Do restaurants get less love on Valentine's Day?
Summary
It may or may not be too late to land a reservation at your favorite dining establishment for Valentines Day, with studies offering mixed views on how big a boon the holiday devoted to romance really is for U.S. restaurants. The NRA cites findings from online reservation service OpenTable showing that the holiday is the most heavily booked day of the year, both in the U.S. and globally. In the U.S., Italian food is among the most popular cuisines, while Canadians largely opt for steakhouses in booking their Valentines meals, OpenTable said. Reservations aside, birthdays are the biggest reason listed by consumers to celebrate at a restaurant, followed by Mothers Day, according to the NRA. Valentines Day last year fell on a Thursday, with the date placing it only 94th for consumer spending, according to a study of 36,000 independently owned dining spots with less than $7.5 million in annual revenue.