It can be hard and at times a bit frustrating to continuously create the ultimate experience for your customers at the breakfast buffet. The perception of what a great is highly subjective. Not only should it evoke certain feelings, but also be aligned with the level of expectations.
Your customers head off to the buffet hungry and looking forward to a nice cup of freshly brewed coffee. But they also bring expectations and excitement to the table. They are excited to see what you and your team have prepared for them and how you present their first meal of the day. Expecting to have their basic needs meet, sure, but also to be surprised. In a good way, that is.
To identify the various ways in which we like to be surprised can be a challenge. For some people it’s the look of a pain au chocolat. For others, it’s a wide selection of healthy and organic alternatives to conventional products.
The breakfast buffet might be the only touchpoint you have with your customers’ eating habits – and this gives you and your hotel a unique way to differentiate yourself and blow your customers away by delivering a wide selection, high quality, and a good service. The perfect start of the day.
Here are 5 ways to make an impressive breakfast buffet that will not only leave your customers satisfied – but also leave a good review online and with a desire to return. Whether it be the next day or the next visit.
Here are 5 ways to make an impressive hotel breakfast buffet that will stand out, leave your guests satisfied and perhaps even result in friendly reviews on social media.
Help your guests by making it easy to navigate around the breakfast buffet. Put up small signs and maybe even explain the story behind the dishes if needed. Make sure that the buffet leaves no questions unanswered – and be sure to have plenty of staff present to answer any requests.
Make sure the buffet invites your guests to explore in the best possible way. Experiment with the presentation by creating different heights. It lifts the buffet visually but also makes it look inviting and exciting. And, of course, cleanliness and the illusion that no one has touched the buffet yet are also important areas to prioritize.
Make small serving sizes of the expensive dishes – for instance tall glasses or small bowls. It will not only make the small dishes look more expensive and catch the attention of the customer, but it will also make it easier for the customer to try several different dishes – and it creates a chance for kitchen staff to be creative. On top of that it reduces food waste drastically.
Make sure that there is ample room for your breakfast buffet. Crammed into a small room even the finest buffet loses its appeal. Now that you have enough space you should divide the buffet into sections and stations. A good idea is to group the hot dishes in one area, fruit and sweet dishes side by side in another area, and of course, put together a nice variety of bread that covers all needs – from buns to loafs, from rye bread to Danish. Make sure to put the bread close the plates at the beginning of the buffet.
We all want value for our money, and that is why so many customers fall into the buffet-trap. Help them avoid that by serving smaller selections on your buffet. Prioritize flavour and quality over quantity. That’s how you ensure that your customers experience your buffet as pleasant and surprising – and leave the buffet full, but not completely bloated and nauseated.
88 % of hotel guests see the breakfast as the most important part of the experience.
78 % of guests say that the bread is an important part of the hotel’s breakfast.
59 % of hotel guests say that a wide selection of bread is the most important feature of a breakfast.
(Source: Opeepl Insights 2016)
