Free New Year's Eve menu templates for UK restaurants and pubs
Updated 20 October 2026
Copy one of the New Year's Eve menu templates below, add your dishes and a single price per person, and publish it with bookings open by mid-November. New Year's Eve is a one-night menu, so most venues sell it as a fixed price: a tasting menu with one sitting, two sittings at different prices, or a party package for the bar. Each template is on the page, free and with no email needed. Paste it into Word or Google Docs, or into our free menu maker for a print-ready PDF.
New Year's Eve 2026 and 2027
| 2026 | 2027 | |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Eve | Thursday 31 December 2026 | Friday 31 December 2027 |
| New Year's Day | Friday 1 January 2027 (bank holiday in England and Wales) | Saturday 1 January 2028 |
| Latest standard Temporary Event Notice for a later licence (England and Wales) | Monday 14 December 2026 | Check the 2027 bank holidays when they're confirmed |
In 2026 New Year's Eve is a Thursday and New Year's Day a bank holiday Friday, so many guests have a long weekend. The TEN date is worked out below.
Choose a New Year's Eve menu
| Template | Best for | Price it as |
|---|---|---|
| Tasting menu, one sitting | Restaurants with a kitchen that can plate five or six courses | One price per person, with a glass of fizz at midnight |
| Two sittings | Busy restaurants that want more covers | A lower early price and a higher late price |
| Party package | Pubs, bars and function rooms | Per head: a buffet or bowl food, a drink on arrival, a toast at midnight |
| Blank template | Any venue | Fill in your own |
New Year's Eve tasting menu (one sitting)
New Year's Eve at [your venue name] £____ per person · one sitting at ____ · booking only
Snacks: ____________ · ____________ First: ____________ Second: ____________ (VG option: ____________) Main: ____________ (VG option: ____________) Pre-dessert: ____________ Dessert: ____________ At midnight: a glass of ____________ and ____________
Wine pairing +£____ · Children's menu on request Food allergies or intolerances? Please tell us when you book. Deposit of £____ per person at booking. Final numbers and dietary needs by ____ December.
Two-sittings New Year's Eve menu
Two sittings let you serve the early crowd and the party crowd in one night. The early sitting is shorter, so price it lower.
New Year's Eve · two sittings Early: 6:00 pm, tables back by 8:30 pm · 3 courses £____ Late: 9:00 pm until after midnight · 5 courses and a glass of fizz £____
To start: ____________ · ____________ · ____________ (VG) Mains: ____________ · ____________ · ____________ (VG) To finish: ____________ · ____________ Late sitting adds: ____________ and ____________
A discretionary service charge of ____% is added to tables of ____ or more.
New Year's Eve party package (pubs and bars)
See in 2027 at [your venue name] Tickets £____ per person · doors ____ pm Includes: a drink on arrival, ____________ (buffet or bowl food), a glass of fizz at midnight, DJ / band ____________
Over-18s only after ____ pm · Tickets are non-refundable after ____ December
Blank New Year's Eve menu template
[Your venue name] · New Year's Eve [year] £____ per person
(V) vegetarian · (VG) vegan · (GF) gluten-free Food allergies or intolerances? Please speak to us before you order.
How to price a New Year's Eve menu
Start from the food cost per head of the full menu, then add the extras that make the night: the midnight glass and anything else included. Set the price to hit your gross profit (GP) target and add VAT. The figures below are an example, not a benchmark.
| Step | Figure |
|---|---|
| Food cost per head (5 courses) | £14.20 |
| Glass of fizz at midnight (drinks cost) | £1.80 |
| Total cost per head | £16.00 |
| Target GP | 68% |
| Price before VAT (£16.00 ÷ 0.32) | £50.00 |
| Add VAT at 20% | £60.00 |
| Menu price | £59.95 |
With two sittings, run the same sum for each. A three-course early sitting with a £8.50 food cost at the same 68% GP comes to about £31.90 including VAT, so £31.95 on the menu. Our free GP calculator works this out for each dish.
UK rules to check before New Year's Eve
- Late opening. First check your premises licence: some licences already allow later hours on New Year's Eve. If yours doesn't, you can give a Temporary Event Notice (TEN) in England and Wales. It costs £21, the event must have fewer than 500 people at any time (staff included), and it must be given at least 10 clear working days before. Working days don't count weekends, bank holidays, the day you give it or the day of the event, so for Thursday 31 December 2026 the last day is Monday 14 December 2026. A late TEN can be given 5 to 9 clear working days before, but it isn't valid if the police or environmental health object.
- Show the price first. Under the Price Marking (Food and Drink Services) Order 2003, the price of a set menu must be shown at or near the entrance, and any extra charge, such as a service charge, at least as clearly.
- Service charge and tips. All tips and service charges must go to staff in full. See our tipping law guide.
- Deposits and no-shows. New Year's Eve is the night a no-show hurts most, because the table can't be resold. Take a deposit with clear terms at booking. CMA guidance says a genuine deposit can be kept if the guest cancels, as long as you made that clear when they booked, but it should normally be a small percentage of the price. Our restaurant no-shows guide has more ways to cut them.
- Allergens. A tasting menu changes every course, so update your allergen information from the new recipes. See the 14 allergens guide.
When to publish your New Year's Eve menu
| When (2026) | What to do |
|---|---|
| Early November | Cost the menu and decide one sitting or two. |
| Monday 16 November | Publish the menu and open bookings. |
| Monday 14 December | Last day for a standard TEN, if you need one. |
| Friday 18 December | Ask for final numbers and dietary needs. |
| Thursday 31 December | Service. |
| Saturday 2 January | Back to your normal menu, and note what to change for 2027. |
Most venues publish it alongside their Christmas menu. See our Christmas menu templates, Christmas pre-orders and Christmas marketing ideas.
Take New Year's Eve bookings with Menuthere
- Put the menu online. Upload your finished template as a PDF or photo, and AI reads the dishes and prices for you to check. Add allergens to each dish. A free QR code takes guests straight to it, on every plan.
- Open table booking (Lite). Set two table time slots, such as 18:00–20:30 and 21:00–23:30, turn on Ask number of people, and set how far ahead guests can book. You get a reminder an hour before each booking.
- Let guests pre-order with the booking. In the dine-in half of Prebooking settings, choose Specific items so only the New Year's Eve menu can be pre-ordered. The kitchen knows the choices before the night.
- Deposits: Menuthere doesn't take deposits at booking, so many venues send a Stripe payment link with the confirmation.
- Tell guests about it. A pop-up banner on your menu (Lite) can run from mid-November to 31 December. Regulars with your own branded app can get a push notification when bookings open.
Table booking starts on Lite, US$17 a month (billed in US dollars), with a 7-day free trial; a card is needed to start, and nothing is charged until the trial ends. See pricing. For a sign with your holiday opening hours, use the free closed sign maker, and plan the year ahead with our restaurant marketing calendar.
Then to open New Year's Eve bookings.
FAQs
What should a New Year's Eve menu include?
One price per person, five or six courses for a tasting menu or three to five for a set menu, a vegan route through every course, the midnight drink if you offer one, and your allergen, deposit and service-charge lines.
How much should I charge for New Year's Eve?
Work from the cost per head, including any midnight drink. Divide it by (1 − your GP target) and add 20% VAT. A £16 cost per head at a 68% GP comes to about £60.
Do I need a licence to stay open past midnight on New Year's Eve?
Check your premises licence first, as some already allow later hours that night. If yours doesn't, give a Temporary Event Notice in England and Wales: £21, fewer than 500 people, at least 10 clear working days before.
When is the last day to give a TEN for New Year's Eve 2026?
For a standard TEN, Monday 14 December 2026, because weekends and the Christmas bank holidays aren't working days. A late TEN can still be given up to 5 clear working days before, but a police objection stops it.
Should I run one sitting or two on New Year's Eve?
One sitting suits a long tasting menu and a midnight toast. Two sittings suit restaurants with steady demand: an early, cheaper three-course sitting and a late sitting that runs past midnight.
When should I release my New Year's Eve menu?
Publish it in mid-November with bookings open, alongside your Christmas menu. Ask for final numbers and dietary needs a fortnight before.
Sources (6)
- GOV.UK, Temporary events notice (£21, 10 clear working days, late TENs, under 500 people). Accessed 20 Oct 2026. https://www.gov.uk/temporary-events-notice
- GOV.UK, UK bank holidays. Accessed 20 Oct 2026. https://www.gov.uk/bank-holidays
- The Price Marking (Food and Drink Services) Order 2003 (SI 2003/2253). Accessed 20 Oct 2026. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2003/2253
- DBT, Code of practice on fair and transparent distribution of tips. Accessed 20 Oct 2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/distributing-tips-fairly-statutory-code-of-practice
- CMA, Unfair contract terms guidance (CMA37). Accessed 20 Oct 2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/unfair-contract-terms-cma37
- Food Standards Agency, Allergen guidance for food businesses (GOV.UK). Accessed 20 Oct 2026. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/allergen-guidance-for-food-businesses/allergen-guidance-for-food-businesses