How to make your restaurant's Mother's Day menu

A Sunday of long tables

Mother’s Day isn’t a night for couples but a Sunday lunch with three generations at the same table. That changes the menu:

• Big tables, which call for sharing dishes and a relaxed pace.
• Very different guests: children, older people, someone who doesn’t eat meat, an allergy or two.
• One bill, which someone wants to know before booking.
• Everyone arriving at once, between twelve and two, with the kitchen at full stretch.

With a set menu, the family chooses a restaurant on price and menu, and you know how much to order and how many covers you’ll do. In the US, where Mother’s Day is one of the busiest restaurant days of the year, brunch often takes the place of lunch; the same principles apply.

Structure: made for sharing as a family

1. Sharing starters: three dishes for the table. Something seasonal (wild garlic or forced rhubarb in March in the UK, asparagus in May in the US), something everyone likes and something fresh.
2. Choice of main: a fish, a meat (a Sunday roast works well) and a vegetarian option. Ask for the pre-order when the booking is confirmed if the table is large.
3. Dessert: a cake, which is the photo moment, and coffee or tea.
4. Children’s menu separately, with its own price.

If the family wants to bring their own cake, decide how you’ll handle it in advance and, if you charge a cakeage fee for serving it, write it in the terms.

Price per head and what’s included

The price is per head, with a line saying what’s included:

£38 per head · Three courses, a glass of fizz and coffee

• Drinks: say what’s included (house wine, water, soft drinks) and how much.
• Supplements: if a main costs extra, the amount goes next to the dish.
• Children’s menu: price, age and what’s included. More ideas in how to make a kids’ menu.

In the UK, the price shown includes VAT; in the US, say whether tax and gratuity are added.

Bookings and sittings

In 2027, Mothering Sunday falls exactly three weeks after Valentine’s Day and, as every year, three weeks before Easter Sunday, so it’s one of several busy weekends in a row. In the US, Mother’s Day weekend often books up weeks ahead. Decide early how many large tables you’ll take and how many you’ll keep for walk-ins.

Write the terms at the bottom of the menu or in the confirmation message:

• Arrival time and, with two sittings, when the table needs to be free.
• Number of guests: until when it can change.
• Pre-order of mains and allergies, when booking.
• Deposit, if you ask for one: amount and refund terms.

Allergens on a family menu

With so many people at the table, an allergy is likely. Go through every dish:

• Cakes and desserts: gluten, eggs and milk.
• Afternoon tea: scones (gluten, milk, eggs), egg mayonnaise sandwiches (eggs) and smoked salmon (fish).
• Burrata and cheeses: milk.
• Fish: sea bass is fish, and so is a fish stock or sauce in a dish whose name doesn’t say so.
• Wine and fizz: sulphites.

Ask about allergies when people book and note them on the booking: at a table of twelve, it’s much easier to prepare with a few days’ notice. There’s the full list in the 14 allergens.

When to prepare it

A sensible timeline for each date in 2027:

You’ll find the rest of the dates in the restaurant calendar.

Design and formats

A spring menu calls for a bright design. The Botanical style, with its garden feel, suits a spring Sunday lunch. Formats that work:

• A5 on each table, which the family can take home.
• A4 or A3 on the door from five weeks before.
• Post and story: many bookings for this day are decided in the family group chat, and a clear image with the price gets shared on its own. We explain how in the menu for WhatsApp and Instagram.

Write the date as a custom date (“Mothering Sunday · 7 March”) instead of the automatic date.

Make it with MenuDesign

Open the Mother’s Day template, change the dishes and price, add the children’s menu and mark the allergens. Download the PDF to print and the image for social media. There are more designs in the menu templates. Free, no sign-up.