Big families + celebrating holidays

[ellipsis]

If you have a big family, how do you celebrate holidays if you want to go out to eat? My Dad wants to take my mom out to lunch for Mother's Day. Ok great, but that would be 10 adults, 2 toddlers, and 1 baby trying to get a table at a restaurant on a busy holiday. No thank you.

Most of the holidays we have done lunch/dinner at someone's house, which I prefer, but my parents love to eat out. Do we just suck it up and all go 1x to show them how awful it's going to be? :?

[ilikedonuts]

We do 20+ people dinners for my grandpa's birthday every year (he liked to go out for her birthdays). Usually my kids are the only ones under 18 though.

[Deleted]

Make reservations?

When in doubt pick something non traditional. Like a Thai place won't get a big Mothers Day crowd.

[ilikedonuts]

Hit enter too soon.

We do brunch on Mother's Day too some years. We just make sure we have a reservation.

[soozy87]

We just go, but it is usually to a more family friendly place.

[sunshine608]

Go somewhere that takes a reservation or go somewhere low-key or at an off day. For years all our "family holiday" meals were at IHOP. Now its Cracker Barrel ( although it gets pretty crowded).

CAn you make suggestions? Can you go early for Brunch while many people are still in church?

[boiler717]

Reservations

[ellipsis]

So many places don't take reservations for mother's day! Boo!

[irish]

15 of us sat down to Easter Sunday lunch in a local place. And there were a few people missing. Nothing unusual there. That included 4 kids.

[Marmee]

reservations

[6fsn]

We look for places we can get a private room. At Christmas my mom caters the food in to her house. Comfort of home food of a restaurant.

[andwhat]

We do about 20 people for New Years. It requires reservations months in advance (almost a year for some places).

It is definitely too late to get anything for MD for that many people. At least it would be in my area. And most "nicer" places take reservations here. Now sadly if it were Father's Day there would be tons of reservations available. 

[thejen626]

Either make a reservation or go to a "quick service" type restaurant. We most often go to a Mexican restaurant called Bajio (it's like a Baja Fresh or a Chipotle), it works perfectly for us because it's relatively inexpensive, and people can come and go as they want to. We just push tables together (it's usually around 25 people including a bunch of small kids).

[pugz]

go out the day before or after the holiday, get reservations.

[ECB]

First, I agree, get reservations.

But also, EVERYONE seems to do brunch/lunch.  We're actually doing dinner this year.  See if your dad would consider that instead. 

I think a group that size if fine if you have reservations and the restaurant is expecting you.  If you just show up somewhere and get on the list, well...  I think it will be a pain.

Also, realize that YOU'RE a mom too.  if this isn't what you want to do, you get a say. Even if they insist on this plan, you don't "have" to go.  You can honor your mom another way/ another time and you can ask that your DH do something for YOU.

[read247]

My family routinely celebrated birthdays and other things with dinners out, and there were often 15 or more attending including a handful of kids (at one point, when my nephew who is the youngest was an infant, there were 6 kids under age 8). It was never a problem as long as we made reservations in advance.

[hopecounts]

For out 15 people dinners we do call ahead seating or find a place that takes reservations an it's fine.
It's impossible otherwise.

[anna7602]

We have only done this a handful of times that I can think of off the top of my head. The usual places are at Miami's "La Carreta" or "Versailles," which are usually chaotic restaurants on a regular day and can accommodate large parties without issue. We've never attempted it at an American restaurant.

Otherwise, it's getting together at someone's house.

[Deleted]

May 2, 2016 14:40:16 GMT -5 @notquiteblushing said:

Make reservations?

When in doubt pick something non traditional. Like a Thai place won't get a big Mothers Day crowd.

We do this. We make a reservation and go somewhere that isn't a typical place for the occasion. Last year we did a Seafood restaurant for Mother's day or one year we did a Latin restaurant for Easter. Since both of those holidays are typically most crowded at brunch restaurants and times going to a non brunch restaurant at a later time works well.