The four-to-six-week rule
Almost every special menu follows the same rhythm. For a one-day date:
- Six weeks before: dishes, price and terms finalised. Time to talk to your suppliers.
- Four weeks before: the menu printed on the door and posted online. Bookings open.
- One week before: order adjusted to confirmed bookings and a final check of allergies.
There are two big exceptions. Christmas parties (and, in the US, Thanksgiving) are booked months ahead: if you wait until four weeks before to have a menu, those tables are already at another restaurant. And the beer garden or terrace isn’t a date but a whole season, with its own menu.
The dates in this guide are for 2027. UK bank holidays follow the official GOV.UK list; US dates are federal holidays, and your state may add others.
January: Dry January and Burns Night
- Friday 1 January: New Year’s Day, a bank holiday in the UK and a federal holiday in the US. In Scotland, 2 January moves to Monday 4 January.
- All month: Dry January and Veganuary. A couple of good alcohol-free drinks and a vegan main on the menu pay off.
- Monday 18 January: Martin Luther King Jr. Day (US).
- Monday 25 January: Burns Night. Haggis, neeps and tatties, and a dram. Haggis usually contains oatmeal: mark it as gluten.
After the festive season comes the January lull. It’s the month of the set menu of the day and a good time to review the menu and prices for the year. Meanwhile, you have two jobs: finalise the Valentine’s menu and get Mothering Sunday ready, because in 2027 it comes early.
February: Pancake Day and Valentine’s Day
- Tuesday 9 February: Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday). Pancakes mean gluten, eggs and milk.
- Wednesday 10 February: Ash Wednesday. Lent begins.
- Sunday 14 February: Valentine’s Day. As it falls on a Sunday, many couples will celebrate on Saturday 13. Offer the menu both nights. In the US, the Super Bowl is scheduled for the same day.
- Monday 15 February: Presidents’ Day (US).
The Valentine’s menu should be finalised by mid-January. There’s everything you need in how to make a Valentine’s Day menu.
March: Mothering Sunday, St Patrick’s Day and Easter
Easter is early in 2027, and March is packed:
- Sunday 7 March: Mothering Sunday (UK). One of the busiest Sunday lunches of the year, just three weeks after Valentine’s Day. Prepare the two menus together, in January. More in how to make a Mother’s Day menu.
- Wednesday 17 March: St Patrick’s Day. A big night for pubs in the UK, Ireland and the US, and a bank holiday in Northern Ireland.
- Friday 26 March: Good Friday, a bank holiday across the UK. Have fish on the menu and hot cross buns on the counter.
- Sunday 28 March: Easter Sunday. Roast lamb and family lunches.
- Monday 29 March: Easter Monday, a bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
April, May and June: bank holidays, US Mother’s Day and Father’s Day
- Friday 23 April: St George’s Day (England).
- Monday 3 May: Early May bank holiday (UK).
- Wednesday 5 May: Cinco de Mayo, a big night for Mexican restaurants and bars in the US.
- Sunday 9 May: Mother’s Day (US), one of the busiest days of the year for American restaurants, with brunch as the star.
- Monday 31 May: Spring bank holiday (UK) and Memorial Day (US) on the same day. In both countries, the unofficial start of the outdoor season.
- Sunday 20 June: Father’s Day, the third Sunday of June in both the UK and the US. More in how to make a Father’s Day menu.
Summer: beer garden and terrace season
The summer menu should be printed in May, before the warm weather arrives. In July and August what matters is a menu that stands up to sun and pace, and is translated if you get visitors from abroad. See how to make a summer menu.
- Sunday 4 July: Independence Day (US). The federal holiday is observed on Monday 5 July.
- Monday 12 July: Battle of the Boyne, a bank holiday in Northern Ireland.
- Monday 2 August: Summer bank holiday in Scotland.
- Monday 30 August: Summer bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- Monday 6 September: Labor Day (US), the end of patio season for many.
September and October: back to work and party bookings
In September, take the high-summer dishes off and bring back the set lunch for office customers.
- September to early November: companies book their December parties. Have your group menus ready as a PDF from the start of September. See how to make a group and corporate menu.
- Sunday 31 October: Halloween. More than a full menu, a themed dessert or cocktail works well with a young or family crowd. Ideas in how to make a Halloween menu.
November: Bonfire Night and Thanksgiving
- Friday 5 November: Bonfire Night (UK). Toffee apples, parkin and something warming. Parkin, a ginger cake, usually contains oats and flour (gluten) and butter (milk).
- Thursday 25 November: Thanksgiving (US). Turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie and pecan pie: check gluten, eggs and milk, and mark pecans as tree nuts. Bookings come in from September.
- Tuesday 30 November: St Andrew’s Day, a bank holiday in Scotland.
By mid-November your Christmas menu should already be on the door.
December: Christmas parties, Christmas and New Year’s Eve
- Fridays 3, 10 and 17: the Christmas party Fridays. The 17th is “Mad Friday”, the last Friday before Christmas and one of the busiest nights of the year in the UK.
- Friday 24 and Saturday 25: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Boxing Day falls on Sunday 26, so the UK bank holidays move to Monday 27 and Tuesday 28.
- Friday 31: New Year’s Eve. New Year’s Day 2028 falls on a Saturday.
Everything you need for these nights is in how to make a Christmas menu and, for the last night of the year, how to make a New Year’s Eve menu. And before the year ends, get Burns Night 2028 ready.
2027 at a glance
| Date | What | Menu finalised | On the door and online |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Jan (Mon) | Burns Night | Early January | Mid-January |
| 9 Feb (Tue) | Pancake Day | Mid-January | Late January |
| 14 Feb (Sun) | Valentine’s Day | Mid-January | Late January |
| 7 Mar (Sun) | Mothering Sunday (UK) | Late January | Early February |
| 17 Mar (Wed) | St Patrick’s Day | Mid-February | Early March |
| 26–29 Mar | Easter weekend | Mid-February | Early March |
| 9 May (Sun) | Mother’s Day (US) | Early April | Mid-April |
| 20 Jun (Sun) | Father’s Day | Mid-May | Late May |
| May – September | Beer garden and terrace | April | May |
| 31 Oct (Sun) | Halloween | Early October | Mid-October |
| 25 Nov (Thu) | Thanksgiving (US) | August | September |
| December | Christmas parties | August | September |
| 24, 25 and 31 Dec | Christmas and New Year’s Eve | October | November |
Get organised with MenuDesign
Each date has a template ready to adapt in the menu templates. Your menus stay saved in your browser: next year you open this year’s, change the dates and prices, and export it again on A4, A5 or as an image for social media. Keep a PDF of each one too, in case you change computer.
Frequently asked questions
How far ahead should I prepare a special menu?
For a one-day date such as Valentine's Day or Mother's Day, four to six weeks ahead: the menu finalised at six weeks, and on the door and online at four. Christmas parties and Thanksgiving are booked months in advance, so those menus need to be ready much earlier.
When is Easter in 2027?
Good Friday is 26 March, Easter Sunday 28 March and Easter Monday 29 March. Good Friday is a bank holiday across the UK; Easter Monday is a bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but not in Scotland. In the US, Easter isn't a federal holiday.
When is Mother's Day in 2027?
It depends on the country. In the UK, Mothering Sunday is the fourth Sunday of Lent: 7 March 2027. In the US, Mother's Day is the second Sunday of May: 9 May 2027.
Are bank holidays the same across the UK?
No. England and Wales share one list, while Scotland and Northern Ireland have extra days of their own, such as St Andrew's Day or St Patrick's Day. In the US, federal holidays apply nationwide, but states add their own. Check your local calendar before planning rotas and opening hours.