Is it worth eating out on Christmas Day?

[ihatethecold]

I just cannot be bothered with xmas dinner this year. There’s only 3 of us. Me, DH and our 18 yr old dd.
She has said she’s happy to drive us on the day.
A few local places are doing xmas dinner for about £80 including wine. The menus look very nice.
DD would be cheaper due to not drinking
Has anyone bit the bullet and felt it was worth it?
We can afford it but it feels very indulgent.
I feel a bit torn.
But, the thought of doing xmas dinner and all that entails makes me feel knackered already.
(don’t even like turkey)

Op we did it once and it was absolutely lovely.
Then back for presents etc.
In your situation I'd jump at it like a flash! You have a taxi driver to boot, how many more years will your dd be with you and wanting to drive you?? Go op, go, go, go. It's Xmas it's one day of indulgence.
I'd like to go out as well but logistics are tricky with young dc.
If dh were on our own I think I'd go out or go away

We did it - but went to an Indian Restaurant.

The workers weren't bothered about Christmas and, although more expensive than normal, the prices were not extortionate

If we aren’t on holiday over Christmas that’s what we do, soooo much nicer than slaving away in the kitchen all day as we like a traditional full Turkey dinner rather than an alternative at home. The actual pubs and restaurant managers need Christmas Day it brings in the same revenue as over a week’s average takings in Dec in a single day for them! Don’t feel guilty support a local business that badly needs it after the last 2 years! 👍

We are going out. We always used to when I was a child.

Don't feel sorry fir the staff, Christmas Day is a great day to work as generally guests are in a great mood, not really in any rush and tip well. I loved working CD when I worked in hospitality. Plus it's not as if you go into hospitality expecting the prime holiday days off - or if you do you're an idiot.
I'm on nights Christmas Eve and Christmas Day so I'm really looking forward to not having to cook Christmas lunch between shifts which was the alternative as we will be at DParents. Mum is paralysed abd has aphasia and Dad can't reheat rice without instructions so the choices were no sleep or go out. Can't wait, we're going to Bistrot Pierre.

Oh and we won't be having Turkey 🤮

No.
Its a total rip off (trust me....20 years in the restaurant business, most of those working Xmas Day) and no the staff do not choose to work it. In almost all of the places offering it, its a no choice but to work situation. Its one of the reasons that I will not be going back into hospitality after being made redundant due to covid and now working in retail.

For the price of one meal you can get much better quality food pre prepped that you can just bung in the oven.

@BobLemon

I have both worked in hospitality on Christmas Day and gone out to eat on Christmas Day. I would heartily recommend it why are there no Christmas hat smileys yet?? have a Halloween one instead.

If I didn’t want to cook, I’d get every last item ready made from M&S, like the woman in front of me at the checkout one year. Her bill was eye watering, but I dare say still probably less than a nice restaurant for 4. Plus at least there’d be leftovers for later.

There’d still be washing up, but that wouldn’t bother me since in this house the cook never does it anyway. 🙂

I've worked on Christmas Day in the past and so has my DS and enjoyed it, but the restaurants were all small, family run businesses who really looked after their staff - and customers. We made a lot of money.

I rarely eat out these days ... find it more and more difficult to find a really good restaurant that serves good, properly made food (not 'ready assembled') and where you get decent customer service. But I genuinely don't mind cooking at home ... in fact happy to be in the kitchen on my own .

We've done it a few times. No one likes it as much as when we have it at home, but it's good to have a break sometimes as cooking for a lot of people can be a lot of pressure.

@GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER

If I didn’t want to cook, I’d get every last item ready made from M&S, like the woman in front of me at the checkout one year. Her bill was eye watering, but I dare say still probably less than a nice restaurant for 4. Plus at least there’d be leftovers for later.

There’d still be washing up, but that wouldn’t bother me since in this house the cook never does it anyway. 🙂

This is pretty much what we do, but it is still a lot of work when you have a lot of people coming, not to mention the mess.

Yea once but disclaimer, it was in Sydney on a 32c xmas day

At the time DH and I lived in a tiny hotel apartment with a two ring hob and no oven. We went for a walk around the Harbour and Opera House and found all the restaurants on Circular Quay open and bustling. They managed to seat us a booking had just left. Right on the water.

Massive Prawns, Balmain Bugs in Garlic Butter, Octopus Rice, Scallops, Oysters and Chips and a shit tonne of cold cold Chardonnay. Best Xmas lunch ever by a bloody mile.

I’ve nailed my Xmas dinner routine down and it’s actually less faff than a normal lazy Sunday roast day where I like to spend ages in the kitchen.

My in-laws / bils/ sils go out for dinner every Xmas and almost always moan about the awful food and shocking service despite trying different restaurants. I think they pick places that ram people in and do not know how to organise the settings.
It’s all about getting a table booked in a place where they know how to do it properly. There is a restaurant near where we live that allows you to book Christmas dinner if you have booked with them before. The tables never become available , they have a waiting list of people trying to get in. Someone literally has to die for a reservation to come up.

For those of you saying the staff don't want to work Christmas Day it totally depends on the establishment. Dd works in our local pub and they have had to pull names out of a hat as everyone wanted to work!

However I also work in hospitality and at our place it's completely different as no one wants to do it but that's more down to the management expectations. So fully expect staff will be in on Christmas Day under sufferance which will reflect in the atmosphere 🙁

I also have a well practiced Christmas Dinner cooking routine, in a spreadsheet with timings and lists of what needs buying so I can do the early morning 23 or 24 Dec food shop and be home before the crowds arrive.

We don't have a full turkey but a turkey butterfly which is a single giant turkey breast. The whole thing takes about 3 hours from start to finish, no pre-prep except possibly the dessert (veg peeling starts after the turkey goes in and DP does a lot of it) and there's still plenty of time for lazing around making a start on the fizz.

But I can see why anyone wouldn't want to even do that but I wouldn't choose a stupidly priced restaurant meal as an alternative and it sounds like the OPs plan of letting her DH cook the Ocado food is a good one.

Yea once but disclaimer, it was in Sydney on a 32c xmas day

At the time DH and I lived in a tiny hotel apartment with a two ring hob and no oven. We went for a walk around the Harbour and Opera House and found all the restaurants on Circular Quay open and bustling. They managed to seat us a booking had just left. Right on the water.

Massive Prawns, Balmain Bugs in Garlic Butter, Octopus Rice, Scallops, Oysters and Chips and a shit tonne of cold cold Chardonnay. Best Xmas lunch ever by a bloody mile.

Sounds amazing but what the hell are Balmain bugs?

@ihatethecold haha! It's a smallish lobster with a flat tail endemic to Australia and in no way endangered so better than lobster.
Balmain or Moreton Bay varieties. Delicious grilled with garlic butter.

I'm drooling at the thought.

www.saveur.com/moreton-bay-bugs-in-australia/?amp

I owned a hotel and regularly cooked Christmas Dinner for 70 people . We paid our staff well and they got good tips and seemed happy to work. We had our dinner later in the day and some of them actually opted to stay and eat with us . I used to love Christmas Day lunch in the pub . We only opened for 3 hours and did no food Everyone left quickly to get home for lunch. It was jam packed with regulars and visitors. Great atmosphere . We took almost a as much as a quiet week in one session and the staff got fabulous tips . I like cooking lunch for extended family but my teenage DS and I are on our own for lunch this year and considering going out if we can get in somewhere.

How about a cheating Xmas dinner, I've bought (all frozen) 3 bird roast, hasselback potatoes, mixed root veg, brussel and bacon gratin, cauliflower cheese, stuffing (dried not frozen) will buy fresh gravy and cream. Dp picked up a Christmas pudding.

Didn't want leftovers as away after Christmas Day. All Lidl cost £33 in total

We've done it several times.

The first, after a bereavement, was in a hotel/restaurant, and wasn't great - dry turkey, and absolutely no atmosphere.

More recent ones have been in a local pub which does great food, and that was super. Choice of meals, including turkey and veg options but also roast beef and fish, very well cooked, and friendly atmosphere. Only drawback you don't get as many pigs in blankets as you might when you cook your own, or gravy/bread sauce (we like a lot).

We're doing a different pub this year as our usual was fully booked. Hoping for the best...

Most decent places will be booked up now I'd have thought.
If you don't want to do Christmas Dinner - don't do it. Have a nice alternative meal and a relaxing day.

We have done it once. Won't be doing it again.
Too expensive
No left overs
House didn't feel so Christmas like without the aroma of dinner cooking