To set holiday hours for your restaurant, first decide for each holiday whether opening actually makes money after holiday pay, then update the same hours in three places: your POS and online ordering, your Google Business Profile, and your website and social pages. Do it four to six weeks ahead, and use special-hours settings rather than editing your regular schedule so everything snaps back to normal afterward. Wrong hours online are the fastest way to turn a guest away and earn a one-star review.
Decide first: open, closed, or reduced hours
Not every holiday deserves a full day. Some are your best sales of the year; others cost more in premium wages than they bring in. Run the numbers instead of following habit.
| Option | Best when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Open normal hours | Holiday is a proven top sales day | Time-and-a-half labor and call-outs |
| Reduced hours | Demand is lumpy (early dinner, late lunch) | Guests assuming you are fully closed |
| Prix-fixe or limited menu | Demand is high but kitchen is short-staffed | Pre-sales and clear cutoffs |
| Closed | Sales are thin or staff burnout is rising | Lost revenue and regular guests going elsewhere |
For each holiday, estimate expected sales, multiply labor by your holiday pay rate, subtract food cost, and compare the leftover to zero. The attached planner does this for up to ten holidays. Pull last year's sales from your POS for the same day, and see how to forecast sales to schedule staff for turning history into a number you can trust.
Make the call with your team
Ask staff who wants holiday shifts before you publish anything. Volunteers cost less than mandatory shifts and show up more reliably, and a short sign-up sheet two months out prevents the scramble. If you need extra hands, hiring seasonal staff for the holiday rush covers the timeline. Check your state's rules on holiday pay and scheduling notice before you commit.
Hours that are wrong online cost more than hours that are short. A guest who arrives at a dark restaurant does not come back to see if you reopen.
Where to update your hours
Guests check four places before they walk in. Update all of them the same day.
- Your POS and online ordering. Use special or holiday hours so ordering turns off when the kitchen closes and cutoffs match your last seating. Disable same-day orders after your cutoff, not at midnight.
- Google Business Profile. Add special hours for each date. This is the listing most people trust, so follow setting up your Google Business Profile and recheck it after saving.
- Your website. Put a banner on the home page with exact dates and times, not just "holiday hours apply."
- Social media and third-party apps. Pin a post, and update delivery app schedules, since those tablets rarely follow your POS.
Announce holiday hours so people actually see them
Posting once is not enough. Announce in layers: a website banner and pinned social post about three weeks out, a note on receipts and menus, an email or text message a few days before, and a sign on the door. Include the holiday name, date, open and close times, and whether you take reservations or online orders. If a closure falls next to a big weekend, say when you reopen.
Handle online ordering carefully
Online ordering is where holiday mistakes get expensive, because an order accepted after the kitchen closes is a refund and an angry guest. Set a hard last-order time, shorten prep-time promises when you are busy, and cap order volume per time slot. If you offer Thanksgiving or Christmas pre-orders, set a cutoff date well before the day itself. A modern online ordering system lets you schedule all of this in advance.
One system makes this easy
Keeping hours in sync is much simpler when your POS, online ordering, and website share one schedule. Cobblestone POS lets you set special holiday hours and order cutoffs once, applies them to commission-free online ordering, and costs no monthly fee. Compared with systems running around $470 a month before add-ons, a free all-in-one means the savings can fund your holiday staffing instead.
Holiday hours checklist
- Decide open, reduced, or closed for each holiday using the planner.
- Collect staff availability at least six weeks out.
- Set special hours in your POS and online ordering.
- Add special hours to your Google Business Profile.
- Update your website banner and social pages.
- Update delivery app schedules.
- Post door signs and announce by email or text.
- Re-check every listing two days before.
Bottom line
Choose holiday hours with numbers, not nostalgia, then publish them everywhere at once. Special-hours settings, a hard order cutoff, and a layered announcement keep guests informed and your team rested.
Free Holiday Open-or-Closed Profit Planner (Excel).