Breakfast or no breakfast?

[Anne515]

I am wondering what benefits hosts may have found to offering breakfast.  My listing is a private/whole house booking that does not have a kitchen.  I have given my guest suggestion on where to grab a breakfast but haven't provided anything but Keurig coffee.  Recently however, I offered breakfast (a simple egg bacon toast) to an overwhelming response of gratitude.  

Have other hosts found it's worth the time and effort?

Any concerns or risks associated (food illness or license requirement).  

By offering a hot or cold breakfast do you feel it has added value to your listing enough to increase the price or increase 5 star reviews?

thanks in advance,

Anne

[Branka-and-Silvia0]

@Anne515

there are other threads about breakfast here on CC so you may search for them. I've seen hosts often give up the idea bc guests are often on different types of diets like gluten free, lactose free, vegan etc.. and it is complicate to satisfy their demands.

My opinion is that if there is a grocery store near by then offering breakfast is not important. If there is no grocery store near by then I would provide a bottle of milk, honey, butter, jam , toast, coffee , tea and a toaster/ microwave/ coffee machine.  

Personally, I don't eat breakfast but I am not leaving a house without drinking my morning coffee first 🙂 

[Linda108]

@Anne515  You have a lovely listing and your reviews are glowing.  I wonder if you would benefit by adding breakfast, coffee and tea, yes, but breakfast, not so much.

I my case, I do offer a cold breakfast that the guest can self serve.  I get many positive comments about the breakfast from most guests.  I do have to consider food allergies or sensitivities and sometimes it is extra work, but I fine with that.

[Lawrene0]

Hi, @Anne515. Providing breakfast really is of benefit here because we are remote. But very few of the urban places at which I have stayed recently as a guest have offered breakfast, and that is absolutely fine with me, and, it seems, with all their other guests. It doesn't look like it affects the star ratings. So it is 100% up to you and your situation, and, as you say, licensing requirements, costs, etc. You will want to look into those.

If you enjoy the process - the cooking, the chatting, the overwhelming gratitude - I would say go for it. You can always stop if it becomes too much. What also helps is not tying yourself to it. I offer a cooked breakfast if I am around, and "continental" if I am not. Neither costs much, and it doesn't become a burden. 

[Jessica-and-Henry0]

@Anne515

I think it really depends on the type of guests you get, and whether guests have easy access to cafes or a supermarket. I rarely eat breakfast at home but do provide cereal, juice (in the guest-shelf in the fridge), crackers, cookies, instant soup, instant noodles, coffee & tea and have set up a small self-serve area in the kitchen. If there is something they like, they can help themselves. If they need or want something specific, they can bring or buy their own 🙂 Simple~ and it doesn't really cost that much time or effort because most of what I provide I also consume. I think most guests appreciate that they have the option of a few choices IF they feel like it.

[Jennifer--And-My-Brother0]

I just left cereal and milk for each guest and sort of got berated by a returning roommate for bothering her with unnecessary messages.   I think they might be hungry in the morning so I think cereal and milk would be okay to provide the guests before they go out and get the hot breakfast/brunch that they really want. 

I am tempted to provide snacks. I do have frozen dinners and popsicles in the fridge.    I'm not sure what to do in the future when it comes to food.