By Mala Mahadevan,

As a long-time PASS Summit attendee, breakfast has been among my best memories of PASS Summit from 2008-2017.

Walking into the large breakfast hall with the fragrance of fresh coffee, the fantastic spread of food and fruit that Washington State is known for, and the friendly faces all around make for a pleasant memory I will treasure for a lifetime. The present PASS Summit does not offer complimentary breakfast, but there are still ways to create those experiences and save $$$ on food. Below are some options that may interest you as an attendee. They are rated from least expensive to most:

Complimentary hotel breakfast (free): Check if the hotel you are staying at offers a complimentary breakfast. Sadly, most hotels around the convention center do not offer this. But if you are at one, that’s the best, cheapest option.

Vendor-sponsored breakfast (free): Some of the morning sessions sponsored by vendors between Wednesday and Friday offer breakfast for free. Look for announcements from PASS Summit in this regard. Vendor breakfasts are usually good but fill up quickly. It is also considered courteous to sit through their session if you happen to eat breakfast on them.

Wednesday, November 6:

• 6:45 AM – 8:00 AM – Google Sponsor Breakfast: ‘Breakfast and Meet-and-Greet with Google Cloud Product Teams’

Thursday, November, 7:

• 6:45 AM – 8:00 AM – AWS Sponsor Breakfast: ‘Why organizations run their SQL Server workloads on AWS’

Friday, November 8: 

• 7:00 AM – 8:15 AM – Microsoft Sponsor Breakfast: ‘Breakfast with the Microsoft Data Leadership Team’
• 7:00 AM – 8:15 AM – Simple Talk Sponsored Breakfast 

Make your breakfast ($):  If you are staying at a rented apartment or facility with a kitchen, this is easy. If not, request the hotel to install a microwave in your room. Most bigger hotels already have a minifridge. With a microwave, this should make a kitchenette that works fine for cooking a decent breakfast. Remember that hotels only carry a limited stock of microwave ovens, so the sooner you make this request, the higher your chances of getting one are. There are plenty of good groceries and stores around the convention center where you can shop for breakfast items. My choices are the grocery at Target (open until late at night and stocks oatmeal, eggs, milk, and some packaged breakfast items) and Pike Place Market for fresh fruit.

Starbucks Breakfast options ($$): Starbucks cafes are on every street corner near the convention center. There is also a café attached to the Hyatt Place hotel. They have some quick and easy breakfast options, which are not the cheapest but readily available. Some are listed in this article. My favorite, which I often use during travel, is the blueberry oatmeal – a light but easy, affordable option.

Other paid options ($$-$$$)  

Some other paid but reasonably priced options are below. Please be aware of when these places open before walking to them. Also, outside food is disallowed in Seattle Convention Center, so you may have to eat at the restaurant before going there.

Top Pot Doughnuts

• What to get: Classic donuts, coffee, or tea.
• Price range: $3-$5.
• A local favorite known for its hand-forged doughnuts and good coffee, perfect for a quick and cheap breakfast.

Honest Biscuits

• What to get: Basic biscuit or biscuit sandwich.
• Price range: $4-$9.
• Offers hearty Southern-style biscuits, a filling and affordable start to your day. Grab one plain or with simple toppings like butter or jam.

The Crumpet Shop

• What to get: Crumpet with butter and honey or jam.
• Price range: $3-$6.
• A charming spot in Pike Place Market offering a cheap, unique breakfast of freshly baked crumpets with various toppings.

 Piroshky Bakery

• What to get: Savory piroshky (meat or veggie) or sweet options like apple cinnamon.
• Price range: $4-$7.
• Grab a warm Russian pastry from this popular bakery at Pike Place Market. The portions are filling for the price.

Specialty’s Café & Bakery

• What to get: Bagels, breakfast sandwiches, and pastries.
• Price range: $3-$8.
• A convenient stop for quick grab-and-go breakfast items with a range of affordable choices.

Biscuit Bitch

• What to get: Bagels, breakfast sandwiches, and pastries.
• Price range: $3-$8.
• Funky,creative, affordable stop for sandwiches and sides. Pick up also available.

Uwajimaya Food Hall (Asian supermarket)

• What to get: Onigiri (rice balls) or steamed buns.
• Price range: $2-$5.
• If you want something unique and budget-friendly, check out the grab-and-go items at this Japanese supermarket.

Lolas

• What to get: Greek style sandwiches/salads and various.
• Price range: $10+
• A little pricey but great place to hang out as a group and enjoy a healthy breakfast.

I’ve recently learnt that there’s Monorail Espresso in the conference building (Summit, Seattle Convention Center), and there will be a breakfast concession cart in the morning from November 6-8, 2024, where attendees will be able to buy provisions on-site, including coffee and breakfast items.

A healthy breakfast is an excellent start to a productive day of learning and networking at PASS Summit. Be sure not to skip it. There may be more options (community-sponsored breakfasts, various influencers offering a group dining option on some days) in the days closer to the conference and during the week of PASS itself. Stay tuned, and enjoy the conference.