Rusty

[Don Draper]

First full house (18 people) since December. I forgot how much work it is to get them all fed and out the door.
To complicate things, Valentine's Day weekend draws a very strange crowd here. One couple is from the next town over (12 miles away) and staying for 3 nights...cannot get a smile or so much as a blink out of the pair of them. They are like a vacuum at the breakfast table...anyone who so much as tries to say anything to them gets the same blank stare that we've been getting since they checked in...WHY do they come to a b&b???

 

[muirford]

First, I thought - why is someone posting a forum topic named after my cat?
We haven't had a full house since New Year's, and this weekend was a roller coaster with cancellations, then rebookings at the last minute because of the snow here. We ended up with five rooms last night (all we could take due to parking restrictions with the snow) and four tonight, but I am severely out of practice and sorely underprepared for a full house.
I just said to DH how V-Day is amateur night at B&Bs, just like it is at restaurants. I hate to eat out on Valentine's Day. Especially this weekend for us, with so many last minute and one night bookings. We think one room did a runner last night - their car is gone. Weird...

 

[Don Draper]

First, I thought - why is someone posting a forum topic named after my cat?
We haven't had a full house since New Year's, and this weekend was a roller coaster with cancellations, then rebookings at the last minute because of the snow here. We ended up with five rooms last night (all we could take due to parking restrictions with the snow) and four tonight, but I am severely out of practice and sorely underprepared for a full house.
I just said to DH how V-Day is amateur night at B&Bs, just like it is at restaurants. I hate to eat out on Valentine's Day. Especially this weekend for us, with so many last minute and one night bookings. We think one room did a runner last night - their car is gone. Weird....

Hahaha...give Rusty a scratch behind the ears from me! Sorry to hijack his name for my vent.
That is EXACTLY the phrase we use...it's total amateur night for V-Day, plus us being out of practice, it's just not a great combo. I'm trying not to let other people's idiosyncrasies affect me so much this year but I am off to a poor start.

 

[Don Draper]

Oh, and today's first check-in just showed up...at 10:50 AM!!!!!!!! Grrrrrrrrr......

 

[muirford]

Oh, and today's first check-in just showed up...at 10:50 AM!!!!!!!! Grrrrrrrrr.......

Oh, and today's first check-in just showed up...at 10:50 AM!!!!!!!! Grrrrrrrrr......

You officially beat me. Plus, it turns out our missing car people are still here. We have no idea where their car is. She snuck down to get some food for breakfast to take up to him. Wonder if they cabbed home from somewhere last night?

 

[gillumhouse]

Oh, and today's first check-in just showed up...at 10:50 AM!!!!!!!! Grrrrrrrrr.......

At this point in time, I would grateful for a check-in - whatever time. This is my dead season - for revenue anyway, the bills keep rolling in.....
I am not close to a metro area to get the "get out of towns" and normally do not have enough snow for X-country or hills for downhill skiing. May Spring come soon!! Yes, the green is jealousy!

 

[egoodell]

We're back in the swing of things too after getting three weekends snowed out! But I guess because of the winery and brewery tours we get people that we really have fun with usually. Occasionally we get a wine snob.
RIki

 

[Don Draper]

We're back in the swing of things too after getting three weekends snowed out! But I guess because of the winery and brewery tours we get people that we really have fun with usually. Occasionally we get a wine snob.
RIki.

Yes, I'm thinking more and more that alcohol is the answer here...I should just put a big old jug of SOMETHING out with my new ice machine...here people, medicate yourselves!

 

[Baygirl]

We had to get back into the swing of things this weekend as well...We've been enjoying our down time and it was tough to switch gears. I'm happy to say we had a fantastic group in this weekend. It makes all the difference in the world. I'm thankful for the busy weekend...30 days until vacation and a little cushion in the bank would be nice!
Happy Valentines Day all!!!

 

[Innkeeper To Go]

See now, out here in California when guests do the blank stare thing I just assume they're stoners. Maybe they're just folks who indiscriminately stare rather than responding to actual conversation, but that's my assumption all the same.

 

[Morticia]

Holy mackeral are you right...rusty! All 6 rooms came to eat at the same time. We were making baked brie for a starter. It was all I could do to keep up. Completely missed offering jams, I was too run out to even think about it.

 

[Morticia]

Oh, and today's first check-in just showed up...at 10:50 AM!!!!!!!! Grrrrrrrrr.......

We had a lookie lou about that time. Had to stop and show them around, then our stayover guests came back and wanted to chat. But, we are done! Except the laundry, which I just threw into the kitchen. I have to sit down for a minute then I'll empty out MY clothes and start the inn laundry.

 

[egoodell]

We're back in the swing of things too after getting three weekends snowed out! But I guess because of the winery and brewery tours we get people that we really have fun with usually. Occasionally we get a wine snob.
RIki.

Yes, I'm thinking more and more that alcohol is the answer here...I should just put a big old jug of SOMETHING out with my new ice machine...here people, medicate yourselves!
.

Yes, I'm thinking more and more that alcohol is the answer here...I should just put a big old jug of SOMETHING out with my new ice machine...here people, medicate yourselves!

Yes, they get just enough to drink on the wine tour to put them in a great mood but not enough to make them drunk. It makes for a wonderfully satisfied guest! And since we have the tour insurance we offer to drop them in town for dinner and pick up as late as 9:30 which they love.
Riki

 

[Don Draper]

Holy mackeral are you right...rusty! All 6 rooms came to eat at the same time. We were making baked brie for a starter. It was all I could do to keep up. Completely missed offering jams, I was too run out to even think about it..

Me too!!! First day no one came to eat before 10 so yesterday I got a little relaxed in my prep schedule so of course half the house showed up at 8 am, all but beating down the door. I hate getting my sea legs back, I feel so out of sorts!

 

[kattrin]

We had 10 for breakfast on Saturday and it was like I forgot how to cook. Nothing came out right. We are known for great food - not sure the week-end guests would agree. We have 8 for breakfast tomorrow. Hope things go better. I need to practice more and eat less during our down time.

 

[Innkeeper To Go]

We had 10 for breakfast on Saturday and it was like I forgot how to cook. Nothing came out right. We are known for great food - not sure the week-end guests would agree. We have 8 for breakfast tomorrow. Hope things go better. I need to practice more and eat less during our down time..

I need to practice more and eat less during our down time.

That's always the tricky part. Practicing without eating.
I invite friends over for brunch parties to keep my skills in tune when I'm not at an inn.
Everybody's happy that way. And I don't have to eat for 12!

 

[Breakfast Diva]

We had 10 for breakfast on Saturday and it was like I forgot how to cook. Nothing came out right. We are known for great food - not sure the week-end guests would agree. We have 8 for breakfast tomorrow. Hope things go better. I need to practice more and eat less during our down time..

I need to practice more and eat less during our down time.

That's always the tricky part. Practicing without eating.
I invite friends over for brunch parties to keep my skills in tune when I'm not at an inn.
Everybody's happy that way. And I don't have to eat for 12!
.

If I want to try out a new recipe and I have guests who are really great, I'll ask them if they want to be my guiena pigs. They always say yes, so I'll try it out on them. I will also make sure that the rest of the offerings at breakfast are really good just in case the new one is a flop. Actually, no flops yet, but just in case!
My first year as an innkeeper, I gain about 20 lbs because the recipes that came with the inn were not great and I was trying out so many new one that we would eat for dinner, then also eating the left overs at breakfast. It finally became very clear when I couldn't fit into any of my clothes that I would have to drastically change my tasting and eating left overs!