Ten Things to Expect at Restaurants During the Holidays

Here are the top ten things to expect at restaurants during the holidays. Have you experienced any of these?

1. The prices go up. If you go to dinner on New Year's eve, expect to pay anywhere between 10 and 20 percent more than the normal prices for the restaurant on a non-holiday. For example, I visited the Fireside Restaurant in Hagerstown, MD on December 31, 2008. The price of my prime rib was $21.99. Normally it sells for $15 or $16 in that same restaurant.

2. Expect service that is not as great. The servers are going to be busier, so you won't have as much attention paid to you. It may take longer to be greeted and asked for your beverage order. Food will take longer to reach your table. If you ask for a refill or extra sauce, expect to wait a few extra minutes for it.

3. The food quality is not as high. If a restaurant normally does a small amount of business on Sunday, but this Sunday is a holiday, the food quality may suffer. Your steak may not be seasoned as well, or your baked potato may not be cooked just right. The restaurant is trying to get through more people, so they may cut corners which means spending less time on each menu item that is prepared.

4. The restaurant may run out of certain items. They may run out of a certain type of steak, or run out of the special side dish.

5. Expect to have to make a reservation. If you don't, you may wait forever or not be able to get a table.

6. Someone will be taking photos. Usually, that someone will be me. If you're annoyed by photo takers, sit in a corner or dine at home. There may be lots of people excited about the holidays snapping shots for everyone to see.

7. Someone will act like a jerk. The holidays are stressful, and many people don't react well. You may find a guest that is being obnoxiously loud, or an overly intoxicated guest being rude.

8. The menu selection is limited. Often on holidays, restaurants will only offer certain items from the menu, or specially prepared items. You may find only ten entrees instead of the usual twenty, for example. This helps the restaurant be able to get food prepared more quickly, since they can have just those ten entrees ready to fix and serve.

9. Better tips. If you work in a restaurant, most people tip better during the holidays. Maybe they just are in better moods, or maybe they feel sorry for you for having to work on a holiday. Who knows!

10. Expect to be just a number. I have found personally during the holidays that the restaurant is too busy to talk to you much, hear your story, or want to go out of their way for you. You'll have less luck getting special treatment on a holiday.