This post contains everything you ever wanted to know about the "Super Charged Breakfast" I planned for my daughter's school.

If you are in the "What did I get myself in to?! I AM FREAKING OUT!" stage and are looking for step-by-step instructions on how to coordinate a breakfast for your school, don't worry. I've got you covered. Our post, "How To Plan a Breakfast for your School," will walk you through the entire process. Be sure to download our free planning guide too!

 

Super Smoothies + Instant Energy

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It baffles me that there are people living in Seattle that don't like coffee. I'll be honestly, it baffles me that anyone doesn't love coffee... Nectar of the Gods. LOL! I digress. Our staff had the option of smoothies or Starbucks with their breakfast. I included drink orders with the breakfast invitation, and asked that the teachers and staff return them the Thursday before Appreciation Week.

The drink order forms were printed on letter sized sticker paper and cut apart. It is so much easier than trying to align them on shipping labels. Shipping labels always shift on me during printing and make me nuts. Trust me on this.

Money Saving Tips

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• Purchasing lattes for the entire staff is a huge portion of the Hospitality Committee budget each year. This year, about a month before Appreciation Week, Starbucks offered a $5 for $10 Gift Card Groupon. I couldn’t have timed it better if I’d tried! Each person was limited to one Groupon, so I sent an email to the entire Hospitality Committee and asked them to please purchase a Groupon and email me the certificate. (I reimbursed them out of my budget.)
  
  
• I also the same thing earlier in the year with an Everything Party Groupon, knowing that I would be buying decorations, silverware, plates, etc. for Staff Appreciation Week. I was able to reduce my expenses by about $150 this year using Groupons!

 

Coffee Logisitics

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The day before our breakfast, I took 1/2 the orders to the Starbucks about a mile away, and 1/2 to the other Starbucks a mile the other way. (Remember, I live in Seattle. We’re surrounded.) I pre-paid for all of the drinks to make pick up easy for the 4 parents picking up the 40 lattes the next morning. The baristas loved the sticker labels. They quickly and easily made the pre-ordered drinks and attached the labels. The drinks and breakfast were waiting for the teachers/staff at 7:50am. I wanted them to have time to enjoy their breakfast before school started.

NEW! The pre-ordering/sticker label system works really well as long as you have enough volunteers willing to pick up your drink orders. Have you been to Starbucks at 7:30am? It is CRAZINESS. In later years, instead of picking up coffee, we had the coffee come to us. Be sure to read our post, "How To Plan a Coffee Cart for Your School." Coffee carts are the way to go, and if you structure it correctly, the cost of the cart won't even come out of your budget. You may even make money!

I even created "Power Up" Coffee Bar printables for those of you just wanting to do a coffee bar instead of an entire breakfast. It works for coffee carts and coffee pick-up alike, although I highly recommend going the coffee cart route.

 

Breakfast

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I have paid close attention to the food choices made during Hospitality Committee events over the past year. The staff overwhelmingly chooses healthy options when given the option. I modified the breakfast menu to include Kind Bars, yogurt, fresh fruit, mini muffins, etc. I also included a breakfast staple, bagels. Not surprisingly, the bagels were the majority of the food left over.

The parent volunteers brought in a delicious selection of breakfast foods. As for the smoothies, those are expensive to buy pre-made, so I bought frozen smoothie packets from Costco. I simply added milk, blended, and voila… Super Smoothies!

REMINDER: Check the teacher/staff questionnaires for food allergies and plan accordingly. There are a few teachers at my daughter’s school with wheat/gluten and dairy sensitivities. I wanted to make sure they had a yummy breakfast to go along with their coffee or smoothie.