SAN FRANCISCO, April 27, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to a new survey by OpenTable, Inc. (Nasdaq:OPEN) (www.opentable.com), a leading provider of free, real-time online restaurant reservations for diners and guest management solutions for restaurants, diners prefer to honor the mothers in their group by dining out, not in. This Mother's Day, 82 percent of survey respondents plan to celebrate in a restaurant, and 67 percent of those who are moms said they prefer dining out to breakfast in bed. While brunch remains a favorite, dinner might be in order as well: 27 percent of respondents said they'd like breakfast in bed paired with dinner at a restaurant.
"According to moms, dining out is in on Mother's Day," said Caroline Potter OpenTable's Chief Dining Officer. "Let's face it – reservations are easier for a family to make than a meal, and at a restaurant, Mom won't be tempted to pitch in or wind up washing dishes. Remember to think beyond the brunch as more than a quarter of mothers indicated they'd like to dine out for dinner!"
Continuing the trend from OpenTable's Valentine's Day survey, the Mother's Day survey also indicated that diners are done cutting back. More than 90 percent plan to spend the same (78 percent) or more (14 percent) than last year. Sixty-eight percent said their party will spend more than $100, and 19 percent said they'll spend more than $200.
When asked why Mother's Day gatherings so often mean bonding over brunch, 37 percent said they love the food, while 28 percent gather early to leave the rest of the day for other pursuits. The third reason brunch is best? Drinks: 8 percent said it's the one time it's okay to have a cocktail with breakfast.
Other interesting points from the survey include:
- Who minds the kids during the Mother's Day meal?
- 40 percent will make watching them a group effort
- 23 percent still plan to push this task on Mom
- 14 percent said the men in their group will do the dirty work
- 6 percent said Grandma runs the show
- 16 percent said no one minds the kids - their children behave perfectly in restaurants.
- Mother (in-law) love: 25 percent of respondents would leave their mother-in-law at home if they could on Mother's Day. Another 30 percent said they don't mind having her, for their spouse's sake. The rest balked at the idea of leaving their mother-in-law out of their plans and think she's terrific.
- And finally, which celeb mom for a meal? According to OpenTable diners, First Lady Michelle Obama is the ideal dining out companion. Comedy queen Tina Fey came in second, followed by Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Lopez and Sarah Palin.
For diners still searching for the right restaurant, OpenTable.com provides local Diners' Choice Best Brunch lists and access to specials and menu details for May 8. Diners can also find more tips and trends regarding Mother's Day on the "Dining Check" blog at OpenTable: http://blog.opentable.com.
About OpenTable, Inc.
OpenTable is a leading provider of free, real-time online restaurant reservations for diners and reservation and guest management solutions for restaurants. The OpenTable network delivers the convenience of online restaurant reservations to diners and the operational benefits of a computerized reservation book to restaurants. OpenTable has more than 20,000 restaurant customers, and, since its inception in 1998, has seated more than 200 million diners around the world. The Company is headquartered in San Francisco, California, and the OpenTable service is available throughout the United States, as well as in Canada, Germany, Japan, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. OpenTable also owns and operates toptable.com, a leading restaurant reservation site in the United Kingdom.
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