How much do you cook in advance?

[Breakfast Diva]

I cook and prep all in the morning. Well, except for the special items i.e., GF muffins, etc. I'll do a batch of those and throw them in the freezer. I also make my granola a head of time.

 

[gillumhouse]

My breakfast ballet is mix up the muffin bread to start raising, turn oven on to preheat, mix up muffins and put in oven when heated, put foil on cookie sheet(s) and lay bacon on foil (makes clean-up easier for his lordship), wash hands and get back to taking muffins out of oven and tipping them to cool in the pan (do not want soggy bottoms). Get coffee perking. Mix up egg bake while bacon is in the oven and put bread in the pans to raise. Get yogurt in dish and jelly in dish and juice & water pitchers & cream pitcher into kitchen. Bacon out and on paper towels to drain. Egg bake and bread go in oven 20 minutes before chosen breakfast time. Make fruit dish and put on table 5 minutes before lift-off with juices, yogurt, cream, and ice water. Muffins on plate already on table as I collect pitchers. Hot water in carafe to warm it up and coffee goes in as I hear steps coming down. Tell them what the muffin, juices, and fruit of the day are as I bring in carafe of coffee telling them what country it is. Then I go back to kitchen to plate bacon and - if done and it usually is - garnish the egg bake if i remember to and cut into serving size adding servers, bring in the bread to each guest's bread plate and then bring out the bacon and the egg bake.
This works beautifully until his lordship decides to get up and fix HIS breakfast during the third act of the ballet. THEN I have to dance around him because no matter which part of the "one-butt kitchen" I am headed for, HE is occupying it and I have to be careful not to knock him over (no matter how much I might like to). I budget 90 minutes start to finish (table set night before).

 

[JBloggs]

My breakfast ballet is mix up the muffin bread to start raising, turn oven on to preheat, mix up muffins and put in oven when heated, put foil on cookie sheet(s) and lay bacon on foil (makes clean-up easier for his lordship), wash hands and get back to taking muffins out of oven and tipping them to cool in the pan (do not want soggy bottoms). Get coffee perking. Mix up egg bake while bacon is in the oven and put bread in the pans to raise. Get yogurt in dish and jelly in dish and juice & water pitchers & cream pitcher into kitchen. Bacon out and on paper towels to drain. Egg bake and bread go in oven 20 minutes before chosen breakfast time. Make fruit dish and put on table 5 minutes before lift-off with juices, yogurt, cream, and ice water. Muffins on plate already on table as I collect pitchers. Hot water in carafe to warm it up and coffee goes in as I hear steps coming down. Tell them what the muffin, juices, and fruit of the day are as I bring in carafe of coffee telling them what country it is. Then I go back to kitchen to plate bacon and - if done and it usually is - garnish the egg bake if i remember to and cut into serving size adding servers, bring in the bread to each guest's bread plate and then bring out the bacon and the egg bake.
This works beautifully until his lordship decides to get up and fix HIS breakfast during the third act of the ballet. THEN I have to dance around him because no matter which part of the "one-butt kitchen" I am headed for, HE is occupying it and I have to be careful not to knock him over (no matter how much I might like to). I budget 90 minutes start to finish (table set night before)..

My breakfast ballet

Is that term in the innspiring innkeepers glossary of terms? I like it!
Although at times around here I think it may be better called "Running with the bulls breakfast"

 

[Camge]

There are two of us, and most of the cooking and plating is done the morning of. We have up to 10 guests. I do bake the day before except biscuits, scones and puffs which I bake the morning there of. We start with a fruit platter or two,depending on the number of guests. Usually 7-8 types of fruit. As guests arrive(we serve 8:30-9:30) we get juice requests and I deliver baked goods, either muffins, scones, biscuits, cream cheese puffs, coffee cake.my husband gets coffee ready, we do French press, 2 guests per pot. Takes 4 mins. But is worth it.
we start either savory ie. Fritatas, omlets, croque madames etc... Or sweet ie. Waffles french toast pancakes, dutch babies. We alternate days. All served with bacon or sausage, or ham. Sometimes we put out latkes, or grits, hash browns. All guests are served as they arrive. So I guessit is pre-prepared and cooked to order. Bakng muffins in the Am ,Was too much for me!

 

[EmptyNest]

There are two of us, and most of the cooking and plating is done the morning of. We have up to 10 guests. I do bake the day before except biscuits, scones and puffs which I bake the morning there of. We start with a fruit platter or two,depending on the number of guests. Usually 7-8 types of fruit. As guests arrive(we serve 8:30-9:30) we get juice requests and I deliver baked goods, either muffins, scones, biscuits, cream cheese puffs, coffee cake.my husband gets coffee ready, we do French press, 2 guests per pot. Takes 4 mins. But is worth it.
we start either savory ie. Fritatas, omlets, croque madames etc... Or sweet ie. Waffles french toast pancakes, dutch babies. We alternate days. All served with bacon or sausage, or ham. Sometimes we put out latkes, or grits, hash browns. All guests are served as they arrive. So I guessit is pre-prepared and cooked to order. Bakng muffins in the Am ,Was too much for me!.

7-8 kinds of fruit.??? Why that much? Doesn't it get wasted. You are tiring me out just reading what you do for breakfast.

 

[Camge]

There are two of us, and most of the cooking and plating is done the morning of. We have up to 10 guests. I do bake the day before except biscuits, scones and puffs which I bake the morning there of. We start with a fruit platter or two,depending on the number of guests. Usually 7-8 types of fruit. As guests arrive(we serve 8:30-9:30) we get juice requests and I deliver baked goods, either muffins, scones, biscuits, cream cheese puffs, coffee cake.my husband gets coffee ready, we do French press, 2 guests per pot. Takes 4 mins. But is worth it.
we start either savory ie. Fritatas, omlets, croque madames etc... Or sweet ie. Waffles french toast pancakes, dutch babies. We alternate days. All served with bacon or sausage, or ham. Sometimes we put out latkes, or grits, hash browns. All guests are served as they arrive. So I guessit is pre-prepared and cooked to order. Bakng muffins in the Am ,Was too much for me!.

7-8 kinds of fruit.??? Why that much? Doesn't it get wasted. You are tiring me out just reading what you do for breakfast.
.

I guess it does sound like a lot, but we are in "the Hamptons " and it is crazy out here. Our closest Inn charges $1500 dollars a night. We are considered at the low end at $200 to $500 a night. Expectations are high, and so far being ahead of the pack has kept us full. As a beach community we are really busy June through Oct. and since we live here we stay open the rest of the time. wE joke that we have breakfast parties, no one leaves the table untill after 10:30.

 

[Samster]

I never cooked ahead and held food in the oven, unless....guests were just not appearing for breakfast at the time they picked, or they were lingering over the fruit course. Then, I might have to stick waffles, or something else in the warming oven for a bit.
Bacon and other breakfast meats sides were cooked all at once though. But they tend not to suffer with being kept gently warmed.
It IS a delicate balance, but like JB I was pretty adamant that the food be hot, hot, hot and fresh out of the oven or off the stove. It's the way I personally like breakfast, so I guess I went with that!
We could have up to 15 guests at breakfast...

 

[B]

We have a reputation for the best breakfast in town. We are not overly fancy but, have very good plate presentation. We do a two course meal each morning and, on weekends, serve between 35-50 guests.Our current Saturday menu is Almond Biscotti with whipped chocolate and fresh fruit, Individual Italian Herb and Vegetable Quiche, Potatoes and Local Sausage. Sundays we do a Fresh Fruit Yogurt Parfait, Herb Scrambled Eggs, Lemon Ricotta and Blueberry French Toast and local bacon.
On Saturdays, the biscotti has been pre-made, the fruit has been portioned and the quiches have been prepared so they are ready for the oven. On Sundays the Lemon Ricotta and blueberry sauce is all that is made ahead.
We set the tables the night before and have everything ready to go for the morning. My chef shows up about an hour before service and my server/helper comes in about 45 minutes before service. When we are over 30 people and/or delivering to our guesthouses I will also have a third person show up 15 minutes before service to help.

 

[Lee2014]

We have a reputation for the best breakfast in town. We are not overly fancy but, have very good plate presentation. We do a two course meal each morning and, on weekends, serve between 35-50 guests.Our current Saturday menu is Almond Biscotti with whipped chocolate and fresh fruit, Individual Italian Herb and Vegetable Quiche, Potatoes and Local Sausage. Sundays we do a Fresh Fruit Yogurt Parfait, Herb Scrambled Eggs, Lemon Ricotta and Blueberry French Toast and local bacon.
On Saturdays, the biscotti has been pre-made, the fruit has been portioned and the quiches have been prepared so they are ready for the oven. On Sundays the Lemon Ricotta and blueberry sauce is all that is made ahead.
We set the tables the night before and have everything ready to go for the morning. My chef shows up about an hour before service and my server/helper comes in about 45 minutes before service. When we are over 30 people and/or delivering to our guesthouses I will also have a third person show up 15 minutes before service to help..

Welcome B!

How about posting a forum topic to introduce yourself to us all as B. Would love to hear about how you became an innkeeper, etc.

 

[user 26]

hmmm ... baked goods were made ahead and bacon or sausage in the oven to cook was ready at 8 am and holding - would often 'crisp it up' on stove top or griddle just before plating a serving.
I made a huge quiche - sometimes two - that was ready to serve by 8 am (start of breakfast) and kept quite nicely in the oven. onions and veggies and cheeses all cut and bagged up and ready to put into the quiche pan(s) at 7:15
Any PREP work I would gladly do ahead of time but never cooked basic things ahead and held. It doesn't take so very long to make pancakes or waffles if you've got two griddles and two waffle irons (and a special breaker so you don't blow fuses or whatever)
I often felt like people were waiting ages as I cooked and served alone but was also often surprised when they'd say 'so quick!. I had self serve hot coffee and tea and juice set out ... they could make toast if they were 'starving' but it wasn't so long to wait.
You've got to be very careful about cooking eggs and things ahead of time. I never did that myself, just cooked and served. I had some guests telling me about the rubbery or hard eggs, limp bacon and soggy toast and hard pancakes in steaming trays from an area inn. *cringe* Having gone through a buffet line and seen this I understood but didn't comment other than 'oh' because I didn't want to criticize someone else's place.
Mostly 12 to 18 guests were staying ... sometimes 21. I did the whole breakfast ballet on my own.
QUESTION: Does GOMEZ say he wants to prepare things in advance? How is what you are currently doing working for him? Are they perceiving need of a change that he doesn't/wouldn't want?

 

[Country Girl]

I have a warming drawer so if I make a quiche or strata I will bake it a little bit ahead of time and keep it hot. Some quick breads can be made the day prior, but other than that, everything is made that day.

 

[Anon Inn]

I have a warming drawer so if I make a quiche or strata I will bake it a little bit ahead of time and keep it hot. Some quick breads can be made the day prior, but other than that, everything is made that day..

I've fantasized about a warming drawer, but other priorities made it drop off the list, now in that someday kitchen expansion.......

 

[TheBeachHouse]

I have a warming drawer so if I make a quiche or strata I will bake it a little bit ahead of time and keep it hot. Some quick breads can be made the day prior, but other than that, everything is made that day..

I've fantasized about a warming drawer, but other priorities made it drop off the list, now in that someday kitchen expansion.......
.

I've fantasized about a warming drawer, but other priorities made it drop off the list, now in that someday kitchen expansion.......

Consider a new range. No need to rebuild the kitchen. It fits the standard range size.
We bought a floor model. Has two ovens. Both have warming feature, bake and broil. And the top, smaller one has a toaster feature.
Like it was made with a B&B in mind.

 

[Country Girl]

My DH told me some new microwaves also have a warming-drawer feature that can hold hot foods.

 

[Anon Inn]

I have a warming drawer so if I make a quiche or strata I will bake it a little bit ahead of time and keep it hot. Some quick breads can be made the day prior, but other than that, everything is made that day..

I've fantasized about a warming drawer, but other priorities made it drop off the list, now in that someday kitchen expansion.......
.

I've fantasized about a warming drawer, but other priorities made it drop off the list, now in that someday kitchen expansion.......

Consider a new range. No need to rebuild the kitchen. It fits the standard range size.
We bought a floor model. Has two ovens. Both have warming feature, bake and broil. And the top, smaller one has a toaster feature.
Like it was made with a B&B in mind.
.

This range in the link is similar to ours. We have gas burners. a stand alone restaurant electric griddle (24inch) lives just to the right of this. It was a compromise as a pro model with all those features would have been big $. Those $s went to custom period replacement window sashes instead. Happy compromise.
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/96/65/7d/96657d8391152ace60ea03121ccb06c0.jpg
After reading your post I looked online and found ranges similar to the one you describe. Lots of them. Times have changed!

 

[Morticia]

hmmm ... baked goods were made ahead and bacon or sausage in the oven to cook was ready at 8 am and holding - would often 'crisp it up' on stove top or griddle just before plating a serving.
I made a huge quiche - sometimes two - that was ready to serve by 8 am (start of breakfast) and kept quite nicely in the oven. onions and veggies and cheeses all cut and bagged up and ready to put into the quiche pan(s) at 7:15
Any PREP work I would gladly do ahead of time but never cooked basic things ahead and held. It doesn't take so very long to make pancakes or waffles if you've got two griddles and two waffle irons (and a special breaker so you don't blow fuses or whatever)
I often felt like people were waiting ages as I cooked and served alone but was also often surprised when they'd say 'so quick!. I had self serve hot coffee and tea and juice set out ... they could make toast if they were 'starving' but it wasn't so long to wait.
You've got to be very careful about cooking eggs and things ahead of time. I never did that myself, just cooked and served. I had some guests telling me about the rubbery or hard eggs, limp bacon and soggy toast and hard pancakes in steaming trays from an area inn. *cringe* Having gone through a buffet line and seen this I understood but didn't comment other than 'oh' because I didn't want to criticize someone else's place.
Mostly 12 to 18 guests were staying ... sometimes 21. I did the whole breakfast ballet on my own.
QUESTION: Does GOMEZ say he wants to prepare things in advance? How is what you are currently doing working for him? Are they perceiving need of a change that he doesn't/wouldn't want?.

QUESTION: Does GOMEZ say he wants to prepare things in advance? How is what you are currently doing working for him? Are they perceiving need of a change that he doesn't/wouldn't want?

He's ok with how he does things now. Sometimes it gets a little stressful in peak season. But that is also when the most guests 'can't eat that' so cooking it all in advance would be wasteful.
I think they folks who helped him are used to everything being cooked and ready to plate so having to tell him to start cooking was stressful for THEM.