Has lack of Premier Inn breakfast ruined the weekend?

Why anyone would want a Premier Inn or Pret breakfast if they were staying in East London for a weekend, I can't imagine.

To me, I like Shoreditch but on a January Sunday morning is miserable. It’s grey, freezing cold full of litter and detritus from the night before, the good cafes are busy and really expensive and may require booking and won’t be to everyone’s taste (you’ll probably find a Swedish bakery or pop-up congee place but might need to search for a decent cooked breakfasts). It’s much nicer on a Friday night or in the summer.

If I’m already feeling knackered and run down on a Sunday morning (as the OP says they were) I’d much rather eat in a warm hotel and then maybe go for a stroll and a coffee and to laugh at the overpriced pretentious shops, £100 hand wash anyone? once I’m feeling ready for the day.

They're really not that good at all. I think it's the stuff of lunacy to eat there when you have the whole of London to chose from.

I'd personally have stuck with the PI breakfast unless I specifically knew somewhere really amazing in the locality. Dragging round looking for somewhere, especially as you'd all been a bit unwell (and presumably in the freezing cold) isn't much fun. You ended up with pastries, porridge, toast and juice which you can fill your boots with at PI along with eggs, mushrooms, sausages etc. You could've had a little explore around after the hotel breakfast. So on balance I don't think you made the best decision but your DH is also being a sulking man child about it - unless you hardly ever stay in a hotel and the breakfast really was a rare and much anticipated treat.

This feels like a parallel universe to me - you’re in LONDON surrounded by amazing food options and yet planned to have a Premier Inn breakfast!!?? Are they really good? What am I missing out on???

The issue is not whether the hotel breakfast was better than what they ultimately got, the issue is her DH’s attitude. If it had been so important to him to have the hotel breakfast he shouldn’t have agreed to the alternative plan. Given he did, he should have behaved with good grace, not a grumpy git.

You are both being a bit unreasonable. It seems like you made the choice for everyone based on there being loads of options but in reality it turned out there werent / you didnt pre book, ill be honest and say those kind of vague plans that lead to trooping around trying to find somewhere i also find frustrating BUT equally DH could have said no and he'd prefer PI and you cpukd have had a discussion about it or split up for breakfast but he didnt, he agreed and then moaned afterwarda endlessy like a child which is also completely unreasonable. He said he is fed up with you making all the decisions - only you know if there is truth in that and if so perhaps invite peoples opunions next time. He may have just said it in the heat of the moment though. I think overall its not that deep - sounds like 6 of 1 and half a dozen of the other and you noty just need to let it go and move on now - sounds like the DC behaved better than the adults! 😬

More to this. You mentioned he's sick of you making all the decisions. Is there any truth in this? Otherwise, such a first world problem when there is so much hardship in the world.

My kids love a PI breakfast and would be gutted to skip it. You can go out to a cafe for breakfast any weekend.

I cannot be doing with sulking manchildren. It was one meal FFS, and he got fed, just a bit later. If he'd have used his words in the way of a grown adult in a timely manner, he would have been able to have had his precious hotel fry up. He didn't, and then he made his lack of communication out to be a you problem. It isn't.

Reliable, filling and really not that much different from e.g., a best western or Marriott. You have to go somewhere expensive and independent ime to really notice the difference.

I disagree. The hot food might be similar (I don’t eat eggs, so the hot food choice at most hotel buffet breakfasts is underwhelming), but the other options are much better at any Best Western or Marriott I’ve stayed at.

I’m curious if it was Dishoom with the queue outside? I can certainly understand why the OP would prefer a Dishoom breakfast to a PI breakfast.

I don’t think YABU @Liesmorelies but sounds like your DH is a moaner and you gave him new material so he’s in his element.

There isn’t a “Shoreditch market” - there are multiple markets in the area (such as Spitalfields, Columbia Road, etc) but none with this name. Sounds like you just decided to wing it and as you found out that’s not the best idea in Shoreditch on a Sunday morning as breakfast/brunch out is VERY popular so the best/good places will usually be fully booked and/or have queues unless you time it right. I can understand your DH’s annoyance as most people aren’t receptive to an unexpected wait / wander when hungry. Next time (if there is one) just book ahead, or ask on here where’s a good place to go at what time.

(I live in Shoreditch).

I can't imagine being in Shoreditch and eating a shite PI breakfast when there are so many independant places to have a lovely brunch.

agreed - a PI breakfast is excellent. We always book them if we have out of town weddings etc. Reliable, filling and really not that much different from e.g., a best western or Marriott. You have to go somewhere expensive and independent ime to really notice the difference.

I am a bit with your husband in that the traipsing about can really spoil what was supposed to be a spontaneous and informal time - it is often better to pick the first appropriate place to save the atmosphere.

I'd be gutted giving up a PI breakfast for 'porridge,pastries, toast and spreads, fresh juice and lovely coffee.' Sorry but I'm with your DH on this one.

It baffles me, genuinely, how so many of you put up with such arsehole husbands,

So it's "lazy" to choose to eat the breakfast provided at a hotel you're staying at? I've heard it all now. 😅

The oh so predictable snobby crap on this thread is cracking me up too. 😅

I agree that the OP's DH should quit moaning and get the fuck over it, though. There's people starving in the world ffs, and he's whinging, not about not getting breakfast at all, but about not getting a particular breakfast? He should grow the fuck up.

I think this isn’t really about breakfast tbh

Greedy people? Not rude at all!

I quite like a Premier Inn breakfast and I eat until I’m satisfied not stuffed. Not greedy at all.

We recently stayed at a Travelodge and we never usually stay in hotels, I wasnt going to book the breakfast because I like a nice chichi independent cafe and I admit to being a snob about that sort of breafkast, but I realised that the cost of the breakfast would be cheaper in the hotel compared to cafe and I know what Im like as I said above, I would be tramping about, dithering, cant decide if this or that is better, I drive myself round the bend. And given the weather I wouldnt want to waste time and be cold looking for somewhere.

Im so glad I did in the end, it was ok, hot, freshly done, nice bread and ok pastries, nice spreads which I wasnt expecting. OH loved it of course as he likes all the fry up

And the thing is, we dont cook a fry up at home, so its different for us, whereas we stop off for pastries and cakes quite a lot all the time so a fry up breakfast is better.

OP, does your DH have tantrums over other issues or is it a one off? If it's a one off, well it's, at best, very annoying when an adult behaves like a toddler but I would say put it behind you. If tantrums are becoming a pattern, i would start wondering if they are autistic meltdowns or if he is a narcissist or has some other problem (autistic meltdowns can start at any age - I'm late 50s and have recently started having autistic shutdowns, which I suppose are the quiet version of meltdowns).

It’s difficult to tell.

It sounds like DH wanted a cooked breakfast, like eggs etc. Did the place you go to have cooked options?

Also I can often tell my family will agree to stuff to please me- but I know they’d probably not enjoy it. So I tend to do it but make it v low demand “I am going to do X, if you’d like to join me you’re very welcome but I’m happy to meet you back here in an hour.” I think in your case I might have suggested DH stay at the hotel with DS and you and DD go out.

I do think DH was wrong to agree to it without thinking it through- and again I think I’d probably have expected places to be busy and not necessarily do good cooked breakfasts in Shoreditch- but I know the area quite well. I think he was perhaps just hungry and disappointed but I’d still be annoyed he let his grumpiness spoil things.

Why isn't it a reasonable solution?

And yes, I agree he should have spoken up.

Last time we tried to go to our local PI, we were told there was an hour wait (for 2 of us, not a large group). For a buffet style breakfast. No thanks. We found a local independent, probably paid a little more but it was made to order, table service etc. We did conclude that we are not the target demographic as a middle aged couple without young kids to entertain on a Sunday morning.

Why pay twice if breakfast is included in your rate

It’s not included at Premier Inn.

You're supposed to clean them before breakfast. Unless you do both - which is OTT!