Restaurant Chains That Will Be Open On Christmas Day 2019

Christmas Restaurants Pizza
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A lot of thought, money, and preparation goes into celebrating Christmas. There’s the presents, decorations, outfits, not to mention the food. So, we completely understand if you can’t think of anything worse than cooking a meal for your 20 cousins twice removed and all of their spouses this year — it’s a ton of work! There’s a lot of pressure to cook Christmas Day dinner from scratch, but it’s 2019, so you can pay someone else to do that for you. Whether it’s a spot of festive breakfast you’re looking for or a full evening meal, here are all the restaurant chains that will be open on Christmas Day.

*Disclaimer: Some of these restaurant openings depend on location, so give your local branch a call before you make plans.*

Old Country Buffet

Christmas Restaurants Old Country
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Christmas Day is meant to be spent stuffing our faces, so if you’re not in the mood to do that with the traditional turkey and ham dinner, you can head down to your local Old Country Buffet for an all you can eat soiree. The restaurant chain will be open on Christmas Day from 11 am and will close at 6 pm, which means, if you really wanted to, you could eat your breakfast, lunch, AND dinner at your local Old Country Buffet. Another plus? The restaurants are usually large, so you can bring your 20 cousins.

Buffalo Wild Wings

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Are you extremely unorganized and forgot to put any preparation into your Christmas dinner? That’s fine, you can just wing it (lol) because Buffalo Wild Wings will be open for business on December 25th this year. Screw tradition and chow down on a whole pile of chicken wings on Christmas day, whether you’re a spicy buffalo or a BBQ kind of guy. Buffalo Wild Wings’ website states that they currently have 1,238 locations, so maybe give your branch a call ahead — just in case.

Legal Sea Foods

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Fish? On Christmas Day? Stranger things have happened, okay? Seafood is allegedly a healthy option when you compare it to red meat, so we think heading down to Legal Sea Foods for dinner is a good idea this year. While the chain hasn’t confirmed it’s 100% going to be open this year, we’re fairly certain it will be, considering most locations were open for both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day last year. They usually even offer holiday classics as well as their regular menu. Sold.

Buca di Beppo

Christmas Restaurants Buci
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You might look forward to your roast dinner every year, but we know that deep down, you’d rather eat a cheesy, saucy Italian meal on Christmas Day instead. Buca di Beppo realizes this too, so they’ve decided to stay open this Christmas to satisfy all of your carby needs. The restaurant will open at 11am on Christmas Day for full service, however, if you feel like enjoying the carby goodness in the comfort of your own home, you can pre-order your meal from December 23rd to pick up and eat in front of the TV.

Waffle House

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If you’ve mustered up the energy to cook the actual Christmas meal this year, then we definitely feel like you deserve to kick your feet up at breakfast time and have someone else do the work for you. America’s favorite breakfast dinner isn’t just open on Christmas day this year, it’s open every other day too. Yep, Waffle House has its doors open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. That’s a commitment to the waffle industry. Open Santa’s presents and get yourself down here for a muffin or two this year.

Denny’s

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Like Waffle House, Denny’s is another American staple that’s open 365 days a year. We’re not worthy. Denny’s doesn’t want you to go a day without your favorite diner dishes, especially during the holiday season. Whether you’re on the naughty or nice list this year, Denny’s will have something on their extensive menu to satisfy your festive cravings. Additionally, their limited “Festive Flavors” menu will also be available in their 1,700 locations until January 7th, 2019.

Boston Market

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Christmas time revolves around home-cooked meals that are made with love, and that’s right up Boston Market’s street. Most Boston Market locations will be open during their regular hours on December 25th. The chain specializes in comfort food, so if you want a meal that seems like you cooked it at home, without all the work, this is the place to go. The restaurant serves a range of meats (including Christmas turkey and ham) that you can get when you dine in, or you can order them for pick up or delivery. Amazing.

Chart House

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Chart House is one of the fancier locations on this list where you can spend your cooking-free Christmas Day this year. The seafood chain not only has restaurants with incredible views, but they also have a pretty extensive menu that’s available all day on December 25th. Chart House takes Christmas so seriously that they have a themed menu. Their “Cherish the Cheer” menu will be available on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day this year and consists of seafood, prime rib, signature cocktails and more.

IHOP

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IHOP doesn’t stray from its 24/7 regime, even for Jesus’s birthday. Start your Christmas day off right and stop off at IHOP on your way to do your family rounds for some signature pancakes and eggs. Another thing to note is that IHOP doesn’t just do pancakes anymore, so you can also drop in for lunch or dinner if you’re having a chilled out festive season. Although all locations promise to be open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, hours may differ per branch, so give your local IHOP a call first.

Marie Callender’s

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Marie Callender’s is also known for its homestyle cooked meals that will make you feel a little less guilty about eating out on Christmas Day than a burger at Denny’s. While we’re pretty sure that Marie Callender herself probably cooked the best holiday dinners around, you should get in on the action by heading to one of her chains for dinner this year. The restaurant chain will introduce a limited three-course menu for the occasion and holiday hours will vary, so give them a call!

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar

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Another option for if you’re trying to treat yourself to a slightly boujier dinner than nuggets and fries this Christmas is Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar. Ditch the cheap meat and make reservations at one of Fleming’s 69 locations for Christmas day and chow down on steak and drink your weight in wine. We can’t think of a better way to spend the holidays, to be honest. Select Fleming’s locations will be open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so check with your local branch ahead of the big day.

Perkins Restaurant & Bakery

Christmas Restaurants Perkins
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Perkins is another comfort food restaurant that’s decided to cash in on the Christmas buzz. The chain is famous for its fluffy buttermilk pancakes, so that would be a great way to kick off Christmas Day in good spirits. As well as their famous breakfast menu, on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, Perkins will introduce a limited special menu that will include a turkey dinner with pie, with the option for seconds! Call ahead to find out their hours.

Sonic Drive-In

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This one is for the people who either don’t celebrate Christmas at all, or just don’t really give AF what they do during the holidays. If you’ve never ventured into a Sonic restaurant before in your life, they serve all the fast food essentials — nuggets, fries, shakes, and unreal cheeseburgers. Sonic is like most fast food joints and will open on Christmas, but be aware, 96% of Sonic restaurants are franchised, so each location’s opening hours will differ.

Smith & Wollensky

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Smith & Wollensky is another high-end restaurant chain that doesn’t want you to have to suffer at the hands of your mother-in-law’s cooking this year. The upscale steakhouse will be open for action on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day this year and you’ll have the option to book out a private dining room for your entire family, or if you’re dining alone you can also just book a table. The restaurant always releases a fall and winter menu, so get your reservation in fast if you want to try their “cellar steals.”

Ruth’s Chris Steak House

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Ruth’s Chris Steak House doesn’t care how big your party is, they just want you in their restaurant on Christmas Day. What says Christmas more than a hefty, food-coma inducing meal shared with your friends and family? Nothing is our answer. To draw customers in, Ruth’s has even put together a special “Holiday Surf & Turf” menu that will be available on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day along with their already massive dinner menu. Hours differ per each location, so book online in advance or call a Ruth’s near you.

McDonald’s

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You could go to any of the breakfast joints we’ve mentioned already for your Christmas breakfast, but if your local McDonald’s is open, why would you bother going anywhere else? Only select locations of McDonald’s are going to remain open for Christmas, but considering there are 37,855 of them worldwide, we’re sure there’ll be one relatively close to you. Even though a McMuffin for breakfast and a Big Mac for dinner sounds great, McDonald’s also brings out a festive menu every year you can enjoy.

Huddle House

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Huddle House prides itself on its “Any Meal, Any Time” slogan, so did you really think they were going to let that go on Christmas Day? No way. Similar to Denny’s, Huddle House is a 24-hour diner that serves all-day breakfast. Breakfast for dinner on Christmas Day? Sounds good to us. Celebrate your Christmas in a low key way with some steak and eggs and a strong coffee and get your butt down to one of the 339 Huddle House establishments in America. Who needs vegetables, right?

Macaroni Grill

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Feel like getting your feed on some American style Italian food this Christmas? Don’t worry, we won’t judge you here. Macaroni Grill is another Italian style joint that will continue to serve up classics for its customers after Santa has been and gone. The restaurant chain usually opens from 12pm to 8pm every year for both lunch and dinner, so we don’t expect this year to be any different. Don’t forget — Macaroni Grill have a pour your own wine system. Did someone say festive cheer?

Panda Express

Christmas Restaurants Panda
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The only Asian themed restaurant on this list is Panda Express. Of course, you can probably expect your local Chinese take out to open at some stage on Christmas Day, but if you want a sit-down Chinese meal, Panda Express is your best bet. Most restaurants in the much-loved Chinese chain will be open on Christmas Day, but like other restaurants on this list, their opening hours will differ, so call ahead. We don’t believe that any day should be a day where General Tso’s chicken is forbidden, so celebrate Christmas 2019 with the big panda.

Pizza Hut

Christmas Restaurants Pizza
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We’re surprised there haven’t been more pizza joints on this list. Are we the only ones who crave the Italian staple 365 days a year? Make the most of the time we have left with dine-in Pizza Huts, because soon they’ll join Dominos and Papa John’s in going delivery and takeout only. Pizza Hut has 16,796 restaurants all over the world, but in saying this, not all of them will be open on Christmas Day. Give your fave branch a call before to find out if yours will serve you a turkey style deep dish on December 25th.

Ruby Tuesday

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Ruby Tuesday is a bit of a wild card, but we’re going to pop them here anyway — just in case! Most Ruby Tuesdays will close on Christmas this year (as they do every other year), however, last year the massive Times Square Ruby Tuesday location stayed open for stranded New Yorkers who didn’t have anywhere to get their feed on the holy occasion. So, there could be hope still that they’ll open again this year!

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