When was the last time you treated your group to a really wonderful breakfast on the road?
I’m a sucker for a great breakfast. I don’t mean a continental breakfast — even the trendy upgraded kind with a couple of hot dishes set out alongside the yogurt and pastries. I’m talking about a breakfast with real scrambled eggs (not from a box), bacon, biscuits, fresh fruit and more. If there’s an omelet station or an opportunity for made-to-order pancakes, even better.
When I find a breakfast like this, I’ll go out of my way to enjoy it. Sure, I could probably save some time by ducking into a fast-food joint or coffee shop instead of taking the time to sit down to a proper plate. But I’m willing to spend the extra 20 minutes on a great meal.
I couldn’t help but think about breakfast as I read our theme article “Go Big for Breakfast.” Some of the breakfast, brunch and bakery spots Diana Bocco highlights in that article are among my very favorites.
The article also made me think of some of the other amazing breakfasts I have had on the road. The breakfast buffet at the Riverwalk Cantina inside the Gaylord Texan Resort is staggering in size, because of course, everything is bigger in Texas. The breakfast potatoes at the Higgins Hotel in New Orleans were far and away the best I have ever had. When I’m in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, I’ll go out of my way for the sweet potato pancakes at the Island Vista Resort’s Cypress Room restaurant.
There are destinations that offer unique regional takes on breakfast food. I’ll take green chili on my omelets, breakfast burritos or just about anything else I eat in New Mexico. Tasting Conecuh sausage is a must for foodies traveling in Alabama. South of the border, chilaquiles are a local breakfast specialty that make mornings wonderful throughout Mexico. The sweetest pineapple I have ever tasted has been on breakfast tables in Costa Rica. And throughout Europe, American travelers are often surprised to find a mashup of familiar and foreign breakfast foods, including a variety of breads, cheeses and meats that would make any charcuterie board feel deluxe.
I could go on and on, but you get the point. Breakfast can be an incredible opportunity, not just for some tasty food but also for authentic cultural encounters as well.
Which begs the question: Are you taking advantage of this opportunity?
If you’re like most group travel planners, your customers probably eat from more mediocre breakfast spreads — where the fruit came frozen and the eggs came out of boxes — than you care to admit.
I understand the economics of group travel, and I get why continental breakfasts are attractive. But every now and then — maybe even just once per trip — I think you should treat your travelers to a more memorable breakfast.
No, they don’t eat that way at home. I don’t either. But that shouldn’t hold you back.
After all, travel is all about doing things that you don’t do at home. A great breakfast on the road is a special treat. Your travelers deserve to have one every now and then. And I think you do too.
