How to make the most of your breakfast buffet: 3 tips to follow

While breakfast is one of the key factors in customer satisfaction, even going so far as to motivate the choice of one hotel over another, 23 %* of travelers think that this service is not yet well promoted, or even that it is sloppy.

There are many reasons for dissatisfaction with this service, but the ones that come up most often are :

• Poor product quality - 35%*
• Lack of hygiene and cleanliness - 29%*
• The presence of industrial products - 28%*

However, as we pointed out in our previous article, breakfast is a real business issue for your establishment. It's essential not to disappoint your customers by providing them with the best possible experience. A breakfast that lives up to your guests' expectations strengthens your hotel's brand image.

Is my breakfast buffet visually appealing? 

Have you ever asked yourself this question?

Today, visuals sometimes take precedence over taste, and the "food" trend is very present on all social networks.

• 69% of Millennials (people born between 1980 and 2000) take a photo or video of their food before eating* and then share it on social networks.
• 38 % of Instagram users view "food "* content
• The hashtag #petitdejeuner accounts for over 1.2 million photos on Instagram, over 86.9 million for its English translation and 61.7 million for the hashtag #breakfastbuffet*

These figures are mind-boggling. Some chefs claim that we eat by sight and smell before we taste what's on our plates. Even taking a photo of our plate can improve our appreciation*. More than just a trend, this kind of sharing via social networks can even offer you significant free visibility.

The presentation of your buffet must inspire your customers to take advantage of it, and perhaps influence their friends and family, or those who follow them on social networks, in their future choice of hotel.

It can't be repeated too often: the choice of your products and their quality is essential for a successful breakfast. Although everyone's tastes are different and you won't be able to satisfy every palate, it's important to focus on good, attractive products that will add real value to your buffet.

Don't hesitate to offer several types of products to make your breakfast attractive and qualitative:

• Noble" foods such as charcuterie, dairy products, eggs or fresh pastries ensure that, despite their higher purchase price, your customers perceive them as quality products.
• Image food like local, homemade, seasonal products... make your buffet a unique proposition that sets you apart from your competitors.
• Accompanying foods such as cereals, jam and milk, often have no real added value on a buffet. However, you can also opt for products that are a little different from the standard offerings, to enhance the quality aspect of your breakfast with homemade jam or honey from a local producer.

While it's not essential to offer too many top-of-the-range products on your buffet, it is nonetheless vital to ensure the quality of the foodstuffs essential to any breakfast proposal. An offer adapted and personalized to the clientele you welcome will enable you to stand out from your competitors.

While the quality of your products is essential to the success of your breakfast, you mustn't neglect the aesthetics of your presentation. As we mentioned earlier, the presentation of your buffet products is essential to attract the eye and, above all, to make your customers and future customers want to enjoy them.

The buffet should be the "star" of your breakfast area. Make the most of it! It needs to be a real showpiece: layout, choice of containers and materials, information provided, lighting, decoration... Each of these elements needs to be thought through to meet both your practical and aesthetic criteria. An attractive setting accentuates the sense of service quality perceived by customers.

Here are a few key points:

• Vary presentation heights A "flat" buffet won't allow customers to see the full range of choices on offer. By placing some of your products on high displays, you enhance their value and avoid an overly linear presentation.
• Play with textures Wicker baskets for breads and pastries, slates for your cheeses, etc. You'll add a touch of originality and draw attention to some of your products.
• Add some color to your buffet: it attracts attention and your customers expect to see beautiful, fresh and colorful products. Your lighting also plays a very important role. Watch out for dull lights that don't encourage consumption.
• Decorate your space Decoration may seem trivial or even useless, but it brings a touch of life to a buffet. Some products can even be used as ephemeral decorations! For example, a large loaf of farmhouse bread on a tablecloth for customers to cut themselves.

Do you know the expression "The devil is in the detail"? It means that you should never neglect these details, or you could be in for a big inconvenience. This can be the case with a breakfast buffet! Many customers complain about the quality of the information provided, the presentation, and even the hygiene and cleanliness of buffets.

However, this negative perception can easily be avoided thanks to details that make all the difference:

• Set up a labelling solution for your buffet to provide your customers with all the information they need to make their food choices. They need guidance, and that's where presentation labels come in. Beyond simply providing information, your labels can also be a solution to your aesthetic concerns! On plastic cards, for example, they offer a professional, harmonious finish, even allowing you to add your logo, while being easy to clean and replace.
• Choose the right presentation accessories. They also play a role in the aesthetics of your buffet. To make the most of your different types of product, it's important that they are displayed differently for each one. There's a wide range of professional accessories to help you display your labels with ease. Metal or plastic, in different heights, clip-on or stand-alone, you can choose the ones that best meet your needs and expectations.

Attention to these details helps to enhance the image of your breakfast service and your establishment in the eyes of your customers.

Offering a varied breakfast buffet as well as a gourmet sushi bar, the Hilton Osaka hotel in Japan previously presented its dishes to guests using plastic-coated paper labels that didn't match the hotel's modern, elegant style. The 5-star hotel opted to print labels on black plastic cards for a more professional look. Guests, especially the most loyal, have noticed the change in buffet presentation. They appreciate the clarity and harmony in the presentation of the dishes, and find the buffet more attractive.

*Sources :

Hotel customers & the hotel industry - Coach Omnium

5 Food trends for 2019 from the experts

Instagram - July 2019

Instagram and food, a trend that raises questions