In my first "Tweet" on Twitter, I mentioned some of the things that turn me off at afternoon tea: specifically weak tea, stale bread and clueless servers.
Allow me to elaborate.
TEA
The "STAR" of the show. Tea room owners/establishments: start with good quality tea and a variety of selections from each category.
This is your opportunity to shine!
Offer some traditional choices, ie, English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Darjeeling, in addition to your black tea blends. On my last tea outing, I was disappointed to find that my tea choice deemed "most popular" from the menu, was, in fact, so popular, they were out of it. This left only two choices of black tea remaining, both of them blends. Believe me, there's nothing wrong with having great blends. Change is good, and the trend in blends seems to be the more innovative and edgy, the better. But some of us old-schoolers may just want our comfort cup of Chai, or Jasmine tea. No bells or whistles!
Educate your servers. "A little knowledge goes a long way". Some general education about the teas offered and steeping times is most helpful and can be passed along to the guests when the tea pots are delivered. Keep the pots refreshed with hot water, as necessary. In addition to the traditional sugar bowl, offer no-calorie sweetener packets and honey straws. It's not necessary to keep sliced lemon or a cream pitcher on the table, but at least offer them.
Lastly, but just as important, serve fresh food! I recently had tea sandwiches that were all served on toasted bread. The owner may have been trying a new spin on an old standby, but I took it as a way to recycle the bread on hand. Even the mini croissants were "crunchy", certainly not what I was expecting. Fruit should be fresh, whether served as a side or garnish. Make the desserts memorable! They should be nothing less than melt-in-your-mouth decadence. Enough said.
A courteous "thank you for coming, so glad you enjoyed it" will send your guests off feeling appreciated, happy and pampered. Much nicer than one of my sendoffs at a local five star resort where the tea host condescendingly commented on the fact there was no food left on the plates, making my companion and I feel self-conscious. Believe me, we were so looking forward to the experience, we hadn't eaten all day. Even if we had, we would have asked for the remainder to be packaged to go. Times are tough. Afternoon tea can be pricey for most, often reserved for special occasions.
Give us a reason to return!!!
Allow me to elaborate.
TEA
The "STAR" of the show. Tea room owners/establishments: start with good quality tea and a variety of selections from each category.
This is your opportunity to shine!
Offer some traditional choices, ie, English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Darjeeling, in addition to your black tea blends. On my last tea outing, I was disappointed to find that my tea choice deemed "most popular" from the menu, was, in fact, so popular, they were out of it. This left only two choices of black tea remaining, both of them blends. Believe me, there's nothing wrong with having great blends. Change is good, and the trend in blends seems to be the more innovative and edgy, the better. But some of us old-schoolers may just want our comfort cup of Chai, or Jasmine tea. No bells or whistles!
Educate your servers. "A little knowledge goes a long way". Some general education about the teas offered and steeping times is most helpful and can be passed along to the guests when the tea pots are delivered. Keep the pots refreshed with hot water, as necessary. In addition to the traditional sugar bowl, offer no-calorie sweetener packets and honey straws. It's not necessary to keep sliced lemon or a cream pitcher on the table, but at least offer them.
Lastly, but just as important, serve fresh food! I recently had tea sandwiches that were all served on toasted bread. The owner may have been trying a new spin on an old standby, but I took it as a way to recycle the bread on hand. Even the mini croissants were "crunchy", certainly not what I was expecting. Fruit should be fresh, whether served as a side or garnish. Make the desserts memorable! They should be nothing less than melt-in-your-mouth decadence. Enough said.
A courteous "thank you for coming, so glad you enjoyed it" will send your guests off feeling appreciated, happy and pampered. Much nicer than one of my sendoffs at a local five star resort where the tea host condescendingly commented on the fact there was no food left on the plates, making my companion and I feel self-conscious. Believe me, we were so looking forward to the experience, we hadn't eaten all day. Even if we had, we would have asked for the remainder to be packaged to go. Times are tough. Afternoon tea can be pricey for most, often reserved for special occasions.
Give us a reason to return!!!
