The future of my beloved breakfast buffet: what are the options?
A few weeks ago, corona seemed to mean that my oh-so-beloved breakfast buffet was disappearing from hotel life for good. Now that the hospitality industry is slowly but surely reopening, the big question for hotels is: how are we going to shape the breakfast buffet?
Because buffets and corona are not exactly a great combination. That is also the main reason why La Place will remain largely closed even after 1 June. A (breakfast) buffet in a 1.5-metre economy: how do you do that? Because nothing is more at odds with the new corona rules than lines of people spooning scrambled eggs and crispy bacon from the chafing dishes onto their plates. Several hotel owners explain what the new hotel breakfast might look like soon.
Option 1: airline meal
One option is to serve airline meals. And no, that does not immediately mean you will get soggy sandwiches and vegetables boiled to a pulp for breakfast. The meals will be ‘business class’ meals, complete with rolled-up cutlery. Postillion owner Erik-Jan Ginjaar explains to Misset Horeca that packaged meals can at least guarantee food safety. Well, you have to give everything a chance, but honestly, it does not exactly make me happy…
Option 2: à la carte
Rob Hermans’s Fletcher Hotels have been open again for a month, and guests staying at the hotel are once again allowed to have breakfast in the restaurant. But here too, there is no buffet: “Tables where guests can help themselves to bread rolls or cold cuts are no longer possible at this time. We are only doing à la carte now.” And with some extra staff and attention to hygiene, it seems to be running smoothly so far. It is not a buffet, but the à la carte option, where you can still choose your favourite breakfast items, sounds good to me.
Option 3: on a tray
The final option comes closest to the real breakfast buffet; the only difference with the new version is that you can no longer serve yourself. Mike Bosman of blooming in Bergen aan Zee explains that his guests can simply have breakfast by indicating in advance what they fancy. It is then served at the table on a tray.
Things were better in the old days
Of course, none of the three options could never ever beat all the advantages of an extensive breakfast buffet. In any case, they are steps in the right direction and still make a hotel stay complete. Hopefully, the new normal will eventually just become the old normal again…
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