The Importance of F&B in Small Inns

Abstract

The concept of bundling breakfast with a room is inherent in the concept of a bed-and-breakfast inn. Meals in other day parts, however, involve an entirely different set of issues. Having made the decision to offer food and beverage service, operators must decide whether that service, too, is to be bundled in the room rate (as in a modified American plan) or handled separately. The experience of such properties as the Governors Inn (Ludlow, Vermont) is that careful menu planning can increase room occupancy and add to the bottom line. On the other hand, trying to run a nightly dinner menu as part of the inn operation meant too much involvement for the owners of Dairy Hollow House (Eureka Springs, Arkansas), and they changed their strategy to one of offering quarterly seasonal fests.