We like to pay attention to growing trends in the foodservice community, and we’re noticing a lot more restaurants are advertising that they’ll be open on Christmas Day. While it’s not abnormal for large national chains to open on Christmas, we’re also hearing that certified food protection managers of many local restaurants may decide to open on Christmas Day as well.
Certified Food Protection Manager Opening Your Restaurant on Christmas Day?
There seems to be growing demand among diners for Christmas service at local restaurants year after year, and we’re not just talking about breakfast and lunch. Many patrons have already hosted Christmas parties, entertained out of town guests and are looking for someone else to do the cooking and cleaning up on this festive holiday. But how should restauranteurs decide whether or not to open on the 25th of December?
The first thing you should consider is demand. Will there be a demand for your cuisine on Christmas Day? While there are many cultures that do not celebrate Christmas and certain types of restaurants already have a built-in clientele, you’re certified food protection manager will have to decide if your restaurant fits into that category. If not, then you may wish to promote a special Christmas menu should you feel the need to open on Christmas Day.
The second thing you should consider is your staff. Many families have Christmas traditions, and you may not have enough staff willing to work on Christmas Day itself. You could suddenly become a very unpopular certified food protection manager should you force your staff to work both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
A happy staff is a hard-working staff, so we suggest you poll your staff or maybe look for volunteers to work on the holidays, or allow staff to work either Christmas Eve or Christmas Day to fill out empty stations should you not have enough staff willing to work. It’s also a great idea to offer the incentive of holiday pay or some sort of bonus for spending their Christmas at work.
How do you feel about opening your restaurant on Christmas Day>
