This guide helps you decide whether to open, what to sell and how to price and announce it without wearing out your team in the busiest month of the year.
Choose your Christmas
Some restaurants close on the 25th and run big Christmas Eve and Christmas Day takeout services. Others open for a holiday dinner. Some restaurants, such as diners and Chinese restaurants, are open on the day because plenty of guests do not celebrate or simply want to be out. Look at your own history and your staff before you commit.
Guests fall into three groups: families who dine out on Christmas Eve, hosts who buy a feast to heat at home and gift buyers who want a card for someone else. Plan one offer for each.
Seventeen Christmas ideas
Pick the offers that match your format and your team.
- A Christmas Eve prix fixe with a toast
- A Christmas Day family dinner at a fixed price
- A takeout feast for four, six or eight, ready on the 23rd or 24th
- A heat-at-home dinner with reheating instructions
- A holiday dessert box, such as a pie, a yule log or cookies
- A cookie decorating kit for kids
- A breakfast or brunch box for Christmas morning
- A catering tray for office and family parties
- A gift card with a bonus for the giver
- A stocking-stuffer card in a small amount, sold at the counter
- A holiday gift basket with house sauce, a treat and a card
- A neighbor gift, such as a pie ordered for delivery
- A late-night menu for the hours after church or a movie
- A New Year's Day preview menu
- A charity meal for guests who would be alone
- A staff appreciation card for regulars who tip the staff
- A January loyalty bonus for gift card redemptions
Pricing and margin notes
Feasts are won on volume and predictability. Price per person, keep the menu small and make every item batch-friendly. A pie or a dessert box at a clean price has a strong margin, since the ingredients are low-cost and the packaging adds perceived value.
Gift cards peak in the two weeks before Christmas. A bonus card for use in January turns a slow month into a busy one. Cost holiday staffing carefully: a holiday pay bonus is a real expense and still cheaper than a short crew.
Planning timeline
Start in early November, before guests fill their calendars.
Staffing and prep
If you are open on the day, volunteers matter. Ask early who wants shifts and who wants the day off, and pay for it. Keep the menu short and prep a day or two ahead. If you sell feasts, plan fridge and oven space on paper and book pickup in windows, with a final pickup on the 23rd or 24th.
Do a dry run of the packing line with a few sample orders to see how long it takes.
How to announce it
Send an email and SMS in early November with the menu and the preorder link, and again in early December for gift cards. Post on social, add a Google Business Profile post with your holiday hours, and put a printed menu in every bag. Holiday hours are among the things guests check most, so keep them accurate.
A direct online ordering page can sell feasts and gift cards. Studio can make a feast flyer, a gift card graphic and a seasonal reel from your menu.
Mistakes to avoid
Do not decide late. Guests choose their Christmas Eve plans in early December, so a menu announced on the 20th misses most of them. Do not leave holiday hours vague either: post the exact hours on your website, your Google Business Profile and the door.
Do not stretch the team. A full December of parties, a Christmas Eve service and a feast pickup can be too much for the same crew, so decide which lines to drop. A smaller offer done well earns more repeat business than a large one done badly.
Christmas checklist
- Open or closed decision made and posted
- Menu, sizes and prices set
- Preorder cutoff and pickup windows published
- Gift card promotion live
- Staff schedule and holiday pay set
- Packaging and printed menus ordered
| Weeks before | What to do |
|---|---|
| 7 | Decide the format, open or closed, set hours |
| 6 | Cost the menu, open preorders and gift card sales |
| 5 | Email, SMS, social and Google announcements |
| 2 | Order packaging, confirm staff, send reminders |
| 1 | Close preorders, finalize the prep and pickup plan |