Restaurants, Grocery Stores Open For Christmas Day Dinner 2015 — Ice Cream, Chinese Food, And More

Perhaps it wasn’t in your original plans, but now you’ve found yourself wondering what restaurants and grocery stores will be open on Christmas Day 2015 this year.

Even stores known for being open 24/7, such as Walmart, aren’t going to be open, so unless that essential ingredient you forgot for your exotic holiday dish is available at a Walgreens or CVS pharmacies, you’re mostly out of luck. If you realize that you’re lacking something important early enough, you can still have some luck with Albertsons, which will be open until 4 p.m., as well as some local Kroger stores.

If you don’t want to cook at all, there’s still some hope. Fortunately, Christmas Day does hold a few restaurants willing to stay open for hungry Americans who managed to burn the roast at the last minute, or opened the freezer this morning to stare down a turkey they don’t actually feel like cooking.

Those chosen few places serving food are slim, but some are still open for dinner on Christmas Day 2015. Of course, it’s still strongly recommended that you call your local chain, as some locations will be closed. In many cases, it’s up to the discretion of the general manager or franchise owner to decide Christmas Day hours.

Here’s the “call list” — national chains that may or may not be open on Christmas Day.

• Applebee’s
• Boston Market
• Buffalo Wild Wings
• Golden Corral
• Jack in the Box
• McDonald’s
• Perkins
• Pizza Hut
• Ruby Tuesday
• Ruth’s Chris Steak House
• Sizzler
• Sonic
• Subway
• Starbucks (open until 6 p.m. in many areas)

Other restaurants will have a touch more stability when it comes to their Christmas Day hours. That’s especially true for restaurants that are already generally 24-hour establishments like Denny’s and Waffle House, which will be open for the holidays just like any other day. If you’re feeling like a break from the traditional Christmas dishes, you can also head for Italian food at Buca di Beppo, which will be open everywhere through dinner hours. If you’ve got a craving for ice cream, Baskin Robbins will also be open until 5 p.m.

Treating it like any other day, there is also a small selection of businesses that will be operating within their normal schedule. Sticking in line with time-honored cultural traditions, Panda Express will be offering its selection of Asian cuisine, which can be easily brought home in take-out form for those of us sitting in of the television debating the Christmastime merits of Die Hard.

If you’re looking for a late breakfast on Christmas Day, you’re also in luck. IHOP and Dunkin’ Donuts will also hold regular hours on December 25. In fact, the pancake house will be open until midnight in many places. However, even with those standbys guaranteed to be open, it still can’t hurt to call ahead to make sure the lights are still going to be on.

Of course, the grocery stores and restaurants open for Christmas Day dinner 2015 aren’t without their controversy. As stores and eateries have extended hours on the winter celebration over the years, many have advocated for them to keep their doors closed. Even Walgreens, offering medicine for emergencies, racked up a 30,000-plus signature petition trying to get them to close their doors.

[Image via David Paul Morris and Scott Olson/Getty Images and Mike Mozart/Flickr]