Open or Closed on Thanksgiving Day?

Thanksgiving is only a week away and it represents a bit of a catch-22 for the food industry.  On one hand, it is a holiday dedicated to celebrating food and having a feast, but it is also a time for people to enjoy their friends and family, leaving restaurants and hotel dining rooms struggling to figure out whether they should be open or not.  According to this article from Boston.com, a few Boston-area restaurants and hotels are seeing an increase in Thanksgiving reservations over last year.

For those who chose to open, the day is a wonderful opportunity to showcase fresh, flavorful, local ingredients in homestyle preparations that will treat the diners who do opt to eat out, but still give them a feeling of family and togetherness.  On the business side, it can be the start of a very busy and productive holiday season.  Overall, the trend early in the fourth quarter is an increase of 3 to 4 percent over last year, which many in the industry hope will carry through the end of the year.

If you do chose to be open on any of the upcoming holidays, remember that your staff deserves to celebrate too.  If you don't offer some type of employee celebration, you should at least try reduced shifts or rotating holiday schedules to keep employees happy during this stressful time of year.  Increasing sales is one benefit of being open on holidays, but after the New Year, you want your staff to still be happy to work for you.  

Will you be open on Thanksgiving or any other upcoming holidays?  Or will you be home, enjoying the time off?