After celebrating the coming of the new year at midnight, the idea of cooking all of your meals the next day may seem exhausting. Enjoying a bite at a restaurant may be more appealing, allowing you to forgo any kitchen and cleanup duties. However, since January 1 is a federal holiday, finding restaurants open New Year’s Day isn’t always easy. While a lot of locations offer at least limited hours, some close entirely. Before you head out, here is a list that can help you start the new year off right.
Restaurants Open New Year’s Day
Applebee’s
While Applebee’s restaurants do close on certain holidays, like Christmas, New Year’s Day isn’t treated the same way. Technically, each store owner can make the decision regarding opening on January 1. In most cases, they decide to welcome in customers as they welcome in the new year. However, if you want to make sure your location is open, you can always call ahead.
Bob Evans
By and large, Bob Evans typically only close on Christmas. Otherwise, this home-style restaurant is happy to seat customers. Since many of the locations operate 24/7, you could even head over after a New Year’s party or even to ring in 2019.
Buffalo Wild Wings
If wings sound like your perfect New Year’s Day meal, you can head to your local Buffalo Wild Wings on January 1, as the majority of locations are open.
California Pizza Kitchen
If you want some pizza as you nurse a hangover or want to squeeze in one last cheat meal before committing to your healthy-eating resolution, California Pizza Kitchen has you covered. Locations will be open on January 1.
Chick-fil-A
While the opening hours may vary by location, most Chick-fil-A restaurants are open on New Year’s Day. If you plan on heading over, you can always call ahead to confirm when they are ready for customers.
Cracker Barrel
The majority of Cracker Barrel locations have regular operating hours on New Year’s Day, so you could possibly make it a breakfast location as well as lunch or dinner.
Denny’s
This classic 24/7 diner won’t let you down on New Year’s Day. In fact, most of them will be open when the clock strikes midnight, so you could feasibly ring in the new year at the restaurant or grab a quick snack or meal after the ball drops.
Eat’n’Park
For those who want to start off the New Year with a famous smiley cookie, Eat’n’Park will be happy to welcome you. The restaurant will be open for the holiday, though you might want to check and see if they are using special holiday hours, even if your nearest location is usually open 24/7.
IHOP
Whether you want pancakes or a burger, the IHOP is there for you. These restaurants usually open every day of the year, though they sometimes have special holiday hours. Before you head to IHOP, check with your local store and confirm when they are seating guests, as they may open later than usual.
McDonald’s
McDonald’s restaurants only close for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Every other day of the year, they are open, though they may use a holiday schedule on New Year’s Day. If so, this usually means they open later than usual, or that a 24-hour location will close for a period starting on New Year’s Eve through till the morning of New Year’s Day.
Old Country Buffet
Old Country Buffet is another family restaurant chain that generally only closes on Christmas Day, so they will be open on January 1. However, some locations may be operating on a holiday schedule, possibly opening later than usual.
Olive Garden
If you want to start the new year with unlimited breadsticks, you are in luck. Most Olive Garden locations are open on New Year’s Day, and mainly on their typical schedule.
Panda Express
For those who have a craving for Chinese food, Panda Express will be ready for you. All of the locations open on New Year’s Day, generally according to their standard business hours.
Sizzler Steakhouse
Sizzler commonly only closes on Easter and Christmas, so the majority of locations are open on January 1.
Starbucks
If you need caffeine to get your New Year started on the right foot, you’ll be happy to know that most Starbucks locations are open. While the hours may vary from one store to the next, there’s a good chance they’ll be ready for customers fairly early in the morning.
The Cheesecake Factory
The majority of The Cheesecake Factory locations are open on New Year’s Day. Generally, this chain only closes on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Waffle House
Waffle House restaurants are so famous for always being open that location closures are used to help judge the severity of hurricanes. When the chain advertises that they are open 24/7/365, they stand by it, so expect them to be open on New Year’s Day.
Local Restaurants
Small restaurants that are not part of a chain can dictate their own schedules. This means some locations may open will others decide to close. If you want to support small business in your community on New Year’s Day, make sure to call ahead to confirm the restaurant will be open.
Do you plan to head to one of the restaurants open New Year’s Day? Tell us about it in the comments below.
Read More:
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- Bank of America Holidays 2019
- 2018 Walmart Holiday Schedule
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Tamila McDonald is a U.S. Army veteran with 20 years of service, including five years as a military financial advisor. After retiring from the Army, she spent eight years as an AFCPE-certified personal financial advisor for wounded warriors and their families. Now she writes about personal finance and benefits programs for numerous financial websites.
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