How to Turn a Dining Room Into a Swank Restaurant on Mother’s Day
As tradition dictates, mothers are called to be served on Mother’s Day. If you don’t do anything else to celebrate, it’s practically a requirement that someone — someone who is not a mom — prepare a delicious meal. For some families, this usually meant booking brunch at her favorite restaurant. But, COVID, so this year, these options may be even more limited than usual. That’s okay, because you have what it takes to create a fine dining experience for her in her own home.
Enlist the help of the children
If you have young children, this part is key. Sure, you could have a delicious meal prepared and served, but this is less delicious than letting the kids (partially) take over the experience. And since kids love to help and love to role play, they will love acting as host / hostess, waiter and / or cook.
First you need a menu that the kids have to create. If they’re old enough to write out options, great. If not, they can draw pictures (and you can write words or descriptions under each picture). If you have multiple kids who want to help create the menu, you can assign each child a separate serving – one can create a drinks menu, while the other can handle brunch, dinner, or dessert options.
You can keep the menu pretty simple: if you’re going for a brunch, the drink options can be coffee, tea, or orange juice, and the meal options can be scrambled eggs, scrambled eggs, toast, and bacon. Be sure to include the name of your restaurant at the top.
From there, figure out who will act as the host or hostess, who will serve the food and check in periodically to replenish your supply of drink, and who will help you prepare the food.
Set scene
If you really want to impress her, go for a trendy restaurant theme. Pull out a tablecloth, set it up with the most beautiful crockery and glasses you have (bonus points if you have tissue napkins), place some fresh cut flowers in a vase, and play some background music for extra ambience.
Then create a host / hostess station. All you have to do is bring a small table to the doorway of the dining room or kitchen and place the children’s home menu on top. Here she will “check in” so that the owner can take her to her table and hand over the menu.
Go all-in
Encourage children to fully internalize their roles. If they are a chef, ask them to wear an apron. If they are the hostess, have them dress up a little to play their part. Let them treat their mom as if she were a real customer. (” Would you like some more coffee? Can I get you something else today, miss? “)
And at the end of your meal, don’t forget to tell her that today is free food in the house.