Archived Article By Tom Fitzmorris Originally published May 10, 2007 Mother's Day The National Restaurant Association says that Mother's Day is the second-biggest occasion for dining out among Americans, with around forty percent of the American public going out to eat. Number one is birthdays, at 55 percent. But since every days is a birthday and there's only one Mother's Day, that makes this Sunday by far the busiest day of the year for restaurants. It beats Valentine's Day by six percent. Balancing off these hordes, fortunately, is a larger-than-usual population of restaurants waiting to serve them. Many restaurants normally closed on Sundays usually open for Mother's Day. It may be the only Sunday they open all year. In fact, almost every restaurant where you might even think of goin on Mother's Day is open. So the answer to "Where do I take my mother on Mother's Day" is simple. It's the same as the answer to this question: "Where does your mother like to dine?" Many people don't know the answer to that one. They come up with all sorts of ideas for Mother's Day, and wind up in a place where Mom feels uncomfortable. One year I brought my mother to Commander's Palace for Mother's Day. Although she liked the food--especially the turtle soup, which was something she didn't get much--she couldn't deal with Commander's Palace service. After a lifetime of serving other people, she found it irritating to have waiters getting everything for her, especially when she needed something special. She actually wound up apologizing to them. Not long after, we went to Drago's. She loved the much more casual environment, the simple food, the older waitress who took care of us at a leisurely pace, and everything else about the place. Yes, maybe Commander's is the more impressive restaurant. But Drago's was more pleasant for her. So, when you're trying to figure your Mother's Day plans, remember to first think about what your mother really likes. Then know that you have nearly the entire range of New Orleans restaurants to choose from. So much for the nice side of Mother's Day. Now the bad news. If you don't have your plans and reservations made, you're in trouble. Most of the restaurants you'd most like to go to are booked up. Many of those who say they have space available don't, really. Certain restaurants base their reservations on very wishful thinking, and will stack people up in the bar. Or, worse, outside in line--it really happens. That will only make your mother mad. And there's more. The quality of dining on Mother's Day has a very high probability of tanking. The main cause of this is the presence of so many infrequent diners in the room. A lot of people refuse to believe this, but dining in fine restaurants is a skill, and those who don't have it are much more difficult to serve than those who aren't, and they gum up the works. I'm not saying that anyone lacks the right to go to a restaurant on Mother's Day or any other day. What I am saying is that if you read a newsletter like this, you're clearly more interested than the average person in the finer points. And that the inexperienced diners will, by their sheer numbers on Mother's Day, bring down the level of food and service. (They show up late, order course by course, panic that prices aren't what they remember from five years ago, ask for separate checks, and do other things that frequent diners know better than to do.) As a result of all this, the only good reason to dine out on Mother's Day is if your mother will not accept any reason why you have not taken her to dinner. If that's the case, then you must grit your teeth, be prepared for less than the best food and service, be ready to pay a higher-than-normal price for a limited menu, and make your reservation three weeks ago. The best idea, I think, is to stay at home and do the cooking and cleaning while Mom takes the day off. Without complaining. The next-best idea is one proposed by Ella Brennan years ago: that we eliminate Mother's Day and institute Mother's Week. To spread the crush out. (It could happen: Secretary's Day evolved into Administrative Professionals Week.) But while we're waiting, Mother's Day remains happiest for restaurant owners. (At least the ones who don't overbook.) © 2007 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com