To not understand going out for lunch on Mothering Sunday?

[Sparklingbrook]

I couldn't think of anything worse that sitting eating lunch in a packed restaurant/pub with lots of other people doing the same just because it's Mothers Day. And paying over the odds for it as well. Treat? I think not. My own Mum would hate it too.

What am I missing?

YANBU - you are not missing anything, sounds awful!!

Well, it's nice to treat your Mum to a meal. Although, it's nice to treat her to a meal any other time.

Either way I'm working so I won't be going out with my mum. I don't know if i'll have chance to give her her card & pressie either :(

I was thinking about this earlier. I'd hate the whole set menu bollocks, but I don't want to be cooking a big roast dinner either... so we might go out for pizza!

Each to their own. My mum loves eating out and she would rather we had lunch together while being waited on with plenty of opportunity for us to chat, than see less of me because I'm leaping up and down catering for us / doing the dishes etc.

I think it's something that started years ago when women typically did all the cooking so it was a treat to go out for a meal so mum didn't have to cook. It's just become the thing to do now

We're going out, to a lovely pub / restaurant - it's a treat for me, not my mum, who's dead.

I like eating out & have never had a disappointing meal in this pub. It's always fully booked at weekends but won't be packed / crowded because the tables are well spaced. There won't be a special set menu for Mothers Day & the prices won't be any higher than usual. Why wouldn't it be a treat to take your mum out for a meal, assuming it's a good one?

But why do it on actual Mothers Day? You could go out the week before or after and have a nice meal in a less packed place.

YY Set menus I heard one pub ad saying they had a 'gift for Mum' but they didn't state what it was.

The pub up the road states 'Mums eat free'. Bet there's a few T&Cs apply over that.

See, that is why we celebrated Mothers Day last Sunday!

We go out on Fathers' Day too... Just any excuse to go out for food tbh, thanking Mum for being a good one seems like a good excuse.

(I bet they would not dare put a "dads drink free on Fathers Day..... )

Yabu to say you don't understand it, you must be able to see that if lots of people do it they get some pleasure out of it.

I think for lots of women its one of the few times they don't have to cook. Even if the kids or DH cooks lots of mothers end up supervising, doing the shopping for it or cleaning up. Plus for lots of people its a treat to eat out. Also I think its nice to spend time as a family eating out, its different than eating indoors together. It gives some kids the opportunity to treat their mums.

Some families with lots of kids also find it easier because otherwise the pressure is all on one person. My DM has 8 kids, every year we book a giant table on the Mothering Sunday and go out as a huge family. She gets a lot of pleasure of seeing us all out together and it doesn't mean there is huge pressure on one person.

It just bothers me that it seems like a huge marketing/money making venture for the restaurant trade akin to Valentines Day.

We go out for meals with my Mum and Dad all year round though.

We are taking mumra for afternoon tea.

YY Mama it must be v popular because loads do it-hence the bookings and the busy restaurants. People must enjoy it.

Is that little sandwiches and cakes NoArmani?

I love eating out and we do it most weekends anyway. But if we do it on Mothers Day, we go to a nice National Trust restaurant where you have to book and it's all lovely and vairy civilised!
So no packed out pub with awful food

And champagne. I can't hang out with mumra without some booze

YANBU - I wonder the same thing! I don't find it a treat to sit in a crowded restaurant so always suggest if we go out we do it on a different day. Or that DH cooks

Also I actually think its nice to be out and look around and see all these other families. Its quite cheerful.

Maybe it is just a big marketing ploy, but it's not forced and if people enjoy doing it I don't see the harm.

I see my parents regularly and eat out with them throughout the year, its just a nice excuse to go out as an entire family.

We've started a tradition in recent years of going for a curry - place is normally empty!

Mmm. Perhaps I am a boring cynical old tightwad then. Oh and we don't have Sundal lunch as a rule so no worries over who does the pots.

Well hopefully these families all get together and go out more than once a year. Personally if I was to go out for Mothers Day I would just change the date and go the week before or after.

I make a point of not going to any of these restaurants on the actual day, as it is almost always packed, more expensive for worse quality/choice of food and worse service. I would much rather go on a normal day, a few days either side.

when i worked as a waitress mothering sunday was FANTASTIC for tips. so i was all for it

the restaurant i worked for was very sweet and gave us a box of chocolates each to take home to our mums because we hadn't been able to spend time with them (staff were mostly 16yo who lived at home)

If my Mum wanted to i would probably do it (and say nothing) but she agrees with me.