How to Open a Financially Successful Bed & Breakfast or Small Hotel

Three elements comprise plate presentation:
Dish type and size
Portion size
Garnish

Maple syrup
Coffee
Tea
Spices
Butter
Bread
Fresh fruit
Jams
Cold and hot cereals
Onions
Potatoes
Cheese
Herbs
Non-sugar sweetener
Breakfast meats (bacon and sausage)
Breakfast Recipes

Here’s a list of what should be in your pantry at all times:
Eggs
Flour
Milk (whole and 2%)
Sugar
Baking powder
Baking soda

If you do want to try your hand at cooking from scratch, there are several bed and breakfast cookbooks on the market such as The Bed & Breakfast Cookbook by Martha Watson Murphy and The American Country Inn and Bed & Breakfast Cookbook by Kitty and Lucian Maynard.

Obviously we would suggest fresh grinding your coffee each morning. So one thing you will need is a grinder. Some of the coffee pots come with grinders these days (www.william-sonoma.com), or you can find an easily affordable grinder such as the ones manufactured by Braun

Order of Service for Breakfast:
1. When fresh fruit or fruit juice is ordered, it is desirable to serve it first, and then to remove the soiled dishes before placing the toast and coffee.
2. When customers order a combination of cooked fruit, toast and coffee, they may ask to have the whole order served at once. Place the fruit dish, set on an underliner, in the center of the cover, the plate of toast at the left of the forks and the coffee at the right of the teaspoons.
3. When the breakfast order includes a cereal and a hot dish, the service procedure may be as follows:
a) Place the fruit course in the center of the cover.
b) Remove the fruit service.
c) Place the cereal bowl, set on an underliner, in the center of the cover. Cut individual boxes of cereal partway through the side near the top so the guest may open them easily.
d) Remove the cereal service.
e) Place the breakfast plate of eggs, meat or other hot food in the center of the cover. Place the plate of toast at the left of the forks. Place the coffee service at the right of the spoons.
f) Remove the breakfast plate and the bread plate.
g) Place the finger bowl, filled one-third full of warm water. At times, the finger bowl is placed after the fruit course when fruits that may soil the fingers have been served.

Continental breakfast. This phrase often has a bad connotation, evoking images of traditional hotels with their offerings of day-old donuts and stale coffee. You can offer a nice continental breakfast, however. Make sure you use fresh items. Rather than offering donuts, have muffins, breakfast breads and scones. Set out local jams and real butter to accompany these. And offer fresh-squeezed orange juice, yogurt, homemade granola and a selection of fresh fruit.
Full breakfast. Full breakfasts can be served as buffet or sit-down, and include anything from pancakes and French toast to omelets, bacon, sour cream coffee cake and broiled grapefruit. Full breakfast usually means some hot items will be served.

Clearing the Table
The following are standard procedures for clearing the table:
1. After any course, dishes should be removed from the left side, except the beverage service, which should be removed from the right.
2. Platters and other serving dishes should be removed first when clearing the table, or they may be removed as soon as empty.
3. The main-course plate should be removed first, the salad plate next, followed by the bread-and-butter plate.
4. The empty milk or beverage glass is removed from the right side after the main course.
5. The table should be crumbed by using a small plate and a clean, folded napkin. This is especially important when hard rolls or crusty breads are served.
6. Hot tea and coffee service should be left on the table until the completion of the dessert course.
7. The water glass should remain on the table and be kept refilled as long as the guest is seated.
8. Replace soiled ashtrays with clean ones as often as necessary throughout the meal.
9. When a guest is seated at a table and it is necessary to change a soiled tablecloth, turn the soiled cloth halfway back, lay the clean cloth half open in front of the guest, and transfer the tableware to the clean cloth. The soiled cloth may then be drawn from the table and the clean one pulled smoothly into place. If this exchange of linen is accomplished skillfully, the guest need not be disturbed unduly during the procedure. Soiled linen should be properly disposed of immediately after it is removed from the table

lets by their stems.
10. Do not lift water glasses from the table to fill or refill; when they cannot be reached conveniently, draw them to a more convenient position.
11. Set fruit juice and cocktail glasses, cereal dishes, soup bowls and dessert dishes on small plates before placing them in the center of the cover, between the knife and the fork.
12. When it accompanies the main course, place the salad plate at the left of the forks, about 2 inches from the edge of the table. When the salad is served as a separate course, place it directly in front of the guest.
13. Place individual serving trays or bread and rolls above and to the left of the forks. Place a tray or basket of bread for the use of several guests toward the center of the table.
14. Place the cup and saucer at the right of the spoons, about 2 inches from the edge of the table. Turn the handle of the cup to the right, either parallel to the edge of the table or at a slight angle toward the guest.
15. Set tea and coffee pots on small plates and place above and slightly to the right of the beverage cup. Set iced beverage glasses on coasters or small plates to protect tabletops and linen.
16. Place individual creamers, syrup pitchers and small lemon plates above and a little to the right of the cup and saucer.
17. Place a milk glass at the right of and below the water glass.
18. Serve butter, cheese and cut lemon with a fork. Serve relishes, pickles and olives with a fork or spoon, not with the fingers.

General Rules for Table Service
Since there are several methods of table service, each bed and breakfast should follow the method appropriate to its particular conditions, and each member of the waitstaff must learn to follow the serving directions exactly so that service will be uniform.
The following procedures are approved by social custom:
1. Place and remove all food from the left side of the guest.
2. Place and remove all beverages, including water, from the right of the guest.
3. Use the left hand to place and remove dishes when working at the left side of the guest, and the right hand when working at the right side of the guest. This provides free arm action for the server and avoids the danger of bumping against the guest’s arm.
4. Place each dish on the table, the four fingers of your left hand under the lower edge, and your thumb on the upper edge of the plate.
5. Never reach in front of the guest, nor across one person in order to serve another.
6. Present serving dishes from the left side, in a position so that guests can serve themselves. Place serving silver on the right side of the dish, with the handles turned toward the guest so that he or she may reach and handle them easily.
7. Do not place soiled, chipped or cracked glassware and china or bent or tarnished silverware before a guest.
8. Hold silverware by the handles when it is laid in place. Be sure it is clean and spotless.
9. Handle tumblers by their bases and gob