By all means, I 100% agree - HI breakfast sucks...if I have a chance, I will evade to Hilton Garden Inn even if I have to drive extra miles to be there. Unfortunately, HI is still my only choice at some middle of nowhere towns.
I stayed at HI Kalamazoo last fall, and skipped the Hampton free breakfast; instead, I went to Denny's the next door, which has far superior quality.