Why Mother's Day Restaurants Are So Crowded and How To Avoid the Wait

Mother's Day is known as the time to celebrate your mom or any special woman who takes on a mother role in your life. Unfortunately, Mother's Day restaurants can be packed and more stressful than relaxing and celebratory. Many people want to celebrate mom by treating her to an extra special mother's day meal. A lot of moms are responsible for the household cooking, so what better way to treat her than pampering her with her favorite meal?

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Why Are Mother's Day Restaurants So Crowded?

Mother and her daughter eating lunch in gourmet restaurant

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Mother's Day is the single busiest day for restaurants for the aforementioned reasons. People want to give their mothers a day of relaxation, without worrying about the kitchen mess and clean-up. Restaurants know this and will offer a special mother's day menu or mother's day specials to entice families to dine in their restaurants.

The most popular and crowded time to eat at a restaurant on Mother's Day is brunch. Some restaurants offer Mother's Day brunch deals like unlimited mimosas or prix-fixe menus. It's common to see fancier a la carte offerings on the brunch menu, like crab cakes and prime rib.

If you really want to take mom out on Mother's Day, try to make it a Mother's Day family dinner, rather than brunch. The wait times will be long, but more manageable. Mother's Day dinner menus may feature special items like lobster tails, filet, and beef tenderloin. Often, diners can choose from a three-course meal, complete with appetizers, entree, and dessert, for one price.

If you don't have the time or energy to cook, consider curbside or take-out from mom's favorite place. Some restaurants will require you to pre-order your family meal in advance. A number of restaurants pull out all the stops with live music and decked-out dining rooms. In New Orleans, it's customary to celebrate mom with a Mardi Gras-style parade in the street.

Mother's Day Meals at Home

Handmade greeting card and tulips. Breakfast in bed for Mother's Day

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We can't forget about the mothers who work on the holiday and aren't fortunate enough to spend the time with their family. We can still honor those women with mother's day dinners or a special brunch after the holiday. There's no rule that says you have to only celebrate mom on one specific day.

Many women would prefer to avoid the Mother's Day restaurant crowds altogether. Some women may even prefer a gift card to their favorite restaurant, that can be used anytime. You don't need to take mom to an overpriced steakhouse to show her how much you care.

You can cook mom a wonderful meal at home with these brunch and dinner ideas.

Surprise mom with some homemade bloody Marys and a family-style breakfast spread. If you don't want to cook, you can purchase pre-made bagels, croissants, and hash browns.

If you want to cook a fancier brunch, try this ricotta french toast, or homemade waffles.

You can't have brunch without eggs, so try your hand at making a quiche or eggs benedict. A perfect omelette is sure to impress.

For dinner, impress her with an upscale Italian dish of parmesan risotto. You can cook this one in the oven!

Of course, you don't need to cook up something ultra fancy to impress mom. Comfort food like fried chicken and mashed potatoes, or a freshly made taco would make anyone feel loved.

Don't forget to end her day on a sweet note! A homemade cheesecake or her favorite store-bought ice cream is the perfect way to cap off the evening.

Just a reminder that Mother's Day falls on the first Sunday of the month. In 2021, it was Sunday, May 9, and this year it's Sunday, May 8.

READ: 12 Mother's Day Cake Recipes To Make