Christmas Bookings Advice
Whether you’re organising a Christmas meal for your office or Christmas Day lunch out for the family, then the one most important piece of advice is simple – book it early!
Book early
Many pubs and restaurants will take bookings as early as August, whilst some will allow you to book much further in advance, so it really does pay to book as early as you can.
There is nothing worse than being responsible for organising it and then having to phone around hundreds of places at the last minute. This is not only stressful, but it also means you may have to settle for somewhere that wasn’t your original choice.
This is particularly important if there is a large group of you, but also ‘tables for two’ are popular for couples who want to eat out on the big day, rather than cook for themselves.
If you need to book somewhere for a Christmas party then this is also really important as many venues are pre-booked by the same company every year for the same date.
Choosing a venue
There are a number of factors involved in choosing where to go for your Christmas meal or party, including:
Size of group – just 2 or 200? Some venues will only have a limited number of tables or space to accommodate you.
Special diets – will there be people in your party that are Vegetarians or other other special dietary needs and allergies? Check that these can be catered for.
To share or not to share – if you’re booking for a company party then would you be willing to share your party with other companies (as many large hotels organise) or do you just want it for your office?
Atmosphere – for a party you're going to want somewhere lively so people will get into the ‘Christmas spirit’. However if you’re booking a Christmas Day meal for the family you may want somewhere more relaxed.
Location – For a Christmas party, do you need the venue to be fairly central for people, with good public transport links or will you be providing transport for people?
If it’s for a meal, then you may well have enough ‘designated drivers’ in your group, but if not then you may want to find somewhere that’s within walking distance – you can burn off all those calories walking home again!