GLUTEN free Breakfast - NEVER AGAIN

[Momi0]

Dear Fellow hosts and Travelers,

How hard is it to show GRATEFULNESS???????

This past month in September, which isn't over yet, I hosted a total of 21 guests so far from 5 different countries, (Italy, England, New Zealand, Germany, Australia,) and 4 States in USA and was so busy beyond belief pleasing everyone with all that I do.  Yes, I am the host who provides an outstanding sit down breakfast table service, with fresh daily grinded 100% Hawaiian EXPENSIVE coffee beans and Hawaiian tea.  My beautiful breakfasts are clearly written out in my menu section, photos displayed in my gallery, with examples of what I make for both Vegetarian and Non Vegetarian guests.

But what makes this month so challenging and disappointing, is that 3 separate bookings showed up letting me know that they are GLUTEN FREE.  My listing does not say I provide a GLUTEN FREE breakfasts.  However, I was expected to be creative with buying NEW GROCERIES at my expense, and making a completly different breakfast for the spouse who wanted GLUTEN FREE breakfast but insisted I still make his wife the "Momi Traditional Hawaiian" breakfast that previous guests had written about in their 5 Star reviews.

Well, imagine my shock and dismay, when I go out of my way and my expense to please EVERY SINGLE PERSON who can't eat anything I normally make bc of their strict gluten free breakfast not offer to compensate me in any way for this stuff.  And doesn't bother to write in their reviews how I had gone above and beyond to make an extra trip to the store to buy "expensive" gluten free items nor acknowledge that I made 2 different breakfasts every morning for 8 mornings for this one particular couple.  

I write this because this wasn't just ONE guests.....this was 3 separate bookings in September.  I was very stressed out accommodating everyone with getting breakfast served on time at 8:00am, to ensure one spouse got my yummy traditional Hawaiian French Toast, and making a separate Gluten Free Breakfast demanding that I hurry up as they had a bus to catch!!!  WHO DOES THAT!!?!?

I am already going above and beyond with guests driving them for free to beaches, hikes, shopping centers, out to dinners, making outstanding breakfast complete with Main course, hawaiian fruit and sausage to enjoy and now I am expected to spend even more money and time on thier dietary needs?  Well, I decided to inform my recent guests  at the time of their booking that I thought they should bring Gluten free products to my home so I could make a delicious breakfast for them, and was willing to drive this couple from ENGLAND to the store to pick it up since they weren't renting a car....did they do that ...NO!!!!  But they made sure to have me drive them every day / night to pick up more wine and tequila for their 5-6 nightly hours hours of drinking.  One night consuming 3 bottles of wine and 100 ML of Tequila all in the presence of my minor child.  Disgusting.

Fortunately, as a Superhost I would still like to continue being the only host in my town that actually makes a wonderful breakfast w/ Hawaiian products which are not cheap, and put smiles on my guests faces when they sit down to see what's waiting for them.   I spend $20 on food feeding a couple, sometimes more since the coffee is so expensive. 

What I won't do anymore is provide a Gluten Free Breakfast, especially after several guests decided it wasn't worth mentioning how hard I worked to create a delicious breakfast EVERY morning on my dime making a Gluten Free Breakfast.  I am so disappointed.  Including my latest review from an Italian couple.  While I do appreciate they wrote in Italian that I was an attentive host, they wrote MORE about my simple House rules of not wanting sand in my home, and NOTHING about the "extra" breakfasts I made each morning for their needs. smh   (at least everyone said in person the Gluten Free Breakfasts were yummy).

Thanks for letting me vent....and please take comfort knowing this, IF you do decide to check in at our home, as 3 other Superhosts have, it will be the best Hawaiian French Toast with Hawaiian sausage you will have ever had!  haha  Or maybe you would like to enjoy my Vegetarian Yoghurt Fruit salad made with 5 Hawaiian fruits...my guests today actually asked me how did I make it because she loved it so much!!  Hope she writes about that. 

I'm hosting my first ABB manager in October, and thankfully, he and his gf have no dietary concerns.  * Whew 😉

p.s.  Did I mention that NONE of these "gluten free guests" even left me me a gift?  Not even one ounce of tequila was left in the 175 ML bottle.  (but I did lick the last drop)  LOL

[Sandra126]

Bananas are filling and gluten free. Just give them as many as they can eat. What an utter pain! I adore gluten, give me ALL of it (and I would love to come  and have breakfast).

[Momi0]

@Sandra126  Why am I not surprised to see a FUNNY response from YOU so soon!!?   You are truly the best!  And you know who else was the best!?  The AUSTRALIAN family of 5 I hosted for 3 nights (left yesterday) and my entire family got teary eyed at 5am when I got up to make them breakfast because we knew we had to say goodbye at 6am to take them to the airport! Guess what they did, they posted a photo of one of my breakfasts on their FB and Instagram this morning with the most awesome message below it!  Made my day....so I'm gonna focus on THAT instead of the "hurtful" review I just translated from Italian to English.....WHY would anyone want sand in their home?!?  LOL (my house rules are clear...leave it at the beach). 

Thank you Sandra!  You will gain a few pounds at my house for sure....I also make everyone a great fruit and cheese cracker platter to welcome those who check in at dinner time as an appetizer because I know they are hungry after flying for long hours!!

So when are you coming?  hahahahah

[Robin4]

@Momi0.....Gee whiz, you always were a good scout Momi!

Don't let the so and so's get you down.

In the time that I have known you through these pages you are so passionate about what you do that we can't help loving you. Sometimes I think you can be a bit of a 'dag' with your style but hey, so can I!!!

Keep it up Momi, although Ade's MS has got the better of her now, I would still love to think we will get back to your lovely Islands again in the not too distant future, and if we do.....bloody look out!!!

Cheers.....Rob

[Amy38]

LOL!  You are going to see a lot more gluten free Americans.  Blue Diamond crackers are gluten free and available at any store here. Good w cheese for anyone.  Trader Joe makes a gluten free Oreo and ginger snap.

Both eggs and bananas are gluten free.  Screw these people.

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

Roll on the next dietary fab - hopefully it will be easier, like.....the breakfeast free breakfast, or maybe the attitiute free guest,

You go above and beyond and clearly enjoy doing so - as we know, apart from coealics, this fad will pass, but in them mean time point them towards the fruit and tell them the you can do a paelo diet offering but nothing else.

[Momi0]

@Gerry-And-Rashid0   Yeah I just learned from a friend of mine today about this PAELO diet.....guess I can always buy extra bananas like @Sandra126 said.....which by the way are $1.79 a pound in Hawaii......but in California, regular bananas from Mexico are .49 a pound....guess eating Hawaiian bananas must taste better since they are much more expensive....what I am a saying....THEY ARE WAY BETTER TASTING!  🙂

Thanks for both of your supported replies.   Fruit it is......

[Kelly87]

@Momi0

You only charge $69 AND provide breakfast? 

[Momi0]

@Kelly87  yes $69,  THAT is correct......AND I dont' even charge for my Momi Marvelous Mango Margaritas either.....but theres been a few wonderful guests who've gone out to buy a bottle of tequila for my homemade drinks.  Because they appreciate me alot.  Wish those guests had stayed longer.  🙂

Are you now dreaming about my Hawaiian Banana French toast, or my Egg Sausage Omelette Croissant Sanwich with Secret sauce?  haha - if you wanna see some great breakfast photos, check out my Instagram gallery....

[Sheri16]

Saving your listing for when I come to Hawaii momi 😍

[Karen77]

I've had folks with challenging dietary needs show up without letting me know and inconveniencing me horribly.   Now I have in my house rules that I must be notified 24 hours in advance if there are special needs.  

[Donna15]

@Momi0, I understand your frustration (and even hurt). Remember the adage: 'No good deed goes unpunished'. 🙂

I offer a generous continental breakfast (meaning non-cooked), which I can quickly make vegan/gluten-free by providing gluten/lactose-free muesli & bread, along with the 'normal' fruit and yoghurt. @Karen77, I also message guests prior to their arrival and ask whether they have any food allergies or dietary requirements. So far there've been only two guests (one of whom was lactose intolerant), and both were very appreciative (also in their reviews) of the slightly adjusted menu. For the lactose-intolerant guest I bought soya milk (which I can use myself, e.g. in smoothies or with muesli) and soya-yoghurt, and found some tasty lactose-free chocolates to put in her room as a welcome gesture. Almond milk is also a tasty substitute for milk.

Providing a non-cooked breakfast makes my life much simpler, and guests have all loved it. Most have mentioned it in their reviews. Another advantage is that even if I need to adjust the menu items slightly, I can always use the leftover items myself. This way nothing is wasted and the cost is minimal. 

[Karen77]

I do message my guests about dietary needs but a few have failed to communicate them.  That's why the house rule mention these days.   One guest had an exceedingly limited diet and failed to tell me what she could eat even after I asked.  That left me scrambling at a time when I was already very busy and I decided I'd be sure the house rules made it clear I don't bear all the responsibility.  

[Julia66]

Your breakfasts sound amazing, @Momi0 !

I just say in my listing that I do vegetarian if given notice, and for any other requirements or preferences, such as special bread, milk and tea, they should bring their own.

I bent my rules recently and let guests who were staying longer than the usual 1 or 2 nights to cook in my kitchen, although 'no self-catering' is in my rules.  I was actually relieved to see that they didn't mention this in their (good) review, because that would have encouraged other guests to want to do the same.  Never again, I echo!

With all the driving and shopping you do for guests, Momi, it's probably preferable that in their review they just say how extraordinarily accommodating you were in meeting their needs, or something, rather than mention details of all the favours, which future guests might expect.

But carry on giving your guests a fabulous experience!

[Momi0]

@Julia66   How incredibly sweet of you to say.  Yes, I have made some changes based on your suggestions and the suggestions of others... @Mariann4 @Sandra126 @Cynthia-and-Chris1 @Dawn33  @Zandra0  ( hope I got everyone)

@Lizzie  (community manager)  is absolutely right.  I just hosted another 5 Star guests *family of 5 from Australia who actually wrote about my delicious breakfast on their Instagram.  They were FAB and I am grateful that Lizzie pointed out that I just need to focus on those guests.  They brought so much joy to me, my husband AND MY DAUGHTER over 3 nights that I actually made a HUGE dinner for them and my entire family complete with Momi Marvelous Mango Margaritas of course on their last night.   This family found me on Instragram and joined Airbnb just to stay in my home.  It was a great experience, and I am now more open to hosting bigger groups then just the couples I normally host in my one ABB room.  

Thank you everyone for reading and contributing.  I am so grateful for all the time you all took to share your hearts.  And your compliments.  I look foward to hosting another ABB host soon.  As a matter of fact, I am hosting my first ABB Manager in October and can't wait.  Im fairly positive that this couple will enjoy my Hawaiian Breakfast....gluten and all.  LOL

@Lizzie, I can't wait for the day you book my place.....your tummy will be so happy.  😉