Promoting a luxury breakfast in challenging economic times can be a bit of a scramble. But as one hotel group has proven, adding premium products to the morning menu can be a people pleaser and a profit point.

Noble House is a privately owned company based in Kirkland, Washington, and many of the luxury resort and boutique hotel properties it owns or manages are in Florida and California. Although each property is distinct, they all promote an atmosphere of luxury, quality, and refinement for their upscale clientele.

While the hotels, like so many in the luxury category, have suffered a downturn in occupancy during the past 18 months, the food and beverage outlets have picked up the slack. One reason for this is the restaurants are focusing on the local dining market. Thomas Haas, VP of F&B, explains what many hotels have also realized, “By attracting local residents, we reduce our dependence on hotel guests. As a result, almost all of our restaurants have increased their number of covers during the past year.” Haas points out, however, that spending habits have changed, with diners spending less per lunch or dinner check, as they choose small plates instead of entrées or cut back on alcohol.

MORNING INDULGENCE
Breakfast is the one meal where Noble House diners aren’t skimping. In fact, they are splurging. “Because breakfast is the most affordable meal of the day,” Haas says, “guests can go upscale and still spend less than $40 for two.”

To take advantage of such spending patterns, the company has introduced luxury breakfast items. They include spirited breakfast beverages such as Bellinis and Bloody Marys as well as ritzy twists on classic breakfast dishes. Core luxury dishes such as Kobe Flat-Iron Steak & Eggs; Lump Crab & Avocado Benedict; and Frittata with Lobster, Asparagus, and Brie command a 25 to 30 percent premium over standard breakfast fare. The drinks, prepared by trained waitstaff, add another $7 or $8 each. About 70 percent of the breakfast alcohol consumption takes place on weekends.

PRICELESS IN SEATTLE
Noble House’s flagship hotel, the Edgewater in Seattle, unlike most of the company’s other hotels, has a client mix that is more business and “social” (fewer vacationers and more event attendees such as wedding guests or football fans). The average luxury breakfast diner at the property’s Six Seven restaurant is of a leisurely profile and has a tendency to sleep in. Executive Chef Jordan Mackey points out that most luxury breakfasts are served after 10 a.m.

As a result of careful planning, Mackey sees little downside to offering luxury breakfast items. Even if they aren’t ordered, their descriptive menu appeal isn’t lost on guests. More importantly, the ingredients never go to waste, regardless of orders, because the strategy is to develop breakfast recipes that, as Mackey puts it, “creatively cross-utilize pricey ingredients from other meal menus.” For example, the fresh lobster and Dungeness crab served in morning Benedicts appear on the dinner menu in more standard forms. Similarly, the wilted arugula and prosciutto chips topping luxury breakfast dishes are ingredients in lunch salads.

Approximately 19 to 22 percent of all breakfasts served at Noble House hotels incorporate luxury items. (The figure is a bit lower at the Edgewater, given its lower percentage of leisure guests). As a result, Haas notes, “Since the introduction of the luxury menu, the per check average across the board has increased by about $3 per head.”

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