Plan holiday menus: Easter, Mother's Day and New Year's Eve without chaos
Which days are worthwhile
A holiday menu pays off on days when many guests specifically go out to eat. Which days these are depends on the region and the establishment. Typical are:
- Easter Sunday and Easter Monday
- Mother's Day, often one of the strongest days of the year for family restaurants
- Pentecost and Corpus Christi in Catholic regions
- Martini with goose or goose dishes
- Christmas holidays and New Year's Eve
- Valentine's Day in venues with a romantic audience
Look at your reservations and cash register data from previous years to identify the days when you had the most traffic. That is where a dedicated offer makes sense.
Menu instead of menu
On busy days, a full kitchen menu is a challenge. A fixed menu with few options makes planning predictable:
- Three or four courses with two choices each for the main course, including one vegetarian option.
- A small children's menu for families.
- Clear statement of the price and what is included.
- Allergens like in any other dish.
For guests who only want a small snack, a shortened menu can be a sensible option. Decide on this consciously and communicate it in advance.
Reservations
On holidays, almost everything runs through reservations. Determine whether there are fixed time slots, such as two lunch shifts, and communicate this during booking. Confirm reservations in writing and send a brief reminder shortly before the appointment to reduce no-shows.
A note on the digital menu or homepage – “Mother’s Day only with reservation, menu see here” – saves the team many calls.
Switch menu to date
On the holiday itself, the QR code at the table should lead to the holiday menu, and the day after back to the regular menu. This can be set up in advance: With Same-QR, you create a rule for a specific date on the code. On that day, the code leads to the page with the holiday menu, and on all other days to the usual menu. Billing is based on the time zone of your business.
This way you do not have to change anything on the morning of the holiday, and no one sees the Easter menu the day after. Test the rule one day before with a date nearby.
Post-processing
- How many guests came, how many reservations were not honored?
- Which dishes sold well, where was there leftover stock?
- Where were there bottlenecks in the kitchen or service?
Write down the insights immediately. On the next holiday – or on the same day next year – you will then plan with experience rather than from memory.
Holiday Checklist
- Menu set, calculated, and allergens documented.
- Menu published online and on the notice board.
- Reservations with time slots confirmed.
- QR code for the day set and tested on the holiday menu.
- Team and kitchen assigned, preparation planned.
- Opening hours adjusted on Google.
The better prepared you are, the calmer the day. And a relaxed team is the best service you can offer guests on holidays.
Frequently asked questions
No, but it makes planning easier. Many establishments combine a menu with a small menu.
A few weeks before. Many guests book early, especially for Mother's Day and Christmas.
Yes, with a date rule, the code only leads to the menu on the holiday and then back to the normal menu.
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