Are we being swindled on Mother's Day?

Mothering Sunday, Father's Day, Valentine's Day. Call us cynical, but doesn't it sometimes feel like the affection you feel for your loved ones is being played upon to make you hand over your hard-earned money? Ever find yourself getting misty eyed thinking back to when a bunch of daffs pinched from the neighbour's front garden was enough to tell your mum what she means to you?

We have taken a look at the great Mothering Sunday swindle and proposed some more frugal but equally love-filled alternatives to an over-priced present and a marked-up meal this Mother's Day.   

Restaurant rip offs

In the book Waiter Rant: Behind the Scenes of Eating Out, written by the anonymous A. Waiter, the author reveals that restaurants love Mother’s Day because it gives them a chance to charge more and offload the old food they’ve got lying around.

A. Waiter writes: “Mother’s day is the busiest restaurant day of the year. Restaurant owners, eager to make killer profits, often overbook reservations and extort customers with overpriced holiday menus that make price gouging by the oil industry look benign in comparison.”

On the food magazine Olive’s list of the 10 greatest restaurant rip-offs, “special occasion menus” come in at number five. According to the magazine, special, set menus equal “limited or no-choice menus and a meal that could cost double the amount you would usually pay”.

Marked up alcohol

Add drinks on top, and you see what Olive means when they say the meal could cost twice as much as normal. Booze is, when you think about it, a bit of a rip off too. Jane McQuitty, The Times wine critic says that 100 per cent is standard mark up on wine and 200, 300 and even 400 per cent is not unknown.

A recent investigation into wine mark ups in top restaurants showed they were making huge profits. For example, a well known restaurant in London sells a bottle of 2006 Specogna Tocai Friulano for £26, but the bottle costs just £8.22 wholesale.

Nicola James, 27, takes her mother out for a Mother’s Day lunch every year. She says: “Even though I split the cost with my brother, Mother’s Day is always so expensive. It’s really difficult to find a restaurant that doesn’t have a set menu that costs the earth. I’m thinking about cooking at home this year – it’ll be less expense and we’ll have better food!"

Treating your mum on a budget

This year why not do something totally different for Mother’s Day? Here are five of our best ideas:

1. Go for a picnic
OK, we realise this one is weather-dependent. But as long as it’s not raining, why not get out in the countryside for the day? You can always wrap up if it’s on the chilly side. Even if you buy the best food from your local deli or supermarket, it’ll still be cheaper than a meal out.

2. Take her on a shopping trip
Why not take all the money you would have spent on a meal out, drinks and overpriced presents like flowers and chocolates, take your mum out, and buy her something she really wants instead?

3. Give her your time
We all know times are tight at the moment. So if you’re looking for something inexpensive to do on Mother’s Day, think about doing what you did when you were a child: give your mum a day of your time. Do anything she wants for the day, whether that’s breakfast in bed, cleaning or running errands.

4. Plan a magical mystery day out
Tell your mum when to be ready and what to wear. Then spend the day surprising her with different activities. It depends what she’s interested in, but you could take in a museum or gallery, perhaps get tickets for the theatre or a concert, or incorporate some spa treatments – the world really is your oyster.

5. Take her to a class
There are lots of fun things you and your mum could learn to do together. How about chocolate making? www.mychocolate.co.uk offers workshops in London. Or you could try painting your own pottery – there are workshops throughout the UK.

Page last updated by

Unknown, 10 May 2012.

Page checked on

13 Mar 2009