I cannot believe the variations you all have for breakfast time! lol. 7-830! my goodness.
Generally I would allow about 20 minutes for any meal or snack time. If you haven't eaten it by then then too bad. Because some of the kids are so much younger and still learning to eat, I am more lenient on this but usually kids are done within 20-30 minutes and by 30 minutes they are dying to be out and playing.
I serve breakfast at 730am everyday. If you arrive at 745 you are too late. I make enough breakfast for whoever is HERE and ready to eat at 730. What doesn't get served at that time I eat
Of course if there was circumstances out of the parents control, I would never starve a child, but they would get a light snack to hold them over.
All parents are aware of this and drop off no later than 715am and if they aren't going to make it, the kids are fed before they leave home. I have one dcb who eats breakfast at home (at 6am) and has a top up here before nap.
I have a different nap schedule than most on here as well, so that might be why I'm so strict on the breakfast time. My dcbabies go for nap at 830am-1030am (if they get up earlier that's fine with me).
If kids were coming in at 9 with a granola bar, I'd be ticked.
Although I agree with the rest that your center did not handle that appropriately. Could you eat a granola bar or 2 for breakfast??? I cannot imagine even a baby finding a granola bar for breakfast as sufficient fuel for the morning. Even with a snack halfway through.