To ensure a happy hotel guest, offer excellent service, provide a comfortable bed and never, ever underestimate the power of a free bagel: After a good night's sleep, many travelers these days are expecting - and receiving - a good breakfast.

You know the kind, included in the price of your stay and often served in a room just off the lobby of a Best Western or a Hampton Inn - the quiet space that suddenly becomes the center of attention for several hours in the morning.

There's just something very comforting about waking up in a strange city and knowing your first meal is ready and waiting for you as you start your day - no searching around required.

CNN Travel has the FULL STORY

Previously - Tray Cool: Why I love room service breakfast

There’s a hidden trend driving the food world – and (for once) we’re not talking food trucks.

In September, Chef Thomas Keller announced a new partnership with BMW of North America and his storied flagship restaurant, The French Laundry, in Yountville, California.

The partnership enlists a fleet of BMW ActiveHybrid 7’s, valued at more than $100,000 each, that will be offered to select diners as part of the restaurant's concierge service.
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Editor's note: all week, CNN Newsroom, Rick's List and Eatocracy are teaming up to take a look the effects our dining choices have on our minds, bodies and wallets. Tune into CNN Newsroom daily from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET for on-air coverage and join in the discussion here on Eatocracy. ALL COVERAGE

A little while ago, we told you something was abloom 18 stories above the streets of Manhattan. That something included the likes of patty pan squash, green tomatoes, purple okra and chioggia beets - all grown on the rooftop of the Gramercy Park Hotel for the in-house restaurant, Maialino, to utilize on its menu a few floors down.
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This past weekend, 15 of New York City's finest street food vendors battled it out at The Vendy Awards - an annual cooking competition that crowns the "Best Street Food Vendor" in all the five boroughs.

Related - Catch up on all Eatocracy's food truck coverage. It's the trend that keeps on trucking.

You've heard of cat-sitters, dog-sitters and, of course, babysitters. But chicken-sitters?

In Portland, Ore., a city known for its deep do-it-yourself streak and poultry-permissive laws, two backyard farmers have stepped up to meet an unusual need: watching hens when their owners go on vacation.

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A number of young, hip and smart people are ditching the city life to pick up organic farming.

The National Future Farmers of America – an organization kids join in middle and high school – now boasts more than 500,000 members, the most since the organization's founding in 1928.

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With slogans like "Butch it up, Buttercup," and "These ain't your grandma's cupcakes," Butch Bakery and its founder, David Arrick, want the stereotypically dainty cupcake to beef up its pastry bag.

Six of the 12 cake flavors involve some sort of alcohol - whether it be brandy, whiskey, beer or Kahlua - and each Butch Bakery creation is topped with a camoflauge-, wood grain-, plaid- or other macho-patterned chocolate disc.

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Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks ... and bottomless nachos ... and unlimited ice cream ... oh, and a refillable fountain soda.

For the 2010 season, 19 of the 30 Major League Baseball teams are offering an all-you-can-eat seating promotion in their ball parks.

"It's a great deal, especially for the teams that aren't selling out every game," said Baltimore Orioles fan Matthew Cavalier.

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Previously – see how the King of Pops went from AIG analyst to premium pop pusher

Ice pops are, well, popping up all around the US this summer. Suddenly, the coolest food item is also the trendiest.

Atlanta residents got their first hint of the impending wave during the chillier months of the year. At a busy intersection a mural appeared, depicting one large ice pop above the masses. Food blogs were a-twitter about the freezer treats Atlantans would be enjoying in the coming months.

Now, with local temperatures already reaching epic levels, not one, but two ice pop vendors are hawking their icy treats, delighting sweltering food fiends all over town.
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From finance to the deep freeze – this former money man's regulars say they'd rather eat rocks than go back to supermarket popsicles.