Pulling off a solid, delicious, and repeat customer-worthy breakfast can be challenging. Even with hotel guests who are virtually guaranteed to want a delightful early morning bite before they leave to go shopping or sightseeing, keeping your breakfast services full and happy can sometimes be difficult. It could be winter; convincing people to leave their nice cozy beds to munch on some bacon and eggs is more complex than you expected. Perhaps the menu is the problem: A little predictable or “been there, done that,” possibly? If you’re ready to elevate your breakfast offering and pack your hotel restaurant to the rafters at every seating, we have the lowdown to help you get there. As part of our food business tips, we’ll explore how you can elevate your hotel breakfast service offering.
Crafting the Most Delicious, Elevated, Inviting Breakfast
1. Ask For Feedback
If your current menu isn’t exactly wowing your customer base, asking for feedback is the best first step you can take. What do your guests like on the current menu that keeps them returning to give you their money? What do they never order and think is a pointless addition? Maybe customers feel like your portions don’t fit the prices, the dishes are a bit simplistic, or outdated. Feedback from guests gives you somewhere to start, because refreshing a whole menu can be daunting!
Usually, repeat customers will have small tweaks, such as requests for a larger number of gluten-free or vegan options. These will really give you a chance to shine by making changes that help you appeal to a far wider customer base. Perhaps you need to expand your drink offering to include breakfast cocktails like mimosas and bloody marys, or maybe customers are looking for a higher quality of coffee. Perhaps you could incorporate a family or kids special on the weekend to make families feel more looked after in terms of cost, or a weekday business person special that gets all your professional customers a delicious meal, a mood or energy boosting beverage, and still to work on time!
Feedback is the most valuable tool you have because it lets you know for sure what your existing customer base wants.
Watch this video to learn some tips on how to ask for feedback the right way:
2. Invest in the Best Ingredients
Quality comes through every time. If you put the time, effort, and money required into sourcing the freshest, best-grown, and raised ingredients, it will come through in the quality of your breakfast offering every time. There’s also much to be said for farm-to-table dining, using as many local suppliers as possible, and focusing your menu on seasonal ingredients. Your chef could be world-class and unable to show their skill because they’re drowning in plain white bread, bulk frozen croissants, and iffy, imported meats.
Consider what your state or county is known for: do they produce the best eggs? Grind the finest flours? Perhaps they grow the best peaches or tomatoes there. Make use of your proximity to these amazing ingredients by featuring them strongly in your recipes and building dishes around them. Fresh produce and dairy are particularly important in terms of quality, so be sure to seek out the best local dairies and growers (never forget that fruit which will become fillings can be purchased ready-made and of impeccable quality too, from suppliers like Andros Professional! Work smarter, not harder.)
Start with the best quality ingredients, and the result can’t be anything but delicious. Perfectly risen sourdough, buttery, flaky croissants overflowing with jewel-toned fruit fillings, and locally sourced, crispy bacon…what could be better?
3. Finesse Your Presentation
A mouthwatering scent drifts through the dining room; your food is ready! The waiter places it gently before you, and your face falls: the hollandaise is splattered across your flat, oily-looking eggs Benedict. Your food could be the best, but guests will never know it if it’s not presented well. Improve the cutting and general prep skills of the kitchen staff.
When it comes to food presentation, little things that aren’t even particularly costly can go a really long way. A drizzle of olive oil with freshly cracked pepper and finishing salt like Maldon’s makes avocado toast with poached eggs look so much more finished.
Instead of serving hashbrowns with bacon and eggs flat like every other breakfast restaurant, why not try something exciting like a tower? Using a stainless steel mold, start the stack with the hashbrowns, then smashed avocado, then add your scrambled or fried eggs, spinach, or perhaps some chives for a pop of delicious colour, then season. For sweet or fruit breakfasts, make a basic crumble (butter or vegan butter, regular or almond flour, and sweetener/ flavour to taste) to sprinkle over and around servings. For more high-end restaurants, perhaps a smattering of gold leaf on the plate to really elevate the aesthetic. The options are endless!
4. Incorporate Unique Recipes
Try something a little different. Sure, smoothies or a full farmhouse breakfast will never go out of style, but why not spice things up occasionally? Look for breakfasts from other countries and cultures: arepa de huevo from Colombia (eggs wrapped in fried corn cakes), jian bing from China (batter crepes with eggs, cilantro, and more), or shakshuka from Tunisia (eggs baked in tomato and herbs) could be month long specials to create a little excitement and urgency. Nothing will stop you from permanently adding them to the menu if requested more often.
Check out this recipe for an area de huevo from Colombia:
Seasonal offerings can do a lot of heavy lifting here, too. We’re talking special breakfasts for widely celebrated holidays like Mother’s Day, Easter, Christmas, Hanukkah, and Eid. The urgency created by specials that aren’t permanently available gets a lot of bookings through the door. It may even help you to get bookings far in advance in anticipation of the following special. Holiday specials also give your staff the chance to have a little fun with breakfast: think adorable hard-boiled eggs with bunny ears or a hot chocolate station for the kids on Christmas morning.
5. Get the Marketing Right
If you’re not filling up for breakfast, it might be as simple as having a bad marketing strategy. Ensure that all restaurant marketing has the same tone and aesthetic as the hotel’s. That said, if your breakfast service is focused on drawing a particular crowd, tailor your marketing to match. Consider the language you’re using and whether it’ll grab your target demographic. Do the images and videos show your restaurant, hotel, and breakfast to their best advantage?
Social media and influencer marketing are valid and effective ways to get the word out and the bookings rolling in. Choose a few influencers who hold sway with your target demo and invite them in to try out a new special or refreshed menu. They’ll post about it on their social media accounts and get the crowds hungry for what you’re serving before you know it.
For some unique marketing ideas, watch this video:
Breakfast Done Better
Stand out from the rest of the best breakfast crowd by implementing these ideas and trying something fresh and different. If it is done right, breakfast can be the best start to the day and set you on a splendid trajectory. With thoughtful touches, seasonal flair, local ingredients, and a guest-first mindset, you can turn your morning menu into a memorable highlight that keeps visitors returning for more.
Anthony is a passionate food enthusiast living in the bustling food scene of New York City. With an insatiable curiosity for culinary exploration, he loves exploring the city’s diverse eateries, seeking out unique flavors and sharing his gastronomic adventures with fellow food lovers.
