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 rather than another, 23 %* of travellers think that this service is not yet well promoted, or even that it is shoddy.

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 is essential not to disappoint your guests 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?

These days, visuals sometimes take precedence over taste, and the 'food' trend is very much in evidence on all the 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 plate. 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 give you a lot of free exposure.

The presentation of your buffet should make your customers want to take advantage of it and perhaps influence their friends and family or their social network followers in their future choice of hotel.

It cannot 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-looking, good-tasting products that will add real value to your buffet.

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

• Noble" foods such as charcuterie, dairy products, eggs or fresh pastries, ensure that your customers perceive them as quality products, despite their higher purchase price.
• Image food such as 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 of your breakfast with home-made jam or honey from a local producer.

While it is not essential to offer too many top-of-the-range products on your buffet, it is nevertheless vital to ensure the quality of the food that is essential to any breakfast proposal. An offer that's tailored and personalised to the clientele you're welcoming will help you stand out from your competitors.

While the quality of your products is essential to the success of your breakfast, you shouldn't neglect the aesthetics of your presentation. As we mentioned earlier, the presentation of the products in your buffet 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 available, lighting, decoration... Each of these elements needs to be thought through to meet both your practical and aesthetic criteria. A beautiful setting accentuates the feeling of quality of service perceived by customers.

Here are a few key points:

• Vary presentation heights A "flat" buffet will not allow the customer to see the full range of choices available. 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 bread and pastries, a slate for your cheeses, and so on. In this way, you can add a touch of originality and draw attention to some of your products.
• Add a splash of colour to your buffet: it attracts attention and your customers expect to see beautiful, fresh, colourful products. Your lighting also plays a very important role. Watch out for dull lights that don't make people want to eat.
• Decorate your spaces Decoration: decoration may seem trivial or even pointless, but it adds a touch of life to a buffet. Some products can even be used as temporary decorations! For example, a large loaf of farmhouse bread on a tablecloth for customers to cut themselves.

Have you heard the expression "The devil is in the detail"? It means that you should never neglect these details, otherwise you could end up with a big problem. 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 the buffets.

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

• Implement a labelling solution on 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 labelling can also be a solution to your aesthetic concerns! On plastic cards, for example, it offers a professional, harmonious finish on which you can even place your logo, while being easy to clean and replace.
• Choose the right presentation accessories. They also play a part in the aesthetic appeal 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 are a multitude of professional accessories available to help you display your labels easily. Metal or plastic, different heights, clip-on or stand-up, 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 very varied breakfast buffet and a gourmet sushi bar, the Hilton Osaka hotel in Japan used to present its dishes to guests using plastic-coated paper labels, which were out of keeping with the hotel's modern, elegant style. The 5-star hotel opted to print labels on black plastic cards for a more professional look. Guests, particularly the most loyal, have noticed the change in the presentation of the buffet. 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