What are you doing on Halloween? If you are like many Americans, you plan to stay home in order to hand out candy to the neighborhood children while you reminisce about the best costume you ever wore.

And, since you are staying home, a good number of you will be bringing home takeout or ordering something for delivery. In fact, according to research released by the National Restaurant Association, one in five Americans will be using the phone instead of the stove. That’s actually great news for restaurants, who are beginning to add Halloween to their repertoire of special occasions.

“While not a traditional holiday for dining out, Halloween is clearly an occasion where restaurants play a major role in celebrations, according to our new research,” said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of the Research and Knowledge Group for the National Restaurant Association. “One-fifth of consumers say they plan to use restaurant takeout or delivery on October 31, signaling to restaurant operators that Halloween specials and promotions around off-premise options might be a good idea.”
 
In addition, the Association’s research shows that 16 percent of adults will go out to a restaurant or bar to celebrate Halloween during the weekend or on October 31–and younger adults (age 18-34) are more likely to do so than older adults.

“In addition, Halloween falls on a Monday this year – the least popular day of the week to dine out – which may give restaurants a welcome sales boost in this continued challenging economic environment,” Riehle added.
 
When asked about the most important factor in selecting a restaurant or bar for Halloween celebrations, happy hours and Halloween costumes are the top choices among those planning to go out:
 
·        32% said they will seek out an establishment with happy hour or other pricing specials
·        22% will select a restaurant that encourages Halloween costumes or competitions
·        16% prefer locations with activities for families and children
·        15% will choose a restaurant or bar located near activities, such as haunted houses
·        7% say a location with Halloween-themed food and drink items and decorations is their top choice
 
The National Restaurant Association surveyed 1,116 American adults on October 20-23 about their plans around Halloween 2011.

Of course, if you do plan to celebrate at home, you might want to try out some of the related recipes in the links below!