it's plated along with the entree. We have been telling the guests, 'This is what is for breakfast,' when they arrive. That way, the assumption was, if there was an issue they forgot to mention, now's the time.
We may stop that and announce breakfast in the morning, as has happened to us everywhere we have ever gone!
What makes guests think they can request anything is not my asking them what else can we get for them if they can't eat what we're serving. I don't know what it is. If someone suddenly discovers at 8 AM that they are gluten intolerant on a day we have FT then I will offer, if it is at all possible, scrambled eggs. But I ask the cook first if there are enough eggs for that. And if he feels like going out of his way.
We've had parents say to their kids, 'What would you like honey? Pancakes? Eggs? Waffles? FT?' I have to stop them right there and say, 'The breakfast is this...' A lot of times the parents will say, 'Then just a bagel for me.' WHERE did they see a bakery sign anywhere in my house?
Lots and lots of spouses will come to the kitchen after they see someone else being served and say, 'My spouse can't eat that.' Why the spouse didn't mention it when told what was coming is always a mystery.
Another one is someone saying they'll have bacon with the breakfast when sausage was given to them.
I had the patriarch of a family of 4, when a potato pie was set in front of them (after they were told what was coming) tell me, 'We do not eat potatoes for breakfast.' Period. Dad pushed the plate back at me. We were new at the time so we made that family a whole different breakfast. (Same family demanded we handle their lost luggage claim while they went out for the day and dented my car. They were just in the wrong place.)
My guess is that guests of all kinds were able to order breakfast to suit at other B&B's. Or the only other B&B's they've ever stayed at have a menu. (There are 2 of them in my town...just about anything you want is available every morning.)
We really do not keep frozen anything except breakfast meats.
The backup plan is scrambled eggs for gluten-intolerant guests and cereal and toast for egg intolerant guests. Everyone who wants it can have the breakfast meat with those choices.
The problem really lies in treating these complaining guests differently than other guests who are still sitting there eating something they may not have wanted either, but being 'good sports' about it. I don't want to delve into someone's medical problems in front of other people, but there are times I do. 'So sorry you are not able to eat bread, here are your scrambled eggs.' Or, 'My dad is allergic to eggs, too, I know how annoying it can be at breakfast to have to eat oatmeal when everyone else is having eggs.'
.
Breakfast is complimentary...you eat what you get or the alternatives you put out...or go to Mc D's!
 
Odd, I have found the bedskirts are too long and I am hemming all of them this month. I will say that I got a great bedskirt at JCP that actually has added matching fabric where it drapes over the boxspring so on that one bed I never see the muslin part of the bedskirt.
Peeve 5- One 50 gallon trash container's worth from one room on a one night stay.
Peeve 6- Please don't show up on the wrong day and blame me.
My peeves are pretty standard-
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning.
wink_smile.gif
)
Don't show up 6 hours early and expect to check in..
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning. )
You really think this will solve this? It won't, I can attest to that!
cry_smile.gif

.
copperhead said:
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning. )
You really think this will solve this? It won't, I can attest to that!
cry_smile.gif
Note I said 'no reason'. Anything that comes up in the morning is unreasonable.
wink_smile.gif

I really need to think that thru now. How to handle the morning breakfast issues they neglected to tell us about after all the opportunities to do so.
I guess what really gets me is the guest then expects us to make what they want. 'I can't have that, but I can have this...' something not at all on the agenda. There are days we really, seriously do NOT have whole wheat bread to make toast with. This is considered a crime of some sort by some guests.
'OK, then, I'll have a muffin. No muffins??!! How about some banana bread? Really? No banana bread??? What exactly are you running here if I can't get breakfast?'
The list of things I've been asked for when a guest doesn't want what's being served is amazing.
.
Okay, I guess the discussion should start with how you are doing breakfast that they feel that they can do this to you. I've had only one or two people try this, ever. So, something in the way that you set up breakfast is making them feel entitled to do this...
I'll explain how we have things set up and they maybe we can look at how you do it.
When a guest arrives for breakfast we have both a table of 6 set up and a counter for 2 set up. (We can push it to 8 and 3 if we have to.) On the table is the orange juice, milk, water. There is also usually a plate of something like muffins, danish, cheese or meat on the table as well. The first dish (ie yogurt, fruit, etc) is set up for them as well. In the centre of the table is jam, honey, nutella, etc along with spoons so that they don't cross contaminate. Sugar and cream are there as well. Coffee is in a carafe on the table and labelled. (I've never had anyone ask for other juices, either, but then we don't stock any other juices, really.)
On the far wall are two stations. Station 1 has cereal including oatmeal with bowls and packets for hot chocolate. Station 2 has a hot water dispenser, our coffee maker (coffee has been poured into the carafe to keep it hot, but the coffee maker is set up to make another pot in an emergency. And next to this is a pod brewer in case we need decaf or they want flavoured brown water. On the mantle is a selection of teast including green, decaf and black. On the counter next to the two spots are bagel and bread and the toaster. Then we usually announce saying "... and today we are making..." and that's that. We leave no room for orders, we don't ask. If they have an issue they will usually tell me that they don't want what I'm serving and at that point I simply say "enjoy the other items." or if I have time, offer a plain omelette or french toast.
If I have someone who is gluten free, I usually point out the items we have and tell them that if they want bread or toast to tell me, since we keep it frozen. If I have prepared for them, I have usually done it, first, so nothing cross contaminates and I can rewarm or reuse what is left for the rest of the guests.
If they tell me a food issue at the breakfast table, I'm attentive, but if impossible to accomodate I simply say that I'm sorry they didn't tell me ahead of time so we could prepaer something and offer the alternatives that are available. I don't take orders and I don't ask them what they want, ever! When you ask question you invite people to fill them in as they wish... and eggs benedict can be a possibility and it's too many steps! Can I make you a plain omelette instead?
As for bread, we usually only carry a whole wheat and not white, we carry bagels (sliced in half) and we can pull frozen bagels out of the freezer in an emergency. But they don't get a selection of bread either. It's what's next to the toaster. They make do.
.
We don't have anything out except the juice, coffee & tea. And the cereal, which is out all the time. If bread is part of the meal it's plated along with the entree. We have been telling the guests, 'This is what is for breakfast,' when they arrive. That way, the assumption was, if there was an issue they forgot to mention, now's the time.
We may stop that and announce breakfast in the morning, as has happened to us everywhere we have ever gone!
What makes guests think they can request anything is not my asking them what else can we get for them if they can't eat what we're serving. I don't know what it is. If someone suddenly discovers at 8 AM that they are gluten intolerant on a day we have FT then I will offer, if it is at all possible, scrambled eggs. But I ask the cook first if there are enough eggs for that. And if he feels like going out of his way.
We've had parents say to their kids, 'What would you like honey? Pancakes? Eggs? Waffles? FT?' I have to stop them right there and say, 'The breakfast is this...' A lot of times the parents will say, 'Then just a bagel for me.' WHERE did they see a bakery sign anywhere in my house?
Lots and lots of spouses will come to the kitchen after they see someone else being served and say, 'My spouse can't eat that.' Why the spouse didn't mention it when told what was coming is always a mystery.
Another one is someone saying they'll have bacon with the breakfast when sausage was given to them.
I had the patriarch of a family of 4, when a potato pie was set in front of them (after they were told what was coming) tell me, 'We do not eat potatoes for breakfast.' Period. Dad pushed the plate back at me. We were new at the time so we made that family a whole different breakfast. (Same family demanded we handle their lost luggage claim while they went out for the day and dented my car. They were just in the wrong place.)
My guess is that guests of all kinds were able to order breakfast to suit at other B&B's. Or the only other B&B's they've ever stayed at have a menu. (There are 2 of them in my town...just about anything you want is available every morning.)
We really do not keep frozen anything except breakfast meats.
The backup plan is scrambled eggs for gluten-intolerant guests and cereal and toast for egg intolerant guests. Everyone who wants it can have the breakfast meat with those choices.
The problem really lies in treating these complaining guests differently than other guests who are still sitting there eating something they may not have wanted either, but being 'good sports' about it. I don't want to delve into someone's medical problems in front of other people, but there are times I do. 'So sorry you are not able to eat bread, here are your scrambled eggs.' Or, 'My dad is allergic to eggs, too, I know how annoying it can be at breakfast to have to eat oatmeal when everyone else is having eggs.'
.
On our website and in the confirmation we state that "GF or vegan" breakfast needs at least "two-days" prior notice. It gives us an "out" if we need it. "Sorry, I wish you had told us earlier. We will do our best with what we have."
We always have GF bread in the freezer. We also make sure it is vegan, so that it's a 2-for-1. Vegan butter... we call that jam! Local bagels are great, but they don't keep long, so they need to be frozen if not used quickly.
Maybe our guests are more consciencious. I have the odd "I don't eat eggs", which just make due with what is there. Some vegetarians who don't announce until breakfast. But since we don't usually serve meat with breakfast, it's not a problem.
I do not ever accomodate bad behavious in that way. They can simply make due with what else is there and they do. Maybe it's because we are known for our very varied breakfast that I don't seem to get this problem. I don't think I have ever made scrambled eggs, sausage or bacon. But that's me.
.
Other than the door-denting Germans and the 'we only have coffee & cigarettes' Italians our Euro guests generally want to try an American breakfast. (Saying this because you get more Euros and they seem to want to try the 'local' cuisine.)
Most Euros and Canadians (at least visiting here) do not seem to have dietary problems. There is not a list of foods they cannot eat because they will get sick. To me, that means that either Americans are a bunch of hypochondriacs or there is something really wrong with our food supply. Do they request special foods in foreign countries? I bet some of them do.
I have foods I don't like and would prefer they not be mixed into something I have to eat (peppers) because the taste is what I hate and peppers go everywhere into a dish, you cannot pick them out and avoid the taste. If I get served peppers, I don't eat what is served. It sounds childish, but it's the one thing I really cannot abide. And it is a BIG ingredient in a lot of breakfasts I've been served. Every quiche, every frittata, every omelet, every hash brown I've ever encountered away from home has had peppers.
Because DH will eat my breakfast, innkeepers have never asked me why I didn't eat what was served. Why should they? It's not like I ordered it off a menu and it was bad. I just don't like it. (My mom's trick is to always have food in the room so my dad can have something to eat if nothing is available he can eat. Works for me, too.)
Maybe it's my prices. They're quite a bit higher than what you've said your prices are. Maybe at higher price points guests expect to be catered to. They don't expect, 'take it or leave it'.
Now that we have a few fall-back meals planned, we're not as thrown when we're hit with the 'can't eat it, won't eat it' crowd. But it's a glitch in a semi-well-oiled machine. And they way it's stated to us (or maybe it's just me) it always feels like we fell short. Even tho, like you, it is clearly stated that we do a certain style of serving and the guest needs to tell us IN ADVANCE that they cannot eat something.
Worst case was a guy who reserved for his wife (no dairy) and his daughter (celiac) and himself ('We eat everything!') only to have me ask at check-in if there were any dietary issues and the wife to tell me everything she and the daughter couldn't eat all the while dad is standing there saying, 'Really, she can't eat that? I didn't know.'
 
Odd, I have found the bedskirts are too long and I am hemming all of them this month. I will say that I got a great bedskirt at JCP that actually has added matching fabric where it drapes over the boxspring so on that one bed I never see the muslin part of the bedskirt.
Peeve 5- One 50 gallon trash container's worth from one room on a one night stay.
Peeve 6- Please don't show up on the wrong day and blame me.
My peeves are pretty standard-
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning.
wink_smile.gif
)
Don't show up 6 hours early and expect to check in..
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning. )
You really think this will solve this? It won't, I can attest to that!
cry_smile.gif

.
copperhead said:
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning. )
You really think this will solve this? It won't, I can attest to that!
cry_smile.gif
Note I said 'no reason'. Anything that comes up in the morning is unreasonable.
wink_smile.gif

I really need to think that thru now. How to handle the morning breakfast issues they neglected to tell us about after all the opportunities to do so.
I guess what really gets me is the guest then expects us to make what they want. 'I can't have that, but I can have this...' something not at all on the agenda. There are days we really, seriously do NOT have whole wheat bread to make toast with. This is considered a crime of some sort by some guests.
'OK, then, I'll have a muffin. No muffins??!! How about some banana bread? Really? No banana bread??? What exactly are you running here if I can't get breakfast?'
The list of things I've been asked for when a guest doesn't want what's being served is amazing.
.
Okay, I guess the discussion should start with how you are doing breakfast that they feel that they can do this to you. I've had only one or two people try this, ever. So, something in the way that you set up breakfast is making them feel entitled to do this...
I'll explain how we have things set up and they maybe we can look at how you do it.
When a guest arrives for breakfast we have both a table of 6 set up and a counter for 2 set up. (We can push it to 8 and 3 if we have to.) On the table is the orange juice, milk, water. There is also usually a plate of something like muffins, danish, cheese or meat on the table as well. The first dish (ie yogurt, fruit, etc) is set up for them as well. In the centre of the table is jam, honey, nutella, etc along with spoons so that they don't cross contaminate. Sugar and cream are there as well. Coffee is in a carafe on the table and labelled. (I've never had anyone ask for other juices, either, but then we don't stock any other juices, really.)
On the far wall are two stations. Station 1 has cereal including oatmeal with bowls and packets for hot chocolate. Station 2 has a hot water dispenser, our coffee maker (coffee has been poured into the carafe to keep it hot, but the coffee maker is set up to make another pot in an emergency. And next to this is a pod brewer in case we need decaf or they want flavoured brown water. On the mantle is a selection of teast including green, decaf and black. On the counter next to the two spots are bagel and bread and the toaster. Then we usually announce saying "... and today we are making..." and that's that. We leave no room for orders, we don't ask. If they have an issue they will usually tell me that they don't want what I'm serving and at that point I simply say "enjoy the other items." or if I have time, offer a plain omelette or french toast.
If I have someone who is gluten free, I usually point out the items we have and tell them that if they want bread or toast to tell me, since we keep it frozen. If I have prepared for them, I have usually done it, first, so nothing cross contaminates and I can rewarm or reuse what is left for the rest of the guests.
If they tell me a food issue at the breakfast table, I'm attentive, but if impossible to accomodate I simply say that I'm sorry they didn't tell me ahead of time so we could prepaer something and offer the alternatives that are available. I don't take orders and I don't ask them what they want, ever! When you ask question you invite people to fill them in as they wish... and eggs benedict can be a possibility and it's too many steps! Can I make you a plain omelette instead?
As for bread, we usually only carry a whole wheat and not white, we carry bagels (sliced in half) and we can pull frozen bagels out of the freezer in an emergency. But they don't get a selection of bread either. It's what's next to the toaster. They make do.
.
We don't have anything out except the juice, coffee & tea. And the cereal, which is out all the time. If bread is part of the meal it's plated along with the entree. We have been telling the guests, 'This is what is for breakfast,' when they arrive. That way, the assumption was, if there was an issue they forgot to mention, now's the time.
We may stop that and announce breakfast in the morning, as has happened to us everywhere we have ever gone!
What makes guests think they can request anything is not my asking them what else can we get for them if they can't eat what we're serving. I don't know what it is. If someone suddenly discovers at 8 AM that they are gluten intolerant on a day we have FT then I will offer, if it is at all possible, scrambled eggs. But I ask the cook first if there are enough eggs for that. And if he feels like going out of his way.
We've had parents say to their kids, 'What would you like honey? Pancakes? Eggs? Waffles? FT?' I have to stop them right there and say, 'The breakfast is this...' A lot of times the parents will say, 'Then just a bagel for me.' WHERE did they see a bakery sign anywhere in my house?
Lots and lots of spouses will come to the kitchen after they see someone else being served and say, 'My spouse can't eat that.' Why the spouse didn't mention it when told what was coming is always a mystery.
Another one is someone saying they'll have bacon with the breakfast when sausage was given to them.
I had the patriarch of a family of 4, when a potato pie was set in front of them (after they were told what was coming) tell me, 'We do not eat potatoes for breakfast.' Period. Dad pushed the plate back at me. We were new at the time so we made that family a whole different breakfast. (Same family demanded we handle their lost luggage claim while they went out for the day and dented my car. They were just in the wrong place.)
My guess is that guests of all kinds were able to order breakfast to suit at other B&B's. Or the only other B&B's they've ever stayed at have a menu. (There are 2 of them in my town...just about anything you want is available every morning.)
We really do not keep frozen anything except breakfast meats.
The backup plan is scrambled eggs for gluten-intolerant guests and cereal and toast for egg intolerant guests. Everyone who wants it can have the breakfast meat with those choices.
The problem really lies in treating these complaining guests differently than other guests who are still sitting there eating something they may not have wanted either, but being 'good sports' about it. I don't want to delve into someone's medical problems in front of other people, but there are times I do. 'So sorry you are not able to eat bread, here are your scrambled eggs.' Or, 'My dad is allergic to eggs, too, I know how annoying it can be at breakfast to have to eat oatmeal when everyone else is having eggs.'
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On our website and in the confirmation we state that "GF or vegan" breakfast needs at least "two-days" prior notice. It gives us an "out" if we need it. "Sorry, I wish you had told us earlier. We will do our best with what we have."
We always have GF bread in the freezer. We also make sure it is vegan, so that it's a 2-for-1. Vegan butter... we call that jam! Local bagels are great, but they don't keep long, so they need to be frozen if not used quickly.
Maybe our guests are more consciencious. I have the odd "I don't eat eggs", which just make due with what is there. Some vegetarians who don't announce until breakfast. But since we don't usually serve meat with breakfast, it's not a problem.
I do not ever accomodate bad behavious in that way. They can simply make due with what else is there and they do. Maybe it's because we are known for our very varied breakfast that I don't seem to get this problem. I don't think I have ever made scrambled eggs, sausage or bacon. But that's me.
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Other than the door-denting Germans and the 'we only have coffee & cigarettes' Italians our Euro guests generally want to try an American breakfast. (Saying this because you get more Euros and they seem to want to try the 'local' cuisine.)
Most Euros and Canadians (at least visiting here) do not seem to have dietary problems. There is not a list of foods they cannot eat because they will get sick. To me, that means that either Americans are a bunch of hypochondriacs or there is something really wrong with our food supply. Do they request special foods in foreign countries? I bet some of them do.
I have foods I don't like and would prefer they not be mixed into something I have to eat (peppers) because the taste is what I hate and peppers go everywhere into a dish, you cannot pick them out and avoid the taste. If I get served peppers, I don't eat what is served. It sounds childish, but it's the one thing I really cannot abide. And it is a BIG ingredient in a lot of breakfasts I've been served. Every quiche, every frittata, every omelet, every hash brown I've ever encountered away from home has had peppers.
Because DH will eat my breakfast, innkeepers have never asked me why I didn't eat what was served. Why should they? It's not like I ordered it off a menu and it was bad. I just don't like it. (My mom's trick is to always have food in the room so my dad can have something to eat if nothing is available he can eat. Works for me, too.)
Maybe it's my prices. They're quite a bit higher than what you've said your prices are. Maybe at higher price points guests expect to be catered to. They don't expect, 'take it or leave it'.
Now that we have a few fall-back meals planned, we're not as thrown when we're hit with the 'can't eat it, won't eat it' crowd. But it's a glitch in a semi-well-oiled machine. And they way it's stated to us (or maybe it's just me) it always feels like we fell short. Even tho, like you, it is clearly stated that we do a certain style of serving and the guest needs to tell us IN ADVANCE that they cannot eat something.
Worst case was a guy who reserved for his wife (no dairy) and his daughter (celiac) and himself ('We eat everything!') only to have me ask at check-in if there were any dietary issues and the wife to tell me everything she and the daughter couldn't eat all the while dad is standing there saying, 'Really, she can't eat that? I didn't know.'
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Italians are easy, espresso and something sweet, maybe a yogurt and voila, done! But more of my guests are really interesting in what special treat I have for them that day. They seem to like that they can't guess what I'm going to do. And those who are here 14 days are sometimes excited to see what I have left up my sleeve, since they have never seen the same dish twice. I have had a few of the French look at me weird when I bring out a quiche or a fritata, since that's lunch food for them. But when you think of it, it's just... eggs, veggies and such.
We had one guest from France who asked me (a day or two early) if it would be possible to have eggs and bacon one day. They had been here for two week and never once we served eggs and bacon. It was a special request that was done when they checked in, but they were here for a few days and so I accomodated it. We had a lady from France who was surprised at how much we could do that was low lactose or lactose-free. She admitted that we treated her better than her own mother.
I don't think I have served anything with green or red pepper, ever! But if someone told me ahead of time that they didn't eat peppers, we would make sure that they got something that was sans green peppers, as long as we had fair warning. But if I was already serving and they said it, it's just may be too damn late to do something about it.
But yes, Americans are often our pickiest eaters. In fact, we have to be careful with which restaurants we send them to, because we often find that there are so many things that they won't eat. We sent a couple from OK to a fantastic restaurant and they raved about it, but to us they had eaten the most BORING of the dishes on the menu. But, they told us that they don't eat duck, deer, bison, etc. So fish and chicken was what they ate... probably the two things on the menu I would never order (why go to a restaurant and have something I can make at home. That's the point of the skills of the chef, make something I can't make at home.) They often ask us for "French" restaurants and we have no idea what they mean by it. It's like asking for Asian food.... India, Phillipines, China, Vietnam, Japan, Israel, Lebanon, Syria... they are all in Asia! And the worst are those who ask for a bistro and then come back telling us that there were no fancy dishes! Ugh! That's what a bistro is, plain food.
 
Odd, I have found the bedskirts are too long and I am hemming all of them this month. I will say that I got a great bedskirt at JCP that actually has added matching fabric where it drapes over the boxspring so on that one bed I never see the muslin part of the bedskirt.
Peeve 5- One 50 gallon trash container's worth from one room on a one night stay.
Peeve 6- Please don't show up on the wrong day and blame me.
My peeves are pretty standard-
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning.
wink_smile.gif
)
Don't show up 6 hours early and expect to check in..
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning. )
You really think this will solve this? It won't, I can attest to that!
cry_smile.gif

.
copperhead said:
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning. )
You really think this will solve this? It won't, I can attest to that!
cry_smile.gif
Note I said 'no reason'. Anything that comes up in the morning is unreasonable.
wink_smile.gif

I really need to think that thru now. How to handle the morning breakfast issues they neglected to tell us about after all the opportunities to do so.
I guess what really gets me is the guest then expects us to make what they want. 'I can't have that, but I can have this...' something not at all on the agenda. There are days we really, seriously do NOT have whole wheat bread to make toast with. This is considered a crime of some sort by some guests.
'OK, then, I'll have a muffin. No muffins??!! How about some banana bread? Really? No banana bread??? What exactly are you running here if I can't get breakfast?'
The list of things I've been asked for when a guest doesn't want what's being served is amazing.
.
Okay, I guess the discussion should start with how you are doing breakfast that they feel that they can do this to you. I've had only one or two people try this, ever. So, something in the way that you set up breakfast is making them feel entitled to do this...
I'll explain how we have things set up and they maybe we can look at how you do it.
When a guest arrives for breakfast we have both a table of 6 set up and a counter for 2 set up. (We can push it to 8 and 3 if we have to.) On the table is the orange juice, milk, water. There is also usually a plate of something like muffins, danish, cheese or meat on the table as well. The first dish (ie yogurt, fruit, etc) is set up for them as well. In the centre of the table is jam, honey, nutella, etc along with spoons so that they don't cross contaminate. Sugar and cream are there as well. Coffee is in a carafe on the table and labelled. (I've never had anyone ask for other juices, either, but then we don't stock any other juices, really.)
On the far wall are two stations. Station 1 has cereal including oatmeal with bowls and packets for hot chocolate. Station 2 has a hot water dispenser, our coffee maker (coffee has been poured into the carafe to keep it hot, but the coffee maker is set up to make another pot in an emergency. And next to this is a pod brewer in case we need decaf or they want flavoured brown water. On the mantle is a selection of teast including green, decaf and black. On the counter next to the two spots are bagel and bread and the toaster. Then we usually announce saying "... and today we are making..." and that's that. We leave no room for orders, we don't ask. If they have an issue they will usually tell me that they don't want what I'm serving and at that point I simply say "enjoy the other items." or if I have time, offer a plain omelette or french toast.
If I have someone who is gluten free, I usually point out the items we have and tell them that if they want bread or toast to tell me, since we keep it frozen. If I have prepared for them, I have usually done it, first, so nothing cross contaminates and I can rewarm or reuse what is left for the rest of the guests.
If they tell me a food issue at the breakfast table, I'm attentive, but if impossible to accomodate I simply say that I'm sorry they didn't tell me ahead of time so we could prepaer something and offer the alternatives that are available. I don't take orders and I don't ask them what they want, ever! When you ask question you invite people to fill them in as they wish... and eggs benedict can be a possibility and it's too many steps! Can I make you a plain omelette instead?
As for bread, we usually only carry a whole wheat and not white, we carry bagels (sliced in half) and we can pull frozen bagels out of the freezer in an emergency. But they don't get a selection of bread either. It's what's next to the toaster. They make do.
.
We don't have anything out except the juice, coffee & tea. And the cereal, which is out all the time. If bread is part of the meal it's plated along with the entree. We have been telling the guests, 'This is what is for breakfast,' when they arrive. That way, the assumption was, if there was an issue they forgot to mention, now's the time.
We may stop that and announce breakfast in the morning, as has happened to us everywhere we have ever gone!
What makes guests think they can request anything is not my asking them what else can we get for them if they can't eat what we're serving. I don't know what it is. If someone suddenly discovers at 8 AM that they are gluten intolerant on a day we have FT then I will offer, if it is at all possible, scrambled eggs. But I ask the cook first if there are enough eggs for that. And if he feels like going out of his way.
We've had parents say to their kids, 'What would you like honey? Pancakes? Eggs? Waffles? FT?' I have to stop them right there and say, 'The breakfast is this...' A lot of times the parents will say, 'Then just a bagel for me.' WHERE did they see a bakery sign anywhere in my house?
Lots and lots of spouses will come to the kitchen after they see someone else being served and say, 'My spouse can't eat that.' Why the spouse didn't mention it when told what was coming is always a mystery.
Another one is someone saying they'll have bacon with the breakfast when sausage was given to them.
I had the patriarch of a family of 4, when a potato pie was set in front of them (after they were told what was coming) tell me, 'We do not eat potatoes for breakfast.' Period. Dad pushed the plate back at me. We were new at the time so we made that family a whole different breakfast. (Same family demanded we handle their lost luggage claim while they went out for the day and dented my car. They were just in the wrong place.)
My guess is that guests of all kinds were able to order breakfast to suit at other B&B's. Or the only other B&B's they've ever stayed at have a menu. (There are 2 of them in my town...just about anything you want is available every morning.)
We really do not keep frozen anything except breakfast meats.
The backup plan is scrambled eggs for gluten-intolerant guests and cereal and toast for egg intolerant guests. Everyone who wants it can have the breakfast meat with those choices.
The problem really lies in treating these complaining guests differently than other guests who are still sitting there eating something they may not have wanted either, but being 'good sports' about it. I don't want to delve into someone's medical problems in front of other people, but there are times I do. 'So sorry you are not able to eat bread, here are your scrambled eggs.' Or, 'My dad is allergic to eggs, too, I know how annoying it can be at breakfast to have to eat oatmeal when everyone else is having eggs.'
.
Maddie, I think for some reason that because your kitchen is actually visible to the guests, that it somehow makes them feel entitled to "order" breakfast. Do you think this is part of it? This is the only explanation that I can come up with because I think most of us have handled guests requesting something else than what is on the menu for the morning pretty much the same way that y'all have.
The only other thing that might be different is that you shop very often and don't keep much on hand, which might affect your flexibility?
I actually stopped posting the next morning's menu the evening before, because most guests said to me that they liked being surprised to see what was being served when they were seated. Our average LOS was 3 nights....did this have something to do with it? I don't know.
It's hard to tell...all B&Bs are different - location, types of guests, how we do breakfast, etc. Sorry that this continues to be an issue for you!
 
Odd, I have found the bedskirts are too long and I am hemming all of them this month. I will say that I got a great bedskirt at JCP that actually has added matching fabric where it drapes over the boxspring so on that one bed I never see the muslin part of the bedskirt.
Peeve 5- One 50 gallon trash container's worth from one room on a one night stay.
Peeve 6- Please don't show up on the wrong day and blame me.
My peeves are pretty standard-
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning.
wink_smile.gif
)
Don't show up 6 hours early and expect to check in..
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning. )
You really think this will solve this? It won't, I can attest to that!
cry_smile.gif

.
copperhead said:
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning. )
You really think this will solve this? It won't, I can attest to that!
cry_smile.gif
Note I said 'no reason'. Anything that comes up in the morning is unreasonable.
wink_smile.gif

I really need to think that thru now. How to handle the morning breakfast issues they neglected to tell us about after all the opportunities to do so.
I guess what really gets me is the guest then expects us to make what they want. 'I can't have that, but I can have this...' something not at all on the agenda. There are days we really, seriously do NOT have whole wheat bread to make toast with. This is considered a crime of some sort by some guests.
'OK, then, I'll have a muffin. No muffins??!! How about some banana bread? Really? No banana bread??? What exactly are you running here if I can't get breakfast?'
The list of things I've been asked for when a guest doesn't want what's being served is amazing.
.
Okay, I guess the discussion should start with how you are doing breakfast that they feel that they can do this to you. I've had only one or two people try this, ever. So, something in the way that you set up breakfast is making them feel entitled to do this...
I'll explain how we have things set up and they maybe we can look at how you do it.
When a guest arrives for breakfast we have both a table of 6 set up and a counter for 2 set up. (We can push it to 8 and 3 if we have to.) On the table is the orange juice, milk, water. There is also usually a plate of something like muffins, danish, cheese or meat on the table as well. The first dish (ie yogurt, fruit, etc) is set up for them as well. In the centre of the table is jam, honey, nutella, etc along with spoons so that they don't cross contaminate. Sugar and cream are there as well. Coffee is in a carafe on the table and labelled. (I've never had anyone ask for other juices, either, but then we don't stock any other juices, really.)
On the far wall are two stations. Station 1 has cereal including oatmeal with bowls and packets for hot chocolate. Station 2 has a hot water dispenser, our coffee maker (coffee has been poured into the carafe to keep it hot, but the coffee maker is set up to make another pot in an emergency. And next to this is a pod brewer in case we need decaf or they want flavoured brown water. On the mantle is a selection of teast including green, decaf and black. On the counter next to the two spots are bagel and bread and the toaster. Then we usually announce saying "... and today we are making..." and that's that. We leave no room for orders, we don't ask. If they have an issue they will usually tell me that they don't want what I'm serving and at that point I simply say "enjoy the other items." or if I have time, offer a plain omelette or french toast.
If I have someone who is gluten free, I usually point out the items we have and tell them that if they want bread or toast to tell me, since we keep it frozen. If I have prepared for them, I have usually done it, first, so nothing cross contaminates and I can rewarm or reuse what is left for the rest of the guests.
If they tell me a food issue at the breakfast table, I'm attentive, but if impossible to accomodate I simply say that I'm sorry they didn't tell me ahead of time so we could prepaer something and offer the alternatives that are available. I don't take orders and I don't ask them what they want, ever! When you ask question you invite people to fill them in as they wish... and eggs benedict can be a possibility and it's too many steps! Can I make you a plain omelette instead?
As for bread, we usually only carry a whole wheat and not white, we carry bagels (sliced in half) and we can pull frozen bagels out of the freezer in an emergency. But they don't get a selection of bread either. It's what's next to the toaster. They make do.
.
We don't have anything out except the juice, coffee & tea. And the cereal, which is out all the time. If bread is part of the meal it's plated along with the entree. We have been telling the guests, 'This is what is for breakfast,' when they arrive. That way, the assumption was, if there was an issue they forgot to mention, now's the time.
We may stop that and announce breakfast in the morning, as has happened to us everywhere we have ever gone!
What makes guests think they can request anything is not my asking them what else can we get for them if they can't eat what we're serving. I don't know what it is. If someone suddenly discovers at 8 AM that they are gluten intolerant on a day we have FT then I will offer, if it is at all possible, scrambled eggs. But I ask the cook first if there are enough eggs for that. And if he feels like going out of his way.
We've had parents say to their kids, 'What would you like honey? Pancakes? Eggs? Waffles? FT?' I have to stop them right there and say, 'The breakfast is this...' A lot of times the parents will say, 'Then just a bagel for me.' WHERE did they see a bakery sign anywhere in my house?
Lots and lots of spouses will come to the kitchen after they see someone else being served and say, 'My spouse can't eat that.' Why the spouse didn't mention it when told what was coming is always a mystery.
Another one is someone saying they'll have bacon with the breakfast when sausage was given to them.
I had the patriarch of a family of 4, when a potato pie was set in front of them (after they were told what was coming) tell me, 'We do not eat potatoes for breakfast.' Period. Dad pushed the plate back at me. We were new at the time so we made that family a whole different breakfast. (Same family demanded we handle their lost luggage claim while they went out for the day and dented my car. They were just in the wrong place.)
My guess is that guests of all kinds were able to order breakfast to suit at other B&B's. Or the only other B&B's they've ever stayed at have a menu. (There are 2 of them in my town...just about anything you want is available every morning.)
We really do not keep frozen anything except breakfast meats.
The backup plan is scrambled eggs for gluten-intolerant guests and cereal and toast for egg intolerant guests. Everyone who wants it can have the breakfast meat with those choices.
The problem really lies in treating these complaining guests differently than other guests who are still sitting there eating something they may not have wanted either, but being 'good sports' about it. I don't want to delve into someone's medical problems in front of other people, but there are times I do. 'So sorry you are not able to eat bread, here are your scrambled eggs.' Or, 'My dad is allergic to eggs, too, I know how annoying it can be at breakfast to have to eat oatmeal when everyone else is having eggs.'
.
Maddie, I think for some reason that because your kitchen is actually visible to the guests, that it somehow makes them feel entitled to "order" breakfast. Do you think this is part of it? This is the only explanation that I can come up with because I think most of us have handled guests requesting something else than what is on the menu for the morning pretty much the same way that y'all have.
The only other thing that might be different is that you shop very often and don't keep much on hand, which might affect your flexibility?
I actually stopped posting the next morning's menu the evening before, because most guests said to me that they liked being surprised to see what was being served when they were seated. Our average LOS was 3 nights....did this have something to do with it? I don't know.
It's hard to tell...all B&Bs are different - location, types of guests, how we do breakfast, etc. Sorry that this continues to be an issue for you!
.
We're ok being flexible as long as people don't expect us to bend over and kiss their butts with off the cuff 'can't haves and won't eats'.
wink_smile.gif

A lot of guests expect that we have a freezer full of items we will just thaw out. I pretend outrage that they think I would serve them a frozen waffle, a frozen quiche or a frozen muffin. It's freshly made or it's not on the menu. (Except the breakfast meat, that we do freeze when there's a big sale.)
I'm not sure if seeing the cook at work implies they can ask for whatever they want. Maybe it does. (Of course, if you email me a month in advance of your arrival and request something you love, that we already make, we will serve it.)
Oddly, I would think the opposite. We have an apt-sized fridge in the kitchen so I'm not understanding where they think all the ingredients are going to materialize from!
And it's really not an overwhelming problem. If it were we would really need to ask the guests why they thought it was a 'cook to order' breakfast. (Again, especially as we have told them all what was coming.)
 
Odd, I have found the bedskirts are too long and I am hemming all of them this month. I will say that I got a great bedskirt at JCP that actually has added matching fabric where it drapes over the boxspring so on that one bed I never see the muslin part of the bedskirt.
Peeve 5- One 50 gallon trash container's worth from one room on a one night stay.
Peeve 6- Please don't show up on the wrong day and blame me.
My peeves are pretty standard-
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning.
wink_smile.gif
)
Don't show up 6 hours early and expect to check in..
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning. )
You really think this will solve this? It won't, I can attest to that!
cry_smile.gif

.
copperhead said:
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning. )
You really think this will solve this? It won't, I can attest to that!
cry_smile.gif
Note I said 'no reason'. Anything that comes up in the morning is unreasonable.
wink_smile.gif

I really need to think that thru now. How to handle the morning breakfast issues they neglected to tell us about after all the opportunities to do so.
I guess what really gets me is the guest then expects us to make what they want. 'I can't have that, but I can have this...' something not at all on the agenda. There are days we really, seriously do NOT have whole wheat bread to make toast with. This is considered a crime of some sort by some guests.
'OK, then, I'll have a muffin. No muffins??!! How about some banana bread? Really? No banana bread??? What exactly are you running here if I can't get breakfast?'
The list of things I've been asked for when a guest doesn't want what's being served is amazing.
.
Okay, I guess the discussion should start with how you are doing breakfast that they feel that they can do this to you. I've had only one or two people try this, ever. So, something in the way that you set up breakfast is making them feel entitled to do this...
I'll explain how we have things set up and they maybe we can look at how you do it.
When a guest arrives for breakfast we have both a table of 6 set up and a counter for 2 set up. (We can push it to 8 and 3 if we have to.) On the table is the orange juice, milk, water. There is also usually a plate of something like muffins, danish, cheese or meat on the table as well. The first dish (ie yogurt, fruit, etc) is set up for them as well. In the centre of the table is jam, honey, nutella, etc along with spoons so that they don't cross contaminate. Sugar and cream are there as well. Coffee is in a carafe on the table and labelled. (I've never had anyone ask for other juices, either, but then we don't stock any other juices, really.)
On the far wall are two stations. Station 1 has cereal including oatmeal with bowls and packets for hot chocolate. Station 2 has a hot water dispenser, our coffee maker (coffee has been poured into the carafe to keep it hot, but the coffee maker is set up to make another pot in an emergency. And next to this is a pod brewer in case we need decaf or they want flavoured brown water. On the mantle is a selection of teast including green, decaf and black. On the counter next to the two spots are bagel and bread and the toaster. Then we usually announce saying "... and today we are making..." and that's that. We leave no room for orders, we don't ask. If they have an issue they will usually tell me that they don't want what I'm serving and at that point I simply say "enjoy the other items." or if I have time, offer a plain omelette or french toast.
If I have someone who is gluten free, I usually point out the items we have and tell them that if they want bread or toast to tell me, since we keep it frozen. If I have prepared for them, I have usually done it, first, so nothing cross contaminates and I can rewarm or reuse what is left for the rest of the guests.
If they tell me a food issue at the breakfast table, I'm attentive, but if impossible to accomodate I simply say that I'm sorry they didn't tell me ahead of time so we could prepaer something and offer the alternatives that are available. I don't take orders and I don't ask them what they want, ever! When you ask question you invite people to fill them in as they wish... and eggs benedict can be a possibility and it's too many steps! Can I make you a plain omelette instead?
As for bread, we usually only carry a whole wheat and not white, we carry bagels (sliced in half) and we can pull frozen bagels out of the freezer in an emergency. But they don't get a selection of bread either. It's what's next to the toaster. They make do.
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We don't have anything out except the juice, coffee & tea. And the cereal, which is out all the time. If bread is part of the meal it's plated along with the entree. We have been telling the guests, 'This is what is for breakfast,' when they arrive. That way, the assumption was, if there was an issue they forgot to mention, now's the time.
We may stop that and announce breakfast in the morning, as has happened to us everywhere we have ever gone!
What makes guests think they can request anything is not my asking them what else can we get for them if they can't eat what we're serving. I don't know what it is. If someone suddenly discovers at 8 AM that they are gluten intolerant on a day we have FT then I will offer, if it is at all possible, scrambled eggs. But I ask the cook first if there are enough eggs for that. And if he feels like going out of his way.
We've had parents say to their kids, 'What would you like honey? Pancakes? Eggs? Waffles? FT?' I have to stop them right there and say, 'The breakfast is this...' A lot of times the parents will say, 'Then just a bagel for me.' WHERE did they see a bakery sign anywhere in my house?
Lots and lots of spouses will come to the kitchen after they see someone else being served and say, 'My spouse can't eat that.' Why the spouse didn't mention it when told what was coming is always a mystery.
Another one is someone saying they'll have bacon with the breakfast when sausage was given to them.
I had the patriarch of a family of 4, when a potato pie was set in front of them (after they were told what was coming) tell me, 'We do not eat potatoes for breakfast.' Period. Dad pushed the plate back at me. We were new at the time so we made that family a whole different breakfast. (Same family demanded we handle their lost luggage claim while they went out for the day and dented my car. They were just in the wrong place.)
My guess is that guests of all kinds were able to order breakfast to suit at other B&B's. Or the only other B&B's they've ever stayed at have a menu. (There are 2 of them in my town...just about anything you want is available every morning.)
We really do not keep frozen anything except breakfast meats.
The backup plan is scrambled eggs for gluten-intolerant guests and cereal and toast for egg intolerant guests. Everyone who wants it can have the breakfast meat with those choices.
The problem really lies in treating these complaining guests differently than other guests who are still sitting there eating something they may not have wanted either, but being 'good sports' about it. I don't want to delve into someone's medical problems in front of other people, but there are times I do. 'So sorry you are not able to eat bread, here are your scrambled eggs.' Or, 'My dad is allergic to eggs, too, I know how annoying it can be at breakfast to have to eat oatmeal when everyone else is having eggs.'
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Maddie, I think for some reason that because your kitchen is actually visible to the guests, that it somehow makes them feel entitled to "order" breakfast. Do you think this is part of it? This is the only explanation that I can come up with because I think most of us have handled guests requesting something else than what is on the menu for the morning pretty much the same way that y'all have.
The only other thing that might be different is that you shop very often and don't keep much on hand, which might affect your flexibility?
I actually stopped posting the next morning's menu the evening before, because most guests said to me that they liked being surprised to see what was being served when they were seated. Our average LOS was 3 nights....did this have something to do with it? I don't know.
It's hard to tell...all B&Bs are different - location, types of guests, how we do breakfast, etc. Sorry that this continues to be an issue for you!
.
We're ok being flexible as long as people don't expect us to bend over and kiss their butts with off the cuff 'can't haves and won't eats'.
wink_smile.gif

A lot of guests expect that we have a freezer full of items we will just thaw out. I pretend outrage that they think I would serve them a frozen waffle, a frozen quiche or a frozen muffin. It's freshly made or it's not on the menu. (Except the breakfast meat, that we do freeze when there's a big sale.)
I'm not sure if seeing the cook at work implies they can ask for whatever they want. Maybe it does. (Of course, if you email me a month in advance of your arrival and request something you love, that we already make, we will serve it.)
Oddly, I would think the opposite. We have an apt-sized fridge in the kitchen so I'm not understanding where they think all the ingredients are going to materialize from!
And it's really not an overwhelming problem. If it were we would really need to ask the guests why they thought it was a 'cook to order' breakfast. (Again, especially as we have told them all what was coming.)
.
Sam may be on to something here! Think of all the short order restaurants, you see the cook in action!
chef.gif
And while they may only see an apt. size fridge, they think you have a stock room with a large freezer.
One additional thought is the breakfast page, could be with all the pictures they think you have a menu. With pictures saying 100 words, why read!
poke.gif

How about trying this: Instead of posting the next mornings meal, just have "Chef's Choice - join us for something yummy."
 
1- people who are super reluctant to pay the night before/on arrival even if they are only staying 1 night.
2- went to trip a fuse box in room 2 which is located above the ensuite in a sort of false sealing operated by a trapdoor and only accessible by at the very least climbing on a chair. found some reject had put takeaway boxes in there and they were going mouldy! absolutely disgusting!!!
 
Odd, I have found the bedskirts are too long and I am hemming all of them this month. I will say that I got a great bedskirt at JCP that actually has added matching fabric where it drapes over the boxspring so on that one bed I never see the muslin part of the bedskirt.
Peeve 5- One 50 gallon trash container's worth from one room on a one night stay.
Peeve 6- Please don't show up on the wrong day and blame me.
My peeves are pretty standard-
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning.
wink_smile.gif
)
Don't show up 6 hours early and expect to check in..
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning. )
You really think this will solve this? It won't, I can attest to that!
cry_smile.gif

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copperhead said:
Don't tell me you can't eat that when I set it in front of you. You knew the day before what was for breakfast. (We're getting a little more aggressive on this during the year. Asking again on arrival so there is NO reason for ANY problems in the morning. )
You really think this will solve this? It won't, I can attest to that!
cry_smile.gif
Note I said 'no reason'. Anything that comes up in the morning is unreasonable.
wink_smile.gif

I really need to think that thru now. How to handle the morning breakfast issues they neglected to tell us about after all the opportunities to do so.
I guess what really gets me is the guest then expects us to make what they want. 'I can't have that, but I can have this...' something not at all on the agenda. There are days we really, seriously do NOT have whole wheat bread to make toast with. This is considered a crime of some sort by some guests.
'OK, then, I'll have a muffin. No muffins??!! How about some banana bread? Really? No banana bread??? What exactly are you running here if I can't get breakfast?'
The list of things I've been asked for when a guest doesn't want what's being served is amazing.
.
Okay, I guess the discussion should start with how you are doing breakfast that they feel that they can do this to you. I've had only one or two people try this, ever. So, something in the way that you set up breakfast is making them feel entitled to do this...
I'll explain how we have things set up and they maybe we can look at how you do it.
When a guest arrives for breakfast we have both a table of 6 set up and a counter for 2 set up. (We can push it to 8 and 3 if we have to.) On the table is the orange juice, milk, water. There is also usually a plate of something like muffins, danish, cheese or meat on the table as well. The first dish (ie yogurt, fruit, etc) is set up for them as well. In the centre of the table is jam, honey, nutella, etc along with spoons so that they don't cross contaminate. Sugar and cream are there as well. Coffee is in a carafe on the table and labelled. (I've never had anyone ask for other juices, either, but then we don't stock any other juices, really.)
On the far wall are two stations. Station 1 has cereal including oatmeal with bowls and packets for hot chocolate. Station 2 has a hot water dispenser, our coffee maker (coffee has been poured into the carafe to keep it hot, but the coffee maker is set up to make another pot in an emergency. And next to this is a pod brewer in case we need decaf or they want flavoured brown water. On the mantle is a selection of teast including green, decaf and black. On the counter next to the two spots are bagel and bread and the toaster. Then we usually announce saying "... and today we are making..." and that's that. We leave no room for orders, we don't ask. If they have an issue they will usually tell me that they don't want what I'm serving and at that point I simply say "enjoy the other items." or if I have time, offer a plain omelette or french toast.
If I have someone who is gluten free, I usually point out the items we have and tell them that if they want bread or toast to tell me, since we keep it frozen. If I have prepared for them, I have usually done it, first, so nothing cross contaminates and I can rewarm or reuse what is left for the rest of the guests.
If they tell me a food issue at the breakfast table, I'm attentive, but if impossible to accomodate I simply say that I'm sorry they didn't tell me ahead of time so we could prepaer something and offer the alternatives that are available. I don't take orders and I don't ask them what they want, ever! When you ask question you invite people to fill them in as they wish... and eggs benedict can be a possibility and it's too many steps! Can I make you a plain omelette instead?
As for bread, we usually only carry a whole wheat and not white, we carry bagels (sliced in half) and we can pull frozen bagels out of the freezer in an emergency. But they don't get a selection of bread either. It's what's next to the toaster. They make do.
.
We don't have anything out except the juice, coffee & tea. And the cereal, which is out all the time. If bread is part of the meal it's plated along with the entree. We have been telling the guests, 'This is what is for breakfast,' when they arrive. That way, the assumption was, if there was an issue they forgot to mention, now's the time.
We may stop that and announce breakfast in the morning, as has happened to us everywhere we have ever gone!
What makes guests think they can request anything is not my asking them what else can we get for them if they can't eat what we're serving. I don't know what it is. If someone suddenly discovers at 8 AM that they are gluten intolerant on a day we have FT then I will offer, if it is at all possible, scrambled eggs. But I ask the cook first if there are enough eggs for that. And if he feels like going out of his way.
We've had parents say to their kids, 'What would you like honey? Pancakes? Eggs? Waffles? FT?' I have to stop them right there and say, 'The breakfast is this...' A lot of times the parents will say, 'Then just a bagel for me.' WHERE did they see a bakery sign anywhere in my house?
Lots and lots of spouses will come to the kitchen after they see someone else being served and say, 'My spouse can't eat that.' Why the spouse didn't mention it when told what was coming is always a mystery.
Another one is someone saying they'll have bacon with the breakfast when sausage was given to them.
I had the patriarch of a family of 4, when a potato pie was set in front of them (after they were told what was coming) tell me, 'We do not eat potatoes for breakfast.' Period. Dad pushed the plate back at me. We were new at the time so we made that family a whole different breakfast. (Same family demanded we handle their lost luggage claim while they went out for the day and dented my car. They were just in the wrong place.)
My guess is that guests of all kinds were able to order breakfast to suit at other B&B's. Or the only other B&B's they've ever stayed at have a menu. (There are 2 of them in my town...just about anything you want is available every morning.)
We really do not keep frozen anything except breakfast meats.
The backup plan is scrambled eggs for gluten-intolerant guests and cereal and toast for egg intolerant guests. Everyone who wants it can have the breakfast meat with those choices.
The problem really lies in treating these complaining guests differently than other guests who are still sitting there eating something they may not have wanted either, but being 'good sports' about it. I don't want to delve into someone's medical problems in front of other people, but there are times I do. 'So sorry you are not able to eat bread, here are your scrambled eggs.' Or, 'My dad is allergic to eggs, too, I know how annoying it can be at breakfast to have to eat oatmeal when everyone else is having eggs.'
.
Maddie, I think for some reason that because your kitchen is actually visible to the guests, that it somehow makes them feel entitled to "order" breakfast. Do you think this is part of it? This is the only explanation that I can come up with because I think most of us have handled guests requesting something else than what is on the menu for the morning pretty much the same way that y'all have.
The only other thing that might be different is that you shop very often and don't keep much on hand, which might affect your flexibility?
I actually stopped posting the next morning's menu the evening before, because most guests said to me that they liked being surprised to see what was being served when they were seated. Our average LOS was 3 nights....did this have something to do with it? I don't know.
It's hard to tell...all B&Bs are different - location, types of guests, how we do breakfast, etc. Sorry that this continues to be an issue for you!
.
We're ok being flexible as long as people don't expect us to bend over and kiss their butts with off the cuff 'can't haves and won't eats'.
wink_smile.gif

A lot of guests expect that we have a freezer full of items we will just thaw out. I pretend outrage that they think I would serve them a frozen waffle, a frozen quiche or a frozen muffin. It's freshly made or it's not on the menu. (Except the breakfast meat, that we do freeze when there's a big sale.)
I'm not sure if seeing the cook at work implies they can ask for whatever they want. Maybe it does. (Of course, if you email me a month in advance of your arrival and request something you love, that we already make, we will serve it.)
Oddly, I would think the opposite. We have an apt-sized fridge in the kitchen so I'm not understanding where they think all the ingredients are going to materialize from!
And it's really not an overwhelming problem. If it were we would really need to ask the guests why they thought it was a 'cook to order' breakfast. (Again, especially as we have told them all what was coming.)
.
Sam may be on to something here! Think of all the short order restaurants, you see the cook in action!
chef.gif
And while they may only see an apt. size fridge, they think you have a stock room with a large freezer.
One additional thought is the breakfast page, could be with all the pictures they think you have a menu. With pictures saying 100 words, why read!
poke.gif

How about trying this: Instead of posting the next mornings meal, just have "Chef's Choice - join us for something yummy."
.
copperhead said:
One additional thought is the breakfast page, could be with all the pictures they think you have a menu. With pictures saying 100 words, why read!
poke.gif

How about trying this: Instead of posting the next mornings meal, just have "Chef's Choice - join us for something yummy."
That might just work. Except I know I am going to get, 'If he hasn't decided yet, then we want...' and if I say he has decided, 'Then what is it?' Maybe just 'Join us for breakfast- 8AM - 9:30 AM.'
And, yes, several guests have assumed every meal on the breakfast page was going to be available every day. It's kind of disconcerting to hear, 'So, when do I get the pancakes (omelet, FT, eggs and bacon)?' And then to be accused of pulling a fast one. 'I thought everything on the breakfast page was cooked every day. That's the only reason I stayed here.' Ouch.
 
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