Delivering a Profitable Hotel Breakfast Strategy

Why Do You Need a Profitable Hotel Breakfast Strategy?

Breakfast is one of the most important services that a hotel can provide, and has become a defining factor of guest satisfaction, so its important to have a profitable hotel breakfast strategy.

In a survey of 1,000 travellers worldwide, Hotels.com found breakfast is now one of the most important amenities for guests when making hotel reservations. Not only are breakfasts a wonderful way for guests to begin their day – they are an excellent way to make your hotel stand out in the crowd. 

It is important to offer your guests a delicious breakfast with a variety of options so that they will have a positive, lasting impression of your hotel and of course, tell others about you. 

So, how can you make breakfast the competitive advantage of your hotel, boosting your ratings and reviews?

Here are some ideas and strategies for exceeding your guests’ expectations with a profitable hotel breakfast.

The Importance of a Profitable Hotel Breakfast Strategy

Breakfast is as important in the hotel sector as the night’s stay and the comfort of the room; in some instances, it may even be more important. 

Prior to check-out, the breakfast experience is the last impression the guest will have of your hotel.

Most of the guests who eat breakfast are leisure, or bleisure guests who stay for at least two nights. If the breakfast meets their expectations and tastes, they are more likely to leave a positive review than customers who stay one night and do not use the breakfast service.

In a TripAdvisor survey 

• 65% of the customers interviewed admitted they chose the hotel based on breakfast service. 
• 91% said they prefer an in-hotel breakfast, and for 
• 83%, breakfast service is essential for a positive hotel experience.

Providing a quality breakfast can lead to a higher level of guest satisfaction, resulting in more positive reviews and higher search engine rankings. Investing in the breakfast experience can enhance your property’s reputation and visibility, thereby increasing revenue and a profitable hotel breakfast service.

The Best Type Of Hotel Breakfast Service To Offer

Hotels can serve breakfast in a variety of ways. Some guests prefer to have breakfast served to them, while others prefer to select items from a buffet.

Breakfast Buffet

Buffet breakfasts are served at long tables or counters where guests may choose from a variety of items. As a general rule, a buffet will include items such as muffins, croissants, toast, and other baked goods; hot items such as sausages, bacon, fried potatoes or hash browns, scrambled eggs, etc; and fruit, yoghurt, and cereal. 

Buffet breakfasts allow guests to select their favourite items and eat as much as they wish. Maintaining high standards of cleanliness and hygiene is important, as buffets can become busy and contamination is possible. The presentation of a buffet is critical to ensuring a pleasant dining experience.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by The Langham, London (@langham_london)

A la Carte

The a la carte breakfast allows guests to order individual items from a selection of options. By serving breakfast from a menu, hotel guests can avoid many of the drawbacks of buffet-style breakfasts, such as food waste and a chaotic atmosphere (which is difficult when numerous guests are serving themselves). 

In general, a la carte breakfasts offer fewer options than buffets, but everything is freshly prepared, so quality is more closely monitored.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Brunelleschi Hotel (@brunelleschifirenze)

Room Service

Guests can add a touch of luxury to their stay by ordering room service breakfast. In addition to having a quiet breakfast in the comfort of their rooms, guests do not have to contend with crowds at a buffet or dine in a crowded restaurant, this is ideal for guests with post-pandemic concerns.

A breakfast card lets guests choose items, a menu form is filled out by the guest the night before, and breakfast boxes are becoming increasingly popular options.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Breidenbacher Hof (@breidenbacherhof.dusseldorf)

Types of Hotel Breakfasts to Offer 

Continental Breakfast

Typically, continental breakfasts consist of baked goods such as croissants and bread rolls, accompanied by butter, jams, jellies, marmalades, freshly brewed coffee, fruit, yoghurt, and cereal. Some hotels offer savoury options such as cheese and cold meats.

Continental breakfasts are lighter, simpler meals than full English or American breakfasts. 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Maya’s Got the Munchies 🇬🇧🇯🇵 (@mayasgotmunchies)

Full English Breakfast

The Full English Breakfast is a substantial and hearty meal, containing bacon, sausages, black pudding, fried tomatoes, mushrooms, eggs (scrambled or fried), and toast or fried bread. This is usually accompanied by tea or coffee.

Guests planning a big day will appreciate this sustaining, protein-rich meal. It is common for guests to eat their full English breakfasts late in the morning, so they don’t need to stop for lunch. 

While hungry guests may choose a large portion, it’s a good idea to offer smaller portions for those who find full-sized portions challenging.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Around About Britain (@aroundaboutbritain)

American Breakfast

In an American hotel breakfast, you will find elements of both of the types of breakfasts mentioned above. A typical American breakfast will consist of bacon, eggs (fried), hash browns, pancakes or waffles with butter or syrup, toast with butter or jam/jellies, and coffee. 

In addition to being served buffet-style, it is often prepared to order. It is common for hotels to prepare pancakes and waffles from scratch in order to ensure maximum freshness and taste. 

This option is not as heavy as a Full English, but it is still hearty and sustaining. Despite the fact that small portions are typically offered, an American breakfast is not really considered a light option.

Nutritional Breakfast

It is important to create a selection of low-calorie and nutritionally dense dishes so that those guests who wish to take a break from the daily ‘eggs & bacon’ choice can do so in the most creative and inspiring way possible. 

Be sure to present your low-calorie dishes in a way that excites your guests and avoids making them feel that they have chosen ‘healthy’ over ‘tasty’.

Black coffee and unsweetened herbal or caffeinated tea are free of calories and ideal options for the health-conscious hotel guest. These guests tend to enjoy juice with their breakfasts.

Fresh-squeezed juice or juice from concentrate both contain more than 100 calories per glass, although fresh-squeezed juice has a nutritional advantage over juice from concentrate. These should be highlighted to guests

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by L’Ecole (@ecole_olargues)

How To Use Breakfast Strategies To Boost Your Hotel Profit

Understanding the Customer 

Understanding what your customers want is key to a profitable breakfast service. Hotel room segmentation may be used to identify the different needs and expectations of your guests.  

For instance, business travelers may prefer the convenience of room service. You may be able to offer more expensive options to leisure customers since they are less time-sensitive. Self-service options such as breakfast buffets can be a convenient solution for time-constrained consumers. 

Breakfast Ambiance

Your guests may be eating breakfast in the same area where lunch and dinner are served, so you will want to create a different atmosphere at breakfast. 

With a fresh, lively atmosphere, your guests will be able to enjoy the beginning of their day and provide a better overall experience. Pay attention to your presentation and choose music appropriate to the mood you want to create. 

Consider using different tablecloths in the morning, selecting bright colours that will put your guests in a more cheerful mood.

Lead the Way 

There is no doubt that many hoteliers are very proud of the wide range of breakfast options they offer. This can however present a challenge for guests who may have difficulty choosing among so many options. 

It is important that the layout be designed in a manner that maximises convenience and visual appeal. Your choice of containers, utensils, and materials should take into account both practicality and aesthetics.

A carefully planned breakfast service should guide and assist guests in choosing items that will enhance their experience.

Labels

Labels are often missing from hotel breakfast buffets, which is a common mistake. You may feel confident that you have created the perfect breakfast experience, but if you fail to adequately describe what each dish is, guests may be misinformed about what they have selected.

Labels should be used to describe the item, highlight any allergies, and promote local or special ingredients.

Increase Room Service & Take-Away Revenue 

Social distancing attitudes have led to more bespoke room service solutions being offered. You can maximise your room service revenue by switching from limited breakfast menus to a fully private dining experience. 

Other opportunities include offering ‘breakfasts to go’ for in-house guests as well as opening up your breakfast service to external visitors.  

You will have a valuable new USP for your food and beverage service if your hotel is located near a park, beach, or square. Offer an option for hampers or picnic kits (at an additional charge) in addition to using eco-friendly containers to provide the best experience. 

Menu Engineering

Here are a few tips to help you maximise the value and profitability of your breakfast menu:

Make use of psychological menu design by emphasizing the most profitable offerings, limiting the choices, providing interesting descriptions, and using visual cues instead of currency symbols.

Place the item with the highest contribution in the upper left and upper right corners of the menu. Place your most profitable items at the top and bottom of each section.

It is important to be aware of eye scanning patterns: items at the bottom left and bottom right of the menu is often missed.

Why High-Quality Coffee Can Increase Your Profits

Research has shown that providing guests with a high-quality cup of coffee increases their likelihood of returning to the hotel. In contrast, a bad coffee experience discourages guests from returning. 

A study by UCC Coffee assessed 1000 hotel guests – 30% said that if bad quality coffee was offered to them, they would not return.

To make sure you serve the best coffee at breakfast, follow these tips

1. Select the right type of coffee machine for your needs: 

The type of coffee machine you use will have a significant impact on the taste of your coffee. You should invest in a machine that allows you to easily adjust the water and coffee ratios.

1. Use Good Quality Coffee.
   It might not be the exact taste that every guest enjoys, but a good quality coffee will not disappoint.
2. Keep Your Machines Clean
   Regardless of the brand, an unkempt machine can ruin the quality of the coffee. Make sure that the water filters in your coffee maker are regularly cleaned and serviced so that each cup of coffee is made with clean water.
3. Keep Your Coffee Fresh. Keeping coffee fresh is important since exposing it to oxygen makes it stale and loses its aroma. Make sure the beans are stored in a closed container and only the required quantity is removed each time. You don’t want to invest in good beans only to waste them by making them tasteless.
4. Train Your Team. Make sure your employees are trained in how to operate the machine so that it can be used to its full potential. Make sure you remember that making good coffee is also an art. Encourage your employees to be creative.

Benefits of Speciality Coffee Machines

Hotel speciality coffee machines have the following benefits:

Customer Retention

Show every guest that they can order their favourite coffee at the touch of a button. Guests will want to return to a hotel once they have a great breakfast experience there. 

Loyalty and Brand Reputation

Your guests will appreciate the fact that you care about them and can offer them the beverages they want. Your reputation as a dependable hotel will be strengthened as a result.

Recommendations

The ratings on review sites like Trip Advisor and Booking.com are based on previous stays at the hotel. Ratings can be greatly affected by the coffee experience and ease of service. 

Since coffee is usually associated with almost all stages of a visitor’s stay, coffee consumption ranks among travelers’ most popular habits. There is a strong connection between travelers and coffee, which is often one of the factors used to evaluate a hotel’s gastronomic experience.

It is expected that speciality coffee will work its way up this list as coffee culture continues to grow. Access to great coffee has become a necessity rather than a nice-to-have. Should you fail to cater to your coffee-loving visitors, you can potentially lose their business to the coffee shop down the road.

Why High-Quality Juice Can Increase Your Profits

The number of guests seeking healthier food and beverages is increasing, causing businesses to substitute high-calorie items with healthier alternatives.  In the beverage menu, high-quality juices have played an important role. A professional approach to serving fruit juice is just as important as any other aspect of guest service.

In order to appeal to health-conscious guests, hospitality firms should consider offering more functional foods, such as drinks containing low sugar and added vitamins and probiotics. As well as being convenient to distribute, store, and sell, juices are also relatively easy to change their presentation to meet customer needs.

To optimise your juice offering, you must determine which juices and other products are most profitable. Whenever you have a recipe that is not making money, try increasing the price. Either people will continue to purchase it and you will now be profitable, or they will cease to purchase it and you will be able to remove it from your menu.

How Delicious Waffles Can Boost Your Breakfast Profit

There is no such thing as an inappropriate time to eat waffles. Hotel guests will have enjoyed waffles for dinner; waffles for breakfast and of course, waffles for brunch.

Even with the trend toward innovative morning signatures, many customers still prefer bacon and eggs, waffles, and pancakes as their primary breakfast option – in other words, comfort food.

According to a recent Datassential survey, 53% of respondents prefer “elevated comfort foods” for breakfast.

Your chosen variety of toppings should allow guests to customise their breakfast experience, thereby adding value and providing an opportunity for premium pricing.

The Most Important KPIs for a Profitable Hotel Breakfast

Increasing hotel revenues and profitability requires selling the right seat to the right customer for the right period of time. There is a direct relationship between F&B revenue and price management, service capacity, table turnover, and menu. 

The following key performance indicators can be used to track breakfast results

• Turnover of seats: number of customers/available seats
• RevPASH: Revenue per hour of available seats
• TrevPASH: Total revenue per hour of available seats
• GopPASH: Gross operating profit per hour of available seats

F&B revenue is derived from a variety of sources, such as room service, banquets/conferences/catering, minibars, and lobby service. As well as revenue from in-house guests, F&B revenue can also be generated by external guests. 

Forecasting hotel food and beverage demand is a challenging task. It is necessary to gather data from a variety of points of sale. The revenue allocation and forecasting of these departments may be governed by other departments, which further complicates the process. 

Tracking and coordinating the performance of each area is essential. An option is to create a central database that stores all point-of-sale data. In this way, revenue and expenses can be reported, tracked, and allocated consistently. As a result, better decisions can be made and revenue growth can be tracked in each area. 

Creating a Profitable Hotel Breakfast

Customer focus is the key to breakfast success. In the hospitality industry, customers are at the center of everything we do. Your quality of breakfast service and reliability must be on point. 

The service provided by your staff leads to customers spending more, booking again, and referring friends. This is far more effective than any promotion, tactic, or marketing strategy. 

Teach your staff the art of upselling by organising training and making them taste the products you serve. The best way to connect with your customers is to listen to them as they are your most reliable allies.

Invest in your product, employees, and market, and you will be successful.

At Krogab we’ve helped our hotel clients with F&B forecasting, and the supply of juice, coffee, and waffle machines, products, and supplies to delight their customers for over 30 years! 

To arrange a tasting contact our friendly team today on 01477 544 144