Back Burner What are some of the most unusual breakfast requests you've ever received? By Pamela Leigh
PENINSULA BEVERLY HILLS Beverly Hills, California
James Overbaugh, Executive Chef
“Here at the Peninsula, our top priority is pleasing our guests, so what one might call an unusual request, we see as an opportunity to demonstrate the level of service we’re capable of providing. For example, when I first came to work here, we received a request for a case of a specific variety of Gatorade, only sold in Europe, and we fulfilled it. I was impressed. I have observed that people can be really particular about pancakes. One regular guest only wants his pancakes cooked a certain way, so we keep his recipe on file, and when he comes to stay with us, we make pancakes especially for him. Another pancake-particular guest only wants thin pancakes, so we have a special recipe filed away for her. People are also very focused on their health, and we get requests for special green juices. One guest wants celery, kale, parsley, spinach, organic burdock root, and wheatgrass juices, so we developed a recipe just for him, which he loves and requests every time he stays here. The preparation is labor-intensive, and the ingredients aren’t inexpensive, but it is another opportunity for us to provide incredible service.”
MILLENNIUM BOSTONIAN HOTEL Boston
Sean Moesman, Director of F&B
“One of the most unusual breakfasts I have seen cost more than $3,000. It was ordered by a man who had proposed to his girlfriend the night before, and he wanted to impress her with breakfast. It was served in a gazebo. He ordered a bottle of 1963 Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin along with oysters, lox and bagels, and a full buffet with both scrambled eggs and Eggs Benedict. Although the spread easily could have fed 25, it was for just the two of them. The man wanted his fiancée to have any breakfast item she might desire. Another interesting request happened about five years ago when we prepared a Champagne breakfast for a scene in the television reality show ‘The Bachelorette.’ That was fun, but the actual scene lasted only about 10 seconds in the episode.”
PARAMOUNT HOTEL New York City
Rido Doves, Director of F&B
“One unusual request was for an egg white and oatmeal omelet. The challenge with making it is that the oatmeal absorbs the liquid, so it gets pretty thick like a pancake. But we made it, and the guest loved it. There was also the person who requested a pineapple-mango omelet, which actually turned out to be very good. And, of course, every once in a while someone does order a pizza for breakfast. But I’d say the prize for unusual goes to a request by a group of Dutch guests who wanted to know if our yogurt was left- or right-turn churned. I thought they were kidding, but when I researched the topic, I learned that a chemical process occurs depending on which way the yogurt is churned. We couldn’t accommodate them since the yogurt here is made by machines so we don’t know which way it’s churned, but they ordered it anyway and enjoyed it.”
THE PALMS HOTEL SOUTH BEACH Miami
Maria Bond, Director of F&B
“I think there are probably fewer strange food items requested at breakfast than at any other meal. Having said that, two breakfasts stand out as the strangest requests. One was for a 6 a.m. birthday cake. The order was placed the night before, but pastry was not available to make a cake that early in the morning, so our restaurant manager went out that evening and bought a birthday cake for the guest. That’s what you call devotion. The other order was calamari pizza with two Bloody Marys and two raw eggs, each one in a shot glass. Does that qualify for the breakfast of champions? After all, it’s high in protein, boasts a full vegetable serving, contains grains, and has only a small amount of fat.”
Pamela Leigh is a frequent contributor to HOTEL F&B.
