The Hotel Breakfast Bar

Is it just me? I find these to be the most disgusting things around.

Food: turkey sausage and powder eggs. Oatmeal. 3 spoonful servings of yogurt. Fruit loops. And last but not least that messy, unsanitary waffle maker.

People: running everywhere in different directions. Grubby and ill mannered. Putting food back they didn't want. Sneezes. Kids attending Weekend soccer tournaments.

Amenities: Limited seating and crowded space. Plasticware.

Why can't hotels just serve breakfast or just give me directions to Louie's Diner? Cost wise it must be cheaper. It seems I always wind up with poorly cooked oatmeal and canned fruit. I typically stay at Courtyard to avoid these experiences, but find most of them to be poor values. Anybody have hotels they like that don't have these awful bars? I've stopped staying at Hampton, whose beds are great, but have the worst breakfast experiences.

Any Holiday Inn, not Holiday Inn express, serve breakfast from the restaurant.

Some are good. We stayed at a relatively new Hampton Inn close to OHare in June, and that breakfast was fabulous. A lot are decidedly not, as described above. For those places I'll try to make do with some fruit and yogurt, maybe an English muffin and peanut butter. Powdered eggs and lukewarm faux sausage doesn't get it done for me, even for free.

I'd pay for a quality breakfast, but I think I'm in the minority--my WAG is that most people prefer the free breakfast, regardless of the quality.

I was at a Best Western one time and there was a whole family, from the kids up to Mamaw, padding around in their pajamas and house shoes, like the hotel lobby was their kitchen. Mrs. BEvans thought that was about the weirdest thing she's ever seen--still talks about it whenever we go to one of those hotel breakfasts--"wonder how many people will be in their jammies?" etc.

Free breakfast is a huge marketing point. I'm guessing it probably costs $2-3 per room to serve breakfast like that, and they probably double their occupancy.

I've never thought about it much. Most of my family like the waffle makers; I don't use it. Most of the eggs are bad, occasionally--but I have no idea how, why, and which ones--they are good. One had an omelette bar thing that was pretty good. Every time I look at the oatmeal. Every time I pass on the oatmeal.

I'll eat the sausage if I'm in the mood for it and it looks ok. Both have to be there.

Our other choice is *usually* McDonald's breakfast, so you can tell our standards aren't as high as some :). In comparison, we are probably about break-even, and we probably save $3-4 a person. My favorite part is the coffee and the OJ, which I usually sprinkle with a little apple juice.

My breakfast at home is usually 1 or 2 boiled eggs (60-120 calories). Or instant grits with a banana (190). Or instant oatmeal packet with a teaspoon of peanut butter (208).

Again, my standards are low.

Our hotel of preference is Embassy, one reason being the morning breakfast which is a fresh cooked one to order omelet. And when you consider breakfast for a family of 4 is typically going to run $30 to 40.00, its a pretty good deal if you deduct that cost off your room. But the discount hotel "continental" breakfasts are pretty bad. Sam's Club pastries and day old donuts isn't what I want first thing in the morning.

Hyatt Place has solid breakfasts. I wouldn't call it night and day better but a significant step up. Real sausage, real gravy, so-so biscuits (people outside of the south seem to be biscuit challenged),etc. Plus they often have at least one customizable dish. Last time I was there, they had make your own breakfast burritos, with grilled ham, sausage, actually crispy bacon, two types of tortillas, eggs, spinach, grilled veggies, hot sauce, etc. You could also use those to make a breakfast scramble etc. Along with that, they have a couple kinds of plain yogurt (western, greek, vegan) with assorted toppings, proper stone ground oatmeal with toppings, etc.. Though they do often have the waffle-maker and usual cereals.

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Originally Posted by Doc

Our hotel of preference is Embassy, one reason being the morning breakfast which is a fresh cooked one to order omelet. And when you consider breakfast for a family of 4 is typically going to run $30 to 40.00, its a pretty good deal if you deduct that cost off your room. But the discount hotel "continental" breakfasts are pretty bad. Sam's Club pastries and day old donuts isn't what I want first thing in the morning.

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I don't mind the food at Embassy, but the people that eat there are as bad as BEvans describes, except you typically have entire soccer teams and families crammed into just a few rooms. And the lines waiting for an omlet can be tiring.

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Originally Posted by MickintheHam

I don't mind the food at Embassy, but the people that eat there are as bad as BEvans describes, except you typically have entire soccer teams and families crammed into just a few rooms. And the lines waiting for an omlet can be tiring.

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I'll usually get some odd looks when I toodling around in my tightie whities in the omelette line. I throw on a shirt if I have time, but not always

http://cdn.playbuzz.com/cdn/8ea4339a...56dcbcce30.png

My wife and I choose to stay at Embassy's for the same reason.

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Originally Posted by Doc

Our hotel of preference is Embassy, one reason being the morning breakfast which is a fresh cooked one to order omelet. And when you consider breakfast for a family of 4 is typically going to run $30 to 40.00, its a pretty good deal if you deduct that cost off your room. But the discount hotel "continental" breakfasts are pretty bad. Sam's Club pastries and day old donuts isn't what I want first thing in the morning.

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Originally Posted by Catonahottinroof

My wife and I choose to stay at Embassy's for the same reason.

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That and the mangers happy hour

Raisin bran, coffee and outta there. Worth nothing. Occasionally, in Montana, I meet someone interesting, but most of the time and elsewhere they are all strangers.

OH,Canada!!
WELL, HORSEMEAT! I've been suspicious of those mystery meat hotel sausages for sometime now

http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/1-in-5-...tudy-1.3532110

I rarely eat breakfast and I don't like crowds or people generally, so I never go to them when I stay in hotels. Once in a blue moon I may have gotten some sausage or something from one, and that's all I would get anywhere else, so that's fine.

But waiting in lines and dining with the kind of people who make the highlight reel on "People of Wal-Mart"? I'll go hungry, thanks. ;)

I like interacting with folks in this type setting. Trouble is at least half of the people having a hotel breakfast feel they got up too early or had a generally rough night.

I have been involved in many a brutal breakfast melee. No meal can be cruller


Hey.. lets do a KSR Grand Slam at Dennys one day gang.

I enjoy them at UK events like the SEC tourney where 75% are UK fans. Is a nice mixer/meet and greet, but if I'm travelling alone, I'd prefer waffle house at 3 AM

Some of you guys sound like elite Ole Miss fans when I thought y'all were from Kentucky

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Originally Posted by jazyd

Some of you guys sound like elite Ole Miss fans when I thought y'all were from Kentucky

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Not me, the best food is free food.

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Originally Posted by KentuckyWildcat

Not me, the best food is free food.

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Same. Our general alternative is McDonald's. Is that really much better? Any?

Hey, I'm a "5-second rule" guy. Standards-low.

Stayed at the Covington Ramada on a weekend Cincinnati trip a couple of weeks ago (the big round one). They had no breakfast bar, which was okay since I've yet to find one that isn't thoroughly disgusting but we started to order a pot of coffee off of room service until a little quick math revealed the tab with fees to be $15. I'm always afraid someone has washed their socks or underwear in the room coffee maker so we went down the street to Big Boy and had their breakfast bar. Uninspiring but safe.

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Originally Posted by KentuckyWildcat

Not me, the best food is free food.

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It ain't free. You pay for it with ridiculous room rates.

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Originally Posted by MickintheHam

It ain't free. You pay for it with ridiculous room rates.

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Better than an expensive hotel without a free breakfast :)

In all seriousness, we only stay in hotels for rest while going some place. So we look for the free breakfast so we can get something quick and go. We are normally looking for the cheapest rate with breakfast at one of the common chains. In the rare event we are a hotel for a few days, I try to find something with a better breakfast. Often times they will throw in the breakfast if you ask them.

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Originally Posted by KentuckyWildcat

Better than an expensive hotel without a free breakfast :)

In all seriousness, we only stay in hotels for rest while going some place. So we look for the free breakfast so we can get something quick and go. We are normally looking for the cheapest rate with breakfast at one of the common chains. In the rare event we are a hotel for a few days, I try to find something with a better breakfast. Often times they will throw in the breakfast if you ask them.

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To each his own. I prefer not to pay for poor quality, picked over, cheap ass food.

If you can find a strip club that does a breakfast they're usually pretty good. Also if you are nice to them a lot of brothels will let you stay overnight and usually they have 2-3 girls around who are surprisingly good cooks. But you have to be respectful and such, show some class.

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Originally Posted by Doc

I enjoy them at UK events like the SEC tourney where 75% are UK fans. Is a nice mixer/meet and greet, but if I'm travelling alone, I'd prefer waffle house at 3 AM

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Yeah, those hash browns that are flipped, clipped, dipped, smothered, covered, & whatever else they say they do to them are pretty fair. But the customers that are usually there at 3 AM are the very reason I carry a handgun. Scary people indeed, the kind that give new meaning to the term "seedy underbelly of the city"....

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Originally Posted by CitizenBBN

If you can find a strip club that does a breakfast they're usually pretty good. Also if you are nice to them a lot of brothels will let you stay overnight and usually they have 2-3 girls around who are surprisingly good cooks. But you have to be respectful and such, show some class.

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So you've met Katina?

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Originally Posted by suncat05

So you've met Katina?

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Met her? He's... Well, I guess I will let him tell on himself when the time is ready. Or maybe the tests will show it for him.

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Originally Posted by Darrell KSR

Met her? He's... Well, I guess I will let him tell on himself when the time is ready. Or maybe the tests will show it for him.

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I"m good. Unlike UL, I know where to spend the money to get the quality.

Life it too short for cheap toilet paper, cheap liquor or cheap whores. Stick with Double Strong Charmin, Kettle One, and $1000 a night. Trade off with other things, like food and medical care if necessary.

I'll be at the Wingate by Wyndham next week. I'll be dining at their breakfast bar.

My standards are low. It will be midweek, so I guess I won't have the weekend traffic, though.

Report Card today:

Scrambled eggs: B
Sausage patties: C.
I usually like them more, even though they are the thin type you get on a McDonald's biscuit, but these were a little overdone.
Raisin bagel and cream cheese: A.
Hard to mess that up.
Perfect mix of 27% Apple juice kicker to my Orange juice: A+
Waffle maker mini-waffles: A
Much better than the ones at Waffle House. Different type. Only had two of the 4 available, since I was eating too much already, but wish I had 4 and skipped the sausage.
Cream cheese Danish, prepackaged: D.
Should not have grabbed that, don't know what I was thinking.
Coffee: B
Hot, plentiful. I'm not a coffee snob, but you definitely get better tasting coffee at a higher end restaurant after dinner, and much worse at the gas station.
Ambiance: A-. My son and I were the only two eating at 6:30, but clean, pleasant, super large screen TV on the wall gently playing the news, reading a complimentary USA Today newspaper. Later had two more arrive while we were eating, but everything hot and plentiful. Daughter getting ready, so fixed her a plate to take up to the room. Wife came down later, and we ate in shifts. Nice. Convenient.

Skipped: crock pot of oatmeal, instant grits, cereals, doughnuts. There were no biscuits, and no sausage gravy, which I usually get if available.

As I said, my standards are low, but it is a pleasant experience for me, albeit not a fine culinary one. Beats the heck out of McDonald's sausage biscuit and hash browns, which I like, or a Chick-fil-A chicken biscuit. Those are usually my competitors.

Weekend travelers add to the hustle and bustle, which can easily impact the experience as well in a negative way. I usually treat that as a busy buffet. I go for the low hanging fruit, then watch for when the crowd disappears and get that food and return. I pretend the multiple trips to the food source make up for the excess calories consumed.