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Before I share the story behind it (to make sure I’m not completely off base), what do you consider to be reasonable for a continental breakfast at a major hotel chain in the US? Juice? Coffee? Toast? Pastries? Cereal? Yogurt? Fruit? One or two of those? Something totally different?
I’m curious about this one…
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I am proud to say that at the Rodeway Inn in Imperial, Ca we serve coffee, tea, boiled eggs, cereal either frosted flakes or raisin bran, danishes, muffins, breakfast bars, pop tarts,and fruits. on ocasion we offer yogurts and gelatin. Not to mention the variety of hot chocolate,oatmeal or apple cider packages we have for a hot beverage. N.A M.M
Oh, I forgot we also serve at least 2 fruits,usually Apple's and bananas, or apples and oranges and 4 variety of oatmeal and four kinds of cereal.
I'm a kitchen manager for a major hotel we consider our breakfast a complimentary one. We have available:Coffee regular and decaf, tea regular and decaf. Juices:,Apple,cranberry and orange. Milk and water. Bagel's:plain and cinnamon raisin. Toast white and wheat. Mini muffins usually banana nut, lemon poppy and blueberry. Along with condiments:margarine,jellies regular and sugar free,cream cheeses regular and strawberries. Make yourself vanilla waffles with regular and blueberry syrup also maple sugar free syrup. Biscuits and sausage gravy are complimented as the best they've had by avid fellow travelers. Sausage patties and cheese omelets. We've also experimented with change up with eggs, scrambled and fried eggs. To try to please the majority of our guests. I try to serve biscuits and gravy, omelets and sausage patties all weekend. One person is usually serving breakfast at our hotel of 84 rooms. It will keep you hopping to clean,cook, and stock plus be a good host to get to know people. I love meeting people and love my job. Most the time I hear from guests that they are surprised at the wide range off choices for breakfast and most are happy with it.
I am proud to say that at the Rodeway Inn in Imperial, Ca we serve coffee, tea, boiled eggs, cereal either frosted flakes or raisin bran, danishes, muffins, breakfast bars, pop tarts,and fruits. on ocasion we offer yogurts and gelatin. Not to mention the variety of hot chocolate,oatmeal or apple cider packages we have for a hot beverage.
N.A
M.M
Oh, I forgot we also serve at least 2 fruits,usually Apple's and bananas, or apples and oranges and 4 variety of oatmeal and four kinds of cereal.
I'm a kitchen manager for a major hotel we consider our breakfast a complimentary one. We have available:Coffee regular and decaf, tea regular and decaf. Juices:,Apple,cranberry and orange. Milk and water. Bagel's:plain and cinnamon raisin. Toast white and wheat. Mini muffins usually banana nut, lemon poppy and blueberry. Along with condiments:margarine,jellies regular and sugar free,cream cheeses regular and strawberries. Make yourself vanilla waffles with regular and blueberry syrup also maple sugar free syrup. Biscuits and...
I'm a kitchen manager for a major hotel we consider our breakfast a complimentary one. We have available:Coffee regular and decaf, tea regular and decaf. Juices:,Apple,cranberry and orange. Milk and water. Bagel's:plain and cinnamon raisin. Toast white and wheat. Mini muffins usually banana nut, lemon poppy and blueberry. Along with condiments:margarine,jellies regular and sugar free,cream cheeses regular and strawberries. Make yourself vanilla waffles with regular and blueberry syrup also maple sugar free syrup. Biscuits and sausage gravy are complimented as the best they've had by avid fellow travelers. Sausage patties and cheese omelets. We've also experimented with change up with eggs, scrambled and fried eggs. To try to please the majority of our guests. I try to serve biscuits and gravy, omelets and sausage patties all weekend. One person is usually serving breakfast at our hotel of 84 rooms. It will keep you hopping to clean,cook, and stock plus be a good host to get to know people. I love meeting people and love my job. Most the time I hear from guests that they are surprised at the wide range off choices for breakfast and most are happy with it.
There is no such words as a US Continental breakfast. But over in Europe where i stayed a lot durring my service in the military a continental breakfast consisted of one or two eggs usually soft or hard steamed, slices of deli meats and cheese, 3 or 4 inch rolls, coffee, juice, and jellies.
At our historic hotel we offer the following for continental breakfast: bagels, muffins, danish, cereal, oatmeal, coffee, tea, hot cocoa, oj, cream cheese, butter, jelly, yoghurt, bananas and oranges. Unfortunately a lot of people still believe this is not enough selection for a continental breakfast.
Last Time i had
a continental breakfast it had
steak And eggs And french toast
The Holiday Inn on W57th Street in NYC has always offered a coupon for continental breakfast to its Platinum members for each day of their stay. It means juice, toast or bagel, and coffee/tea.
I think you're asking what a common definition of "continental b-fast" is, rather than our wish lists. I agree with mvbruner that it's
"Minimum: Coffee, bagel/toast, yogurt, pastry, juice selection"
There may be more or less variety within those categories (maybe 2 flavors of yogurt for example) but that seems to be a good general standard for a minimum. Anything hot (besides coffee/tea) and it's no longer a Continental Breakfast but....I don't know,...
I think you're asking what a common definition of "continental b-fast" is, rather than our wish lists. I agree with mvbruner that it's
"Minimum: Coffee, bagel/toast, yogurt, pastry, juice selection"
There may be more or less variety within those categories (maybe 2 flavors of yogurt for example) but that seems to be a good general standard for a minimum. Anything hot (besides coffee/tea) and it's no longer a Continental Breakfast but....I don't know, something else!!
I'd expect some minimal amount of food and coffee. The food part is wildly inconsistent, in terms of quality, offerings, and amount.
Basically, don't expect much, and maybe you'll be elated.
At the last few hiltons that offered a continental breakfast.. the ones worth remembering had:
* smoked salmon
* hard boiled eggs (served cold)
* cold cuts
plus the usual toast/coffee/fruit etc.
I remember in college, staying in hostels in germany and austria - and the typical breakfast was:
cereal (not the american kind, more like granola)
cold cuts
cheese
toast
jam/butter
coffee
juice
in a serve yourself buffet style
Toast/Bagel/English muffin
Coffee
Juice
Milk
Cereal
Possibly a piece of fruit or some yogurt.
Continental breakfast: I think of an insufficient breakfast. :) I really like protein and something warm (ok basically I like freshly cooked eggs), however I supposed I'd take a continental breakfast over nothing.
I need some protein. So, I need Jimmy Dean breakfast sausages. I had empty carbs.
Croissant/muffins, some kind of juice (likely packaged in sealed serving sizes), little cartons of milk and small boxes of cereal (which go straight into my purse).
Anything else (bananas, apples, etc) I consider a bonus.
Disappointment
I wish they'd just nut up and change the name of "continental breakfast" to "cold shit" and call it a day.
Well, it is usually pastries or toast, preserves, butter, oj, and coffee. Though in some places they include cold cuts, cheese and hard boiled eggs.
So, it now sort of depends on the hotel now.... But the idea was that in the old times in Europe no cook was available as to prepare a hot b.fast, and hotels offered a cold b.fast which could be served by the service staff with minimal effort and not having to call in the cooks.
For me the standard is the SFO Hyatt (and btw, they finally removed that tacky 2 bottle limit sign from the beverage fridge .. several months ago.)
But I would say it includes hot beverage, juice, toast w/butter and jelly/jams or some other bread item or pastry and that's the bare minimum. Nicer onces include more, like fresh fruit, cereal, yogurt.
@A.S. very funny.
-David
A "true" continental breakfast is what you'll find in Europe ("the continent"). A US continental breakfast is, by definition, an oxymoron.
The continental breakfast has toast, jam, butter, orange juice, and tea/coffee/hot chocolate (choose one only).
Definitely no eggs (or anything hot, other than the beverage). Some people here are way off...
But, like I said, your question is a trick question since there's no such thing as a US continental breakfast. Americans like their...
A "true" continental breakfast is what you'll find in Europe ("the continent"). A US continental breakfast is, by definition, an oxymoron.
The continental breakfast has toast, jam, butter, orange juice, and tea/coffee/hot chocolate (choose one only).
Definitely no eggs (or anything hot, other than the beverage). Some people here are way off...
But, like I said, your question is a trick question since there's no such thing as a US continental breakfast. Americans like their hot food in the morning (eggs, sausages, cereal, etc.), so therefore there is no right answer and whatever you were served really depends on how they (and only they) interpret it.
If its a good hotel: Eggs, Juice, Coffe, Ham, Cereal, Pastries and Fruit.
But I at least expect coffe, juice, cereal and some pastries and something more
Coffee/Tea. Juice.
Some kind of bread.
Coffee/tea for sure.
At least 2 or 3 of the following: toast, bagel, pastry, muffin, cereal.
Juice and/or milk.
More often than not, I find all three of my favorites: yogurt, granola, and fruit.
Whining LOL.
You know it's going to be either really good or really bad....
My vote. coffee, tea, bread pastries and jam at minimum.
At least bagels and cereal.
cofee/tea
juice
a bread/carb combo
A coffee and croissant is the classic continental breakfast. Everything else could be considered extra. So give the whining a rest already.
If you're lucky, you get the waffle machine. I like it when they have fruit and cereal, bagels or pastries or toast, and the obligatory drinks.
when I used to work for Hilton as a room service waiter, continental breakfast consist of:
coffee (a small pot for 1)
juice (orange, cranberry, apple)
pastry (choice of bagel with cream cheese or 2 slices of toast with butter or 1 croissant or 1 good size danish or 2 small danish).
no more no less.
In the early 90s I would have said cheap breakfast sausage, scrambled eggs, pastries, toast/english muffins with peanut butter and cream cheese options, maybe some cereal (either in cylinders or little boxes) and poptarts, definitely fresh whole fruit, and juice and coffee.
Today, coffee, juice, toast, at least 2 more carbs (either pastries, bagels, muffins, or cereal) and hopefully fruit. Gone are the peanut butter, the cream cheese, the eggs, the sausage, and often...
In the early 90s I would have said cheap breakfast sausage, scrambled eggs, pastries, toast/english muffins with peanut butter and cream cheese options, maybe some cereal (either in cylinders or little boxes) and poptarts, definitely fresh whole fruit, and juice and coffee.
Today, coffee, juice, toast, at least 2 more carbs (either pastries, bagels, muffins, or cereal) and hopefully fruit. Gone are the peanut butter, the cream cheese, the eggs, the sausage, and often the cereal. It seems that hotels today want absolutely no dishes to do whatsoever.
I really, really hope you're talking about the Westin SFO Airport. Last time I stayed there, the continental breakfast off room service cost around $25 and came with juice, coffee, and a piece of toast. I kid you not.
Hm, I'd say:
-coffee/tea
-juice
-muffins/pastries/donuts
-fruit (maybe)
-bagels (maybe)
-yogurt (maybe)
-cereal/granola (maybe)
At a minimum, coffee or tea, usually juice, and some sort of muffin/pastry.
well... at a hojo express I stayed at last April the continental breakfast consisted of stale coffee and prepackaged little debbie muffins that were past their expiration date. To their credit, it was also a super-cheap room so I wasn't really expecting much.
If it were a "full-service" hotel, I would expect what others are saying: bagel/muffin/toast, fruit, coffee and juice. Maybe milk and cereal.
coffee and juice
some sort of bread product (bagels or what not)
some sort of fruit (even apples and bananas)
Cold breakfast period. That's what I think of.
Yes to all of those.
When I think continental breakfast - it's synonymous with a "cold" breakfast.
Juice, milk, coffee, tea. Breakfast pastries, bagel, toast.
I don't usually think fruit and/or yogurt when I think continental breakfast, but you're lucky if you get it.
US Continental Breakfast Haiku:
Coffee, OJ, carb
(bagel/toast/english muffin)
yogurt, pastry/cake.
I would expect what you described, and depending on the chain/location it would go from a cheap version of those to something that actually looks fresh and doesn't taste like s***.
Minimum: Coffee, bagel/toast, yogurt, pastry, juice selection
At a minimum breakfast bread (bagel/toast/muffin) and fruit with coffee AND juice.