The first thing I have to figure out is how large my group will be. Depending on if you have a large or small group may determine what restaurant you will celebrate at. Sometimes it is hard to get an exact amount, but you should be able to come pretty close. I do believe people understand the need to know if they are attending or not and they do especially understand if they have ever tried to plan anything like this themselves. 

You do want to call ahead to make sure the restaurant takes reservations for the number of people you have and also to inquire about special services you may be interested in. They may have a separate room for you to dine in. Depending on the occasion they may have free ice cream, cake, dessert, balloon, and may even sing you a song! Take down the name of the person you talk with in case there is any question once you get there about what you have been promised. 

Ask up front if they do separate checks, how gratuity works, and any other specifics that may determine if you want to celebrate your occasion there or not. It’s too late once you get there and then start asking questions because it’s a little hard to change the party destination at that point. It may sound like a lot of work but if this is a celebration you are putting on for someone then you want nothing but the best and for things to go smoothly. 

If you have children that will be attending, you may want to be at a child-friendly restaurant because “kids will be kids” and you want the event to be enjoyable for them too. 

For special occasions you might also consider giving a gift certificate to a restaurant. It is a great gift for just about anyone because most of us enjoy dining out. You may want to have some idea if the receiver of the gift certificate has a special kind of food they like. You can choose from American, Mexican, Seafood, Italian, Chinese, Thai, and the list goes on. You may also want to decide if they would prefer going to a steakhouse, buffet, supper club, pizza place, fast casual, or formal dining just to name a few. It is also a good gift for someone who is hard to buy for. Many people do not eat out because of the expense and that is when it is really a “gift” because it’s not something that you regularly do and then it turns into a special occasion.   

Some words of advice; check out any of these things I have told you about if they are important to you. I made the mistake of assuming that all restaurants have similar policies and if they don’t they will adjust around me because I am the customer. This is not the case at many restaurants. I know, naïve that I was thinking that at all. Follow these suggestions and you should have a relaxing time at your special occasion because you have planned and checked everything out beforehand. Have fun!