DECK THE PLATTERS:

Holiday Gatherings, Festive Flavors, and Formats Made for a Crowd

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OUT OF ROUTINE, INTO CELEBRATION

The holidays hand the calendar over to everyone else. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s land within weeks of each other, bringing office parties, out-of-town family, and a run of nights where food is the reason people gather to celebrate. Consumers don’t just eat differently during this stretch, they eat together: they’re almost three times more likely to mark a special occasion away from home than at home, and two times more likely to socialize over a meal someone else made (Datassential Pantry Priorities & Plate Disruptors MAY’26).

That’s the stretch worth planning for. More than 8 in 10 consumers associate Christmas with restaurant specials and limited-time offers, with Thanksgiving and New Year’s not far behind. As holiday plans fill up, festive menus and seasonal offerings give operators a timely way to capture the excitement and make their restaurants part of the celebration. (Datassential Winter Trends 2026; Datassential Fall Trends 2026).

Explore Rich’s Foodservice Solutions

59% of consumers have gone out for a meal with family in the past three months, ahead of weekend outings and solo visits, and the holiday season is the lever that turns that habit into bigger, more frequent occasions.
Holiday parties and celebration meals rank as the top two occasions for ordering appetizers away from home, with more than 2 in 3 consumers doing so, putting shareables at the heart of how consumers celebrate
When consumers pick where to celebrate, the type of cuisine they’re craving leads the decision 73% of the time, making seasonal flavor the strongest draw an operator has for a holiday gathering
68% of consumers prefer traditional holiday dishes, but nearly a third want some version of a modern twist, a share that climbs with younger consumers

Datassential Away-From-Home Dining Decisions NOV’25
Datassential Appetizers NOV’25
Datassential Fall Trends 2026

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FESTIVE FLAVORS, SHARED PLATES

Shareables have the most impact on a holiday menu, and the best ones arrive meant to be divided. Cakes and cheesecakes that get cut at the table, cookie and brownie trays passed down the table, flatbreads built to tear, and hot drinks poured for a room all turn one order into something a group gathers around.

From office parties to family gatherings and New Year’s Eve celebrations, shareables have a place at just about every holiday table. Add a seasonal flavor twist, and familiar favorites become something worth celebrating. For operators, it’s a simple way to bring festive excitement to the menu while keeping offerings versatile enough to work across different occasions and group sizes.

WHAT TO KNOW: SEASONAL FLAVORS FOR CELEBRATORY OCCASIONS

TOP INDEXING FLAVORS DURING THE HOLIDAY WINDOW

Flavor	Seasonal Index	Flavor Signal
Ground Mustard	2100	Brings sharp, tangy contrast to rich holiday spreads
Cranberry Sauce	2062	Carries the season’s most recognizable flavor cue
Sweet Basil	1500	Adds fresh herbal lift to shareable flatbreads
Chocolate Pecan	1500	Layers nutty richness into desserts made to cut and pass
All Spice	1200	Delivers warm baking spice that reads festive instantly
Praline	1000	Adds caramelized, buttery indulgence to sweet formats
Turkey Gravy	1000	Anchors savory menus in the season’s most familiar comfort
Lobster Sauce	900	Signals a special occasion with an upscale cue
Red Velvet	812	Brings festive color to cakes, cookies, and desserts
Apple Cranberry	675	Pairs two seasonal fruits for a sweet-tart finish

Datassential Launches & Ratings YE OCT’26, for items launched between JAN 2021 to OCT 2026 by top chains

SET A TABLE WORTH GATHERING AROUND

A holiday menu earns its place when a single order can satisfy a whole table. Ready-to-serve formats make that possible without a prep station, a pastry chef, or one new technique behind the line.

WHAT TO KNOW: SHAREABLES BUILT FOR THE HOLIDAYS

APPETIZERS GAINING TRACTION ON MENUS

Appetizer	4-YR Growth	Shareable Signal
Honey Mustard Chicken Wing	+798%	Built for a platter and easy to split by the piece
Beef Meatball	+95%	Portions naturally, so everyone takes what they want
Soup Dumpling	+80%	Served in sets that portion themselves across a table
Philly Cheese Steak Egg Roll	+66%	Cuts and divides cleanly into handheld pieces
Chicken Bite	+46%	Scales to any party size without changing the order
Loaded Fries	+44%	One base, piled high, meant for many hands
Bao	+43%	Comes in sets and needs no utensils to pass around
Cheese Curd	+36%	Poppable by the basket and made for picking at
Arancine	+36%	Portioned by nature and holds up on a shared plate
Pretzel Bite	+35%	Invites dipping, which keeps a group gathered around it
Elote	+33%	Serves in rounds that split evenly across a group

Datassential Menu Trends JUN’26

Rich’s helps you build holiday-worthy appetizer spreads:

Seasonal flavors lean on familiar comfort, appetizers are growing through handheld and globally inspired builds, and desserts hold steady on classics worth cutting into – giving operators three ways to signal the season on one menu. Shareable formats turn that range into bigger orders, bringing a whole table in on a single decision.

WHAT TO KNOW: DESSERTS TO TOP OFF A CELEBRATORY MEAL

TOP INDEXING DESSERTS DURING THE HOLIDAY WINDOW

Flavor	Seasonal Index	Dessert Signal
Crème Brulee	975	Ends a celebratory meal on a refined, restaurant-quality note
Pumpkin Pie	736	Carries the season’s most recognizable dessert cue
Pecan Pie	700	Delivers buttery, nutty richness built for slicing
Pumpkin Cheesecake	647	Pairs the seasonal favorite with a dense, indulgent base
Gingerbread	540	Brings warm baking spice that reads festive instantly
Cherry Pie	500	Adds bright, sweet-tart contrast to a heavy meal
Chocolate Cream Pie	375	Covers the table’s safest pick with a rich, silky finish
Coffee Cake	300	Works across dessert and morning-after holiday hosting
Banana Bread	282	Offers familiar, homemade comfort in a sliceable loaf
Danish	247	Brings bakery appeal to a casual holiday spread
Mini Pastry	233	Lets a table sample several sweets without committing to one

Datassential Launches & Ratings YE OCT’26, for items launched between JAN 2021 to OCT 2026 by top chains

OPERATOR EXAMPLES

O’Charley’s Ooey Gooey Caramel Pie

O’Charley’s runs its Ooey Gooey Caramel Pie as both a slice and a whole pie, built on the caramel and pecan notes that peak across the holiday window. One recipe covers a solo dessert and a centerpiece for the table, which is how seasonal flavor turns into a bigger order.

Cheesecake Factory Peppermint Stick Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

Brands like The Cheesecake Factory bring back the same holiday flavor year after year, with the Peppermint Stick Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake layering peppermint over white and dark chocolate on a mint chocolate brownie. A seasonal dessert that returns on schedule stops being a promotion and becomes something guests plan the visit around.

Habit Burger & Grill Cheesy Street Corn Tots

Habit Burger & Grill builds street corn flavor into the tot itself packing it with corn, peppers and cilantro, pairing the filled bites with housemade avocado ranch. Filled fried formats hold their texture and flavor the whole way to the table, which is what separates a shareable from a side.

WHAT’S NEXT? SEASONAL FLAVORS AND ITEMS HAVE ROOM TO RUN

Holiday flavors are making their debut earlier than ever! Winter favorites like candy cane, peppermint, and gingerbread are already finding their way onto fall menus, with seasonal launches arriving weeks before the holidays themselves. What was once a short window for festive offerings is now stretching across the calendar, giving operators more time to capture the holiday excitement.

And the opportunity goes well beyond the major holidays. Rather than planning around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s separately, operators can keep the festivities going with seasonal shareables that fit a variety of gatherings. Even smaller occasions like Friendsgiving offer room to get creative, giving operators more chances to make the most of holiday flavors throughout the season.

The holidays hand everyone a guest list, and shareables are how people meet it. The office party nobody planned, the table that grew by four, the night that runs longer than expected are each a chance to put something out that makes the room feel taken care of. Operators who stock for that, with seasonal flavor and formats that scale, turn a gathering into a repeat order.

Rich’s helps you stock up for the holiday traffic:

PUT IT INTO ACTION

Shareables give operators a straightforward way to own the season’s gatherings – pairing familiar holiday flavor with formats built to cut, tear, and pass around a crowded table. Leaning on platters and shareable desserts rather than individual plates lets one lineup carry the office party, the family dinner, and every gathering between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.

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