Mother's Day is one of the busiest holidays at restaurants across the United States. If you're thinking of securing a reservation for the special day, you should probably pick up the phone and call now; and you might want to call more than one place just to be on the safe side.
According to online restaurant reservation service OpenTable, Mother's Day reservations are up 39 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels and 13 percent from 2021.
"Call as soon as possible. When you have your plans, call. Things definitely fill up quickly. I think now that the weather is getting warmer, COVID is quieting down, everyone wants to get out, so call early," Gionna Forte, office manager of The Godfather Seafood Bar & Grille in East Hanover, N.J., told Cheddar.
The restaurant industry is reveling in the surge of people opting to dine-in after the coronavirus pandemic shuttered restaurant dining rooms in 2020 and was slow to recover in 2021. Despite finding work-arounds like makeshift outdoor dining spaces, the sector was ravaged and losses were insurmountable for a large swath of eateries across the U.S. A study by Datassential found that in just the first year of the pandemic, more than 10 percent of all U.S. restaurants permanently shuttered their doors.
Forte said had it not been for her company's already established delivery service and willingness from the state of New Jersey to provide some relief, The Godfather restaurant might not have survived.
"The state opened up a six-month window for anybody with a liquor license to offer drinks to-go in a certified cup, or a sealed lid, so we did that as well," she noted.
The National Restaurant Association expects the industry to completely bounce back this year with projections of $898 billion in sales. The projection is a jump from $799 billion in 2021 and also soars past 2019 pre-pandemic levels of $864 billion.
With all this dining out, the key to your Mother's Day celebration is being prepared. The holiday will bring an influx of fellow diners to mom's favorite spot, and a new survey from OpenTable found that brunch will be the most popular time to eat. To avoid the crush, perhaps consider a breakfast gathering or an evening dinner.
"We are seeing strong demand ahead of one of the biggest dining days of the year — Mother's Day — which is a good indication of the industry's return to normal," Debby Soo, CEO of OpenTable, told Cheddar. "Mother's Day aside, we are encouraged by nationwide data that points to signs of recovery, and as we approach warm weather/outdoor dining, we're confident we will see a dining renaissance just like last year."
So where is everyone going to eat? American and Italian restaurants are the most popular, followed by steakhouses, according to OpenTable. For those looking for something different, there are often plenty of other options.
"That said, we are proud to represent over 200 cuisines so diners can experience the world through dining — there is truly something for everyone and every palate," Soo said.
Though Mother's Day dining will provide a much-needed boost to restaurants, when adjusting for 40-year inflation highs, sales for the entire year are still expected to come in below pre-pandemic levels.
Order a Feast To-Go
Dining out on major holidays, especially Mother's Day, can be a lot to juggle, and this year you can add longer service times to the list of issues as many restaurants still have not recovered from the pandemic-driven exodus of servers. The leisure and hospitality industry remains down 1.5 million workers from the beginning of the pandemic.
The National Restaurant Association found that seven in 10 operators do not have enough employees to keep up with demand and that about 50 percent of restaurant operators expect hiring and retaining workers to be their biggest challenge of the year. This all means it could take a little longer than expected for that roast to make it to your table.
Scott Arkin, the CEO and founder of eHungry, an online ordering system for restaurants, predicted that as more people look to dine out, the restaurant industry will adjust despite pandemic-related roadblocks.
"I think we'll see an upswing as the weather warms up, new restaurants continue to open at a fast pace, and more customers feel comfortable going back out to eat. Obviously, there are continuing obstacles in the restaurant industry including rising costs, supply chain shortages, and hiring challenges, but the restaurant industry always quickly adapts and overcomes," he told Cheddar.
If the crowds and longer-than-usual wait times aren't your cup of tea, you can still make the day special by ordering out. Arkin said while online ordering is especially busy on Mother's Day, it might be worth considering as more families are expected to head out to restaurants this year.
"We expect Mother's Day 2022 to be another large ordering day this year, although not quite as high as 2020/2021," he said. "This year, we expect most restaurants that offer reservations to be booked out now that dining-in is back in full swing, so to handle the overflow many restaurants will offer Mother's Day menus that can be ordered online."
Forte of The Godfather Seafood Bar & Grille said her restaurant is one of many offering large takeout options in anticipation of the holiday.
"We do offer catering. So, if you're not someone who likes to cook, you can order some trays or some individual meals of your mom's favorite dishes," she told Cheddar.
Catering dinner from a local restaurant might even turn out to be just the thing to make your mom's favorite for the day. A 2020 US Foods survey of 2,000 mothers found that most just wanted to spend quality time with family at home. Dinner was the most popular meal according to the results and while most preferred the labor of cooking to be done by a third party, Forte said nothing tops a home-cooked meal.
"The Italians, they express their love with food. So if you're someone who likes to cook, there's no better way to show your love than to cook," she said.
This article was updated Tuesday, May 3, 2022 at 10:10 a.m. ET to include a current OpenTable survey that found brunch will be the most popular dining time this Mother's Day.
