I’m spending Christmas alone and want to at least eat decently…
I am currently in downstate illinois. What restaurant chains are open today? Better to ask the group that knows than to drive aimlessly around town.
Also, aside from Walgreens, do you know of any stores that are open today? (I’m surprised that walmart is closed… I thought they’d be open of all places!)
This may be more IMHO but it goes along with the topic: Is it true about Chinese Restaurants remaining open today?
Thanks in advance! I hope Santa brought you everything you had on your list.
Traditionally non -Christian owned restaraunts are more likely to be open Christmas. I have been alone for a long time, and I always look for look for Chinese, Middle Eastern or Indian places. Never had to hard of a search
My wife and I drove around earlier today to see what restaurants were open. We got: Jack in the Box, Hardees, Subway, Waffle House, and of course, the Chinese buffet.
…it wasn’t field research, we were just hungry and curious. We opted for the buffet.
Kerbey Lane Cafe, a small-ish diner chain in Austin, was open today.
Truckstop chains (Travel Centers of America, Flying J, Petro, etc) should have their restaurants open today.
Strangely, in the on-the-very-edge-of-the-Jewish-part-of-town neighborhood where I lived in Cleveland, most Jewish delis were closed on Christmas. Orthodox-operated kosher restaurants tended to be open, though.
Just what I was about to suggest. That’s where Mrs. Simmons and I ate when we were traveling on Christmas Day about twenty years back. We were taken by surprise at our first choice–I’m not sure what year it was, but it was the first year the Denny’s chain allowed the local franchises to close on Dec. 25th if they wanted to. We hadn’t heard (no real Internet back then!), and were mighty , as we looked back and forth between the signs. “Always Open” … “Closed”
(We talked to a friend of ours later, who’d been working part-time as a waitress there at the time. She said her restaurant, which had been built to be a Denny’s, had to chain & padlock their doors when the management decided to close for Christmas. No locks on the front doors, you see …)
The TGIF near me opened at 5pm, and I saw a Sonic and Ruby Tuesday’s open as well. I suspect the hours may be up to the individual stores and not set franchise-wide. There’s a gas station near my house that closed at 7, but another of the same chain a few miles away was open.
“The No. 1 search term on Google this morning is “ihop,” as in the International House of Pancakes. Apparently breakfast is on the table, just not the one folks have at home. Mom not mixing up a fresh batch? No matter, just jump in the SUV and head to IHOP, Waffle House (No. 9) or Denny’s (No. 10).”
Speaking of chains which aren’t supposed to close but did, Steak 'n Shake claims to be open 24/7. I once challenged a waiter to that:
“are you really open 24/7?”
“yes we are, we never close!”
“you don’t, huh?”
“no sir, we don’t!”
“then why do you have locks on your door?”
“eh… dude, good point”
Well they were closed for Thanksgiving. Needless to say I was mightily miffed.
For stores like Walmart it’s easier to close, 'cause they have to restock for the big after Christmas sales. If people aren’t there in the way it’s a lot easier
In Chicago tons of places are open. A lot of resturaunts don’t open till lunch or after and by then most people are done celebrating so they can make a bunch of money with people not wanting to cook Christmas dinners
, as we looked back and forth between the signs. “Always Open” … “Closed”