There is a direct correlation between breakfast scores and overall satisfaction scores so it is essential to get breakfast right!

Focus your team on delivering an exceptional breakfast and considering breakfast not only as a service period, but the last chance to turn around a poor experience, or completely wow a guest who has had a pleasant stay.

Each hotel has very specific breakfast standards for their brand. Spend some time getting to know your own brand standards to ensure your team stay compliant.

The guides below and non-brand specific and can be used by any hotel to encourage outstanding breakfast delivery. Regardless of brand, mornings should be characterised by bright colours, upbeat music, cheerful staff and well presented, tasty food.

The below guides can be downloaded and shared electronically with your team.

GREETING

There is a good chance you are the first person your guests have spoken to today. You have the potential to be more to them than a breakfast server... today you are their human connection! Different guests will have different levels of experience with hotel breakfasts so may need differing levels of guidance from you. As the host, you must quickly read your guests' needs and adapt your style of service. But some things are the same for all guests:

SEATING

As host, you must always know where a clean and set table can be found. Regular checks and constant communication with colleagues mean you can always walk your guests directly to a sparkling table which is set and ready and appropriate for their party size. Where possible, be thoughtful about your table allocation - lone diners or couples may appreciate being by a window or a wall so they don't feel on display, parents may appreciate a booth and a clear line of site to the buffet, people who struggle with mobility may appreciate being closer to the entrance/buffet (always offer to serve them to the table!)

EXPLAINING THE BUFFET

Ask whether the guest has had breakfast with us before. If they have, just check they know where to find everything on the buffet. If they haven't, briefly explain to them to how service works (it may seem silly but not all guests will even realise the buffet is self service!) and where they will find hot food, chilled food, cold drinks, cereals and breads. Tell them how to order cook-to-order items and that you will bring their hot drink to them.

HOT BEVERAGE SERVICE

You may have arrangements in place in your hotel for guests to help themselves to hot drinks (which is great!), but the first drink should always be served to the table. Ask the guest if they would like a hot drink (Try to avoid asking "Tea or Coffee?" as we don't want the guest to feel awkward asking for a hot chocolate or green tea!) and bring it to the table. If the guest is sitting for a moment before heading to the buffet, bring this immediately. If they are heading up to the buffet right away, try and bring the drink as they return to the table to ensure it is steaming hot when they take that first sip!

THE CHECK BACK

A couple of minutes after the guest has begun eating, pop by and ask how everything is. Remember a nice open question like "How is your breakfast?" will get a more useful response than "Everything okay?". Look out for those non verbal signals too and dig deeper if you think they guest may not be totally happy.

CLEARING AND FAREWELL

Clear finished crockery, cutlery and glassware right away, do not wait until the guest leaves the table. As well as making clearing and resetting the table for the next guest quicker and easier for us, the guest will certainly enjoy sitting at a clear table more than eating surrounded by dirty plates! This also provides another opportunity to interact with the guest and offer a hot drink top up. When the guest leaves, make sure everyone gets a sincere and cheerful farewell and immediately clean and sanitise the table to keep your restaurant looking great!

THE LAYOUT

Getting the layout of your buffet right is just as important as the food you put out. As well as making sure things are well presented and clean (wipe up those crumbs!), walk through your buffet as a guest, think about the flow and if it makes sense. Ask yourself "If I want cereal, where are the bowls and milk?" and minimise the amount of moving a guest has to do.

THE CONTENT

Your brand will have very specific guidance mandating how many hot and cold items there should be, which items MUST be present and how they should be presented. It is important that you know what these standards are and don't deviate from them. You may have a great idea for something to add or change, but without permission from the brand to do this, you could make your hotel non-compliant and even harm other hotels in the company by setting expectations others won't meet. When you are part of a brand, consistency is everything... especially for something as important as breakfast!

LITTLE AND OFTEN

If you are responsible for maintaining the buffet that day, you should be constantly moving! Top things up "little and often" - put out enough of everything that it looks great and won't constantly run out, but not so much that it has time to deteriorate in quality. The guest who arrives 5 minutes before the end of service should get the same great breakfast as the guest who rose with the sun!

KEEPING IT CLEAN

We eat with our eyes first and even the tastiest food can be ruined by a messy breakfast area. Keeping the buffet clean and well presented is just as important as keeping it topped up. Clean up crumbs around the toaster and bread often, check frequently around particularly messy (and stubborn!) items like beans and eggs, exchange utensils regularly and rotate things like jam jars regularly!

TOP TIPS

Follow the tips below to make sure your breakfast buffet is outstanding!

• Label items which aren't clear, such as semi skimmed vs skimmed milk, or any local items you have been granted permission to add to the buffet

• Have clear and on brand signage letting guests know about the cook-to-order items that are available to them

• Don't forget your allergen information!

• Use different levels and colours to keep your display interesting

• Use colour coded utensils for vegetarian items to give guests confidence there is no cross contamination

• Monitor the temperature of your food regularly. Serve hot food hot and cold food cold!

• Remember the condiments!

• Make sure you top up EVERYTHING a guest may need... don't be so focused on the food you forget to top up plates, bowls and glasses

• If you wouldn't pay to eat it, take it away!