Actually, most Holiday Inn Expresses are now required to have a much more robust breakfast than they did three or four years ago. They're trying to be like the 'big' hotels.
Myself, I work at a La Quinta. We have three kinds of bread, bagels, pastries, hard-boiled eggs, yogurt, cold cereals, oatmeal, juice, and of course, waffles.
The waffles that guests get to make themselves are proving very popular with hotels. Easy, cheap, and guests LOVE them.