Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner at your hotel: boost your turnover

Are you looking for a way to generate more turnover for your hotel? Most hotels already serve breakfast, but profit margins are often limited. You can achieve much better margins with lunch and dinner. How can you approach breakfast, lunch and dinner in a targeted way? The chefs at La Lorraine Bakery Group explain all.

Take an efficient approach

To generate sufficient profit on the food you offer, you need a food cost percentage of at least 30%. This is tricky to achieve with breakfast because the sales price needs to be low enough to be competitive. Lunch and dinner on the other hand have much better food cost percentages and are therefore the ideal way to boost turnover and profits. It's important that you take an efficient approach to serving lunch and dinner, and convince your customers to take advantage of your dining options. Here are some tips for an efficient and targeted approach:

Create a menu that appeals to every target group: take every target group into account when creating your menu. Offer kids meals for families, sharing dishes for couples and large groups, quick bites for business lunches and budget-friendly options for young people.
Cater to the dietary preferences of your customers: take into account any dietary preferences and allergies that your customers may have. This includes vegetarians, vegans and customers who eat gluten-free, halal and kosher diets. Use symbols to indicate special diets on your menu. This makes it easier for customers to find what they can eat.
Prepare for peak times: when you serve three meals a day, you'll deal with lots of peaks. So make sure you have plenty of staff to keep things running smoothly. Ensure that you are prepared for service and avoid long queues by providing a bar, lounge, terrace or veranda where guests can have a drink.
Make a good impression with your menu: this is especially important if your hotel is located in a city centre and there are many competitors in your area who also offer breakfast, lunch and dinner. You need your menu to make a good first impression to persuade your guests to eat with you. Use a logical structure and create an attractive layout with symbols to indicate different diets.

An extensive breakfast

There's no better start to the day than a good breakfast. To avoid long waiting times, a breakfast buffet is a delicious idea. You can provide something for everyone:

Bread: baguettes, Italian bread, bread rolls and sandwiches.
Viennoiserie: croissants, pain au chocolat, pain suisses and mini viennoiserie for people with small appetites.
Toppings: an extensive offering of cheeses and meats but also chocolate spread and jams. Use regional products from local traders where possible.
Cornflakes, granola and muesli Potentially seeds offered separately, e.g. flaxseed (gluten-free)
Yoghurt
Fruit: fresh and/or prepared as a fresh, seasonal fruit salad
Eggs
Donuts
Waffles
Pancakes
Muffins

Offer hot and cold drinks like coffee, tea, milk, chocolate milk, orange juice and apple juice. On Sundays and holidays, you could even offer Cava or Champagne for a luxurious brunch. There's no better start to the day than a good breakfast. To avoid long waiting times, a breakfast buffet is a delicious idea. You can provide something for everyone:

Bread: baguettes, Italian bread, bread rolls and sandwiches.
Viennoiserie: croissants, pain au chocolat, pain suisses and mini viennoiserie for people with small appetites.
Toppings: an extensive offering of cheeses and meats but also chocolate spread and jams. Use regional products from local traders where possible.
Cornflakes, granola and muesli Potentially seeds offered separately, e.g. flaxseed (gluten-free)
Yoghurt
Fruit: fresh and/or prepared as a fresh, seasonal fruit salad
Eggs
Donuts
Waffles
Pancakes
Muffins

Offer hot and cold drinks like coffee, tea, milk, chocolate milk, orange juice and apple juice. On Sundays and holidays, you could even offer Cava or Champagne for a luxurious brunch.

Tip 1: change out some of your buffet on a daily basis, e.g. by providing different flavours of mini beignets.

Tip 2: do your guests like to eat breakfast in their rooms? Create some breakfast baskets that they can order and have delivered to their rooms at a time of their choosing. This means they can enjoy a locally sourced, luxury breakfast without leaving their rooms. Ideal for couples who want more privacy or friend groups that went out the night before.

Tip 3: provide guests who have day trips planned with a breakfast on-the-go that they can enjoy while travelling. This makes things easier for your guests. Don't forget: you'll need (sustainable) packaging.

Tip 4: give customers the ability to reserve a buffet breakfast when they book their room. This means you can make a good estimation of the number of guests you can expect. When there is a large turnout, you can also divide the morning into two shifts. This allows you to prepare for peak times.

A smooth-sailing lunch

For lunch, you could go in many directions. You can keep it simple with sandwiches or create an extensive menu with soups, salads, paninis and even an appetiser board. Some customers like to have a dessert with a cup of coffee or tea after lunch. So be sure to offer patisserie like cakes or pies.

Want to get even more out of your lunch service? Give your guests the option of ordering it in advance. Then they can quickly pick up their lunch and continue exploring the area around your hotel. Simple, fast and efficient.

Essential recipes for your lunches:

Focaccia with grilled vegetables and cheddar
Schiacciata with pesto, bresaola and asparagus
Roll with smoked salmon, cheese & herb spread and radishes
Melted cheese with kimchi
Banh mi

Tip: want to provide an extra service between lunch and dinner? You could serve delicious gourmet coffee with a sweet treat.

An enjoyable dinner

When it comes to your dinner menu, you need to stand out. There is lots of competition — even more so if your hotel is located in an area popular with tourists. First you need to make sure you have an attractive setting. Turn part of your hotel into a real restaurant. Preferably at the front of the building or with outdoor seating, so you can also serve other guests.

Aside from the location, your menu is very important. Try to diversify by specialising in a specific dish, such as burgers. Another option is to provide a very extensive menu with meat, fish, veggie and vegan options. Then you'll appeal to all target groups. You could also create a daily or weekly menu that includes seasonal products to increase the margin of your menu. Is one particular dish a hit? Add it to your regular menu and create a menu of only winners.

Tip: organise themed evenings you can invite guests to. For example, a BBQ evening, an Italian evening, a Belgian mussel festival, all-you-can-eat prawns...

LLBG: your partner for breakfast, lunch and dinner

Do you need some support in putting together an attractive menu for your hotel? No matter if it's breakfast, lunch or dinner you need help with, La Lorraine Bakery Group can provide you with quality products and targeted advice.

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