Christmas Eve or Christmas lunch out
Not hosting this year? Everyone weighs in and MiBA finds a Christmas table that works for the whole group.
Start a gatheringNot everyone hosts Christmas. Some are far from family, some would rather nobody spent two days in the kitchen, and some just want to celebrate with friends this year. Eating out on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day takes the cooking off the table, but it brings its own puzzle: short opening hours, set menus, and a group with a different diet at every seat.
The Eve, or the day itself
Pick dinner for Christmas Eve, or lunch if the group would rather meet on the day. Offer both days, and each friend says which ones don’t work, so the friends with family plans on one of them can still join. Many places keep short hours on the 24th and the 25th, or close early, so choose the hour with care.
Set menus and budgets
Over Christmas many restaurants serve a set menu at a set price. Each friend says on their own what they’d like to spend, and places over the group’s budget are left out. Nobody has to say in the group chat that a festive menu is more than they planned. Budgets and no’s stay private, and a place someone ruled out is never suggested.
Every diet at the table
One friend is vegetarian, another skips gluten, a third just wants something other than turkey. Dietary needs are saved on each friend’s account, and places that show they cater to them come first. MiBA says so when it couldn’t confirm one, so you know what to ask about the set menu when you call. Nobody has to announce their diet to the table.
Vote, book, celebrate
MiBA ranks the restaurants that suit the whole group, you put up to five on a shortlist, and everyone votes. You get a link or a phone number to book, and over Christmas it pays to book the moment the vote is in. Everyone hears where and when, and this year nobody has to do the washing up.
Starting a gathering is free. Everyone signs in to answer and vote, and MiBA remembers their name and dietary needs for next time.