The wine room at Chef's Table in Iowa City. (Facebook)

Don’t wait to make those restaurant reservations. According to the Iowa Restaurant Association, Mother’s Day surpasses even Valentine’s Day as the most popular holiday on which to dine out.

(Find our current list of Mother’s Day events and specials here.)

In fact, nearly half of moms would pick a favorite restaurant as the place to celebrate Mother’s Day. The study also indicated that restaurant gift cards and certificates are a top gift pick for moms, with one in five saying this is their preferred gift.

(Add your Mother’s Day event here.)

Children Important Part of Choice

“There’s really no need to worry about how to celebrate the moms in your life,” said Jessica Dunker, president and CEO of the Iowa Restaurant Association. “Moms love restaurants. Not only do restaurants provide a much-deserved reprieve from cooking at home, they also provide a celebratory atmosphere.”

Atmosphere can be an especially important factor because children are a major part of the mix when dining out on Mother’s Day. The study found that two-thirds of those dining out on Mother’s Days this year will have children under the age of 18 in their party.

Mother’s Day Celebrated at All Meals

Dunker noted that it is important to get on top of making those Mother’s Day restaurant reservations.

“It’s not too soon to make those reservations regardless of the meal you’re planning to celebrate,” said Dunker. Fifty-eight percent of Mother’s Day diners will go out to a restaurant for dinner, 32 percent lunch, 24 percent brunch, and 10 percent for breakfast. In addition, one in five Mother’s Day diners (19 percent) will go out for more than one meal that day.

Find a Restaurant

Looking for a new restaurant to try this Mother’s Day? Search the Hoopla Eat & Drink restaurant database.

 - The Iowa Restaurant Association