With Mother’s Day less than two weeks away, new data from OpenTable, a global leader in restaurant tech, finds that the holiday was the biggest dining day of 2023 and the Saturday before (May 13) took the #2 spot, pointing to festivities happening all weekend long.

Research suggests the trend will continue this year as nearly a third (31 percent) of American moms being celebrated will consider dining out multiple times for the occasion. This includes without the kids: 31 percent of moms will consider dining out with friends, 21 percent will consider a date night without kids and 10 percent may dine out solo.

While dining out will be central to Mother’s Day this year, OpenTable research suggests celebrations differ generation to generation. While the majority of Americans (54 percent) plan to dine out this Mother’s Day, the share is much higher for Gen Z (65 percent) and Millennials (64 percent) comparted to Gen X (49 percent) and Baby Boomers (39 percent).

Of those planning to dine out, 62 percent of respondents are planning to spend more at a restaurant, bar or cafe this Mother’s Day than last year.

“People are increasingly choosing to celebrate the mothers and special women in their lives with a meal out, bypassing breakfast in bed – and they’re going all out, too,” says Steve Sintra, senior vice president, Americas Restaurant Sales & Services. “Mother’s Day festivities now include dining out multiple times all weekend long, and diners are planning to spend more than last year, with Gen Z more likely to splurge than any generation.”

Last year, OpenTable data revealed nearly half (43 percent) of all Mother’s Day dining happened during brunch hours (11:00 am-2:59 pm), making it the most popular meal for the holiday. To help treat moms to the ultimate brunch experience, OpenTable released its annual list of Top 100 Brunch Restaurants in America for 2024. The list is compiled by analyzing more than 14 million diner reviews and metrics, including diner ratings and the percentage of restaurant reviews diners tagged as “brunch.”