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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have assumed this about breakfast?

295 replies

YouWhatLove · 02/06/2022 22:02

Staying in a country pub with rooms for a couple of nights away with my dc. We went down for breakfast this morning and the waitress asked if we wanted the continental breakfast for £7.95 or the cooked breakfast for £10.95 (slightly cheaper for dc but can’t remember the price). We all had the cooked breakfast, she took our orders and went off.

I then went to the continental buffet bit and got juice for dc, a cup of tea for myself and 2 slices of toast to go with our cooked breakfast. She delivered the cooked breakfast, it was all very nice and then she presented us with the bill that charged us for 3 x continental breakfast and 3 x cooked breakfast. I said she’d charged us twice and she said that she’d seen me go to the buffet so had to charge me. After a bit of a fuss she agreed to only charge for the cooked breakfast but said to not do it tomorrow and that if I wanted tea/ juice/ toast I had to order it with my breakfast.

I haven’t stayed in that many places that offered a continental and cooked breakfast at a separate price but was I being cheeky to assume the cost of a cooked breakfast included juice and toast from the buffet bit? I’m sure when I’ve stayed in Premier Inn or similar that’s been the case or maybe I’ve just been nicking stuff without realising it 😬

OP posts:
knittingaddict · 03/06/2022 07:14

alphons · 03/06/2022 00:01

Is there a global rule I’m unaware of that whatever the Premier Inn does is what should be expected everywhere else by everyone 😕?

There were two things to choose from: A and B. A and B commonly overlap in terms of tea/coffee. Not toast, because who has toast with their American blueberry pancakes (for example). And not juice because that costs the proprietor more (cheaper to throw in a grapefruit or three oranges, which are totally different items and commonly lusted as sides in their own right).

OP chose A, but took more from B than the overlapping bit.

How on earth is that reasonable?

Or, put more plainly (and truthfully to the actual OP): would you like the steak frites or the all you can eat salad bar? I’ll have the steak frites pls…..and then helps herself to a side salad from the otherwise-paid-for salad bar because that what the Premier Inn (or whatever) allows?

Theres no logic or common sense to this having it all thing.

Show quote history

As others have explained (possibly better than me) it's also the norm in most hotels with a buffet type set up for drinks and toast etc. It's not just Premier Inns.

knittingaddict · 03/06/2022 07:23

stuntbubbles · 03/06/2022 02:46

At a Premier Inn you can pay the extra for the cooked breakfast and it includes anything from the continental buffet as well. It's not unreasonable to assume the same is true everywhere
This is hilarious! So because Premier Inn does it all establishments follow the same rule? That’s not how anything works.

Besides, a country pub with rooms is a different proposition to a hotel. I’ve only ever stayed at CPWR that have specific menus for breakfast, vs the Premier Inn-style glutton free-for-all. Even with a buffet option on the side it’s usually been clear on the menu that that’s X option for £X, something else is Y option for £Y, but they’re entirely separate options. And £10.95 for a cooked breakfast without a buffet too would be entirely standard for a CPWR in the south.

I think YABU, OP: why when ordering didn’t you say “cooked breakfast and a cup of tea, does the breakfast come with toast? And two kids’ cooked breakfasts with juice” or similar? Not ordering drinks is odd.

And conveniently you didn't quote my very next sentence which said that I would have checked first before helping myself.

As others have said 9 times out of 10 the tea and coffee and toast should have been either help yourself or bought to the table. You would agree that a breakfast should include some option for a drink and that toast is standard with a cooked breakfast?

MajorCarolDanvers · 03/06/2022 07:30

Every British hotel I've stayed in includes the continental with the cooked so yes you help yourself.

But I find B&Bs are different and each has its own rules.

Mally100 · 03/06/2022 07:33

YetAnotherNam · 02/06/2022 22:10

i would expect drinks and toast too.

but if they didn’t bring them, I would ask, I wouldn’t go into the buffet area and help myself.

This, so I would think you were being very cheeky. Also, why didn't you just ask. This was a smaller place not a hotel

PurassicJark · 03/06/2022 07:35

Loads of hotels do this, including the 4 star one I just recently stayed at. You pay for a cooked breakfast, and they have a buffet of continental stuff for you to help yourself to. And they bring you out toast if you want it.

The more budget friendly ones tends to be pay extra for cooked and get continental included too. I've never stayed anywhere that didn't include both when you paid for a cooked breakfast. I'd think they were cheap if they didn't let me have both.

Benjispruce4 · 03/06/2022 07:45

YANBU I would expect drinks and toast with the full breakfast but I would have asked the waitress if I help myself or order from her. £30 +for breakfast though, sheesh, I think I’d go to McDonalds and I don’t even like McDonald’s but they do a good coffee and breakfast.

Dibbydoos · 03/06/2022 07:48

You are not being unreasonable.

My DF and I went to a Beefeater for breakfast yesterday. To catch up cos neither of us could get a lunch slot in this weekend!

Eat as much as you like continental £7.95, made to order eat as much as you like cooked breakfast £9.95 including continental. (The vegan replacement bacon and sausage were pretty good if anyone's vegetarian or vegan)

It was great value - I had a cooked brekkie plus toast, croissant, bottomless coffee (OK I had 2) and a juice. I wasn't hungry until tea time 😋

Poor waitress was on her own, she had all the premier inn stayers descend at the same time. She did a great job. I gave her a £5 tip.

JassyRadlett · 03/06/2022 07:48

Is there a global rule I’m unaware of that whatever the Premier Inn does is what should be expected everywhere else by everyone

I've had this over the years at Hiltons, Marriotts, Shangri-Las, Sheratons, Sofitels, at least one Kimpton as well as a lot of higher-end indies as well as mid-range chains such as Apexes, Novotels etc in a wide variety of countries on four continents. Usually a hot buffet breakfast on top of the continental but certainly not unheard of to order a hot option on top of the continental.

These days the higher end increasingly just do a single flat rate for breakfasts (I assume because the policing was onerous and the clientele will generally pay regardless) but given that it's quite widespread and was even more so in the past, it really is on the provider to clarify the terms.

mnnewbie111 · 03/06/2022 07:55

@alphons have you never been on holiday? You ALWAYS get the pastries/toast/juice with cooked breakfast. Not cheeky at all. How weird

GabriellaMontez · 03/06/2022 07:58

The waitress needs to work on her communication skills. Not being clear could leave someone embarrassed. It almost seems deliberate on her part. Why didn't she ask if you wanted toast?

LookItsMeAgain · 03/06/2022 07:59

Take a photograph of the menu (just for your own records and in case you want to post it up to TripAdvisor).

Read the menu thoroughly and see what is included and excluded from each option. If it doesn't say anything on the menu, they shouldn't have even tried to charge you yesterday. Point that out to them. Get them to have clearer instructions/advice on their menu.

Wherever I've stayed, if waiting staff come around and take my order, they usually ask whether I'd like tea/coffee and brown/white bread for my toast and then I can help myself to the buffet of cereals/pastries/yogurt/fresh fruit and I'm advised of that. If I want juice it's usually beside these options and I can have as much/little of it as I want.

They are chancing their arm here @YouWhatLove . Hope the rest of your break goes well.

Halsall · 03/06/2022 08:16

The absolute minimum the waitress should have done was explain how the options worked, eg -

'If you'd like the continental breakfast, please just go up and help yourself to whatever you want from the buffet over there. If you're having the cooked breakfast, please don’t go to the buffet because I’ll bring everything out to you, including your drinks and toast. Would you like tea or coffee, which juice, and is it brown or white toast?'

Having said that, it still sounds pretty odd to me. I’d expect anything out on show to be fair game for any guest. In fact, I can’t think of any hotel I’ve ever stayed in that's had parts of the breakfast display off-limits to some guests! And who the hell offers a cooked breakfast that doesn’t include tea/coffee, at the very least?

PuppyMonkey · 03/06/2022 08:18

I think the point is, it’s really not “having the Continental breakfast” if you make yourself toast, have a glass of orange juice or pour a cup of tea/coffee.

But obviously I’m not as well travelled as some on this thread.Grin

Prinnny · 03/06/2022 08:18

I’m with you OP, the cooked option usually includes the continental. I would have thought the same, especially with her not asking what drinks you want but there being a self serve station on the buffet.

sst1234 · 03/06/2022 08:22

Be sure to leave a review on tripadvisor. Service in this country is done if the worst in the world and we readily put up with it. In an offering is confusing for the customer, it’s for the business to rectify the offering, not for the customer to pay more.

stuntbubbles · 03/06/2022 08:24

Desperate for OP to wake up and share a photo of the breakfast menu.

Original poster
YouWhatLove · 03/06/2022 08:26

I’ve just got back from breakfast and the menu was as I’d remembered-
£10.95 for cooked breakfast of 2 bacon, sausage, 2 egg, beans, hash brown, black pudding
£8.95 kids cooked of bacon, egg, sausage, hash brown beans
£7.95 for continental breakfast/ £5.95 kids continental breakfast - selection of pastries, fruit, yoghurts and cereals
chef special eggs Benedict £11.95

No mention of drinks or toast on the menu. It was the same waitress this morning. I ordered cooked breakfasts again, again she didn’t ask about drinks and she was about to leave when I asked for juice, toast and cereal. She took the order to the kitchen, came back to the buffet but and made the tea, juice and toast and gave it to us. At the end she gave me the bill and she’d just charged for the cooked breakfasts. So it seems the toast and drinks are included in the cooked breakfast but if you get them yourself you are charged an extra £20. Which is a bit weird but hey ho.

I would’ve gone somewhere else for breakfast if there was anywhere nearby but we’re in the middle of the countryside and I couldn’t really be arsed driving to find somewhere.

OP posts:
PriamFarrl · 03/06/2022 08:27

JassyRadlett · 03/06/2022 07:48

Is there a global rule I’m unaware of that whatever the Premier Inn does is what should be expected everywhere else by everyone

I've had this over the years at Hiltons, Marriotts, Shangri-Las, Sheratons, Sofitels, at least one Kimpton as well as a lot of higher-end indies as well as mid-range chains such as Apexes, Novotels etc in a wide variety of countries on four continents. Usually a hot buffet breakfast on top of the continental but certainly not unheard of to order a hot option on top of the continental.

These days the higher end increasingly just do a single flat rate for breakfasts (I assume because the policing was onerous and the clientele will generally pay regardless) but given that it's quite widespread and was even more so in the past, it really is on the provider to clarify the terms.

Yes. Everywhere I’ve stayed has always had one flat rate for breakfast with both hot and cold options on the buffet and often an omelette station.

Original poster
YouWhatLove · 03/06/2022 08:29

@stuntbubbles sorry I didn’t think to take a photo of it. It’s a Marston Inns pub though, I’m trying to find the breakfast menu online.

OP posts:
Nameandgamechange123 · 03/06/2022 08:30

For £10.95 I would expect a decent amount of toast and tea/coffee.

I bet the toast was nothing special either.

Marmite27 · 03/06/2022 08:31

I’ve stayed in hundreds of different hotels in England, Wales and Ireland (not managed one in Scotland yet).

The base breakfast is always continental, with drinks, juice, toast. Plus an assortment of pasties, cereals, fruit, sometimes yoghurt, sometimes cold meats, cheeses, boiled eggs etc.

You usually pay a higher price for cooked items, but I’ve ALWAYS had access to the continental stuff included in the hot food price.

Why would drinks be included in one and not the other? I’d also think they’d charged me twice!

DisforDarkChocolate · 03/06/2022 08:33

I would have assumed the same as you, I've never had anything different.

Pottedpalm · 03/06/2022 08:33

We stayed at a country pub with rooms last week. Breakfast was included in the booking for us but we had DSis and DBiL join us for breakfast as they live locally but don’t have room fir us to stay with them.
Their breakfast was £12.50 per head and included cereals, yoghurt, fruit, juice all available on side tables, and their choice from various permutations of cooked breakfast, porridge etc. Tea/coffee orders were taken as we sat down and toast kept coming.

WiseRobin · 03/06/2022 08:34

She should have been more clear when taking your order, she also shouldn’t have just charged you for 3 x cb!

we’ve just returned from a PI stay and DH always has a cooked breakfast, DS and I never have breakfast, although DH often brings ‘his’ toast and jam to the room afterwards! 😉

So no, you weren’t BU, I think it should have been made clear at time of ordering what was included and you should have been asked what drinks you wanted as well as toast!

CottonSock · 03/06/2022 08:37

I've never encountered this changing system anywhere