To enhance the festive atmosphere of the Chinese Lunar New Year, some families in the city are considering bringing the New Year¡¯s Eve dinner from restaurants to their homes this year.

¡°We¡¯re eating out every day. It will be no fun to have the New Year¡¯s Eve dinner at a restaurant,¡± said a Mr. Qiu who lives in Jianye Mansion in Futian District.

Qiu said it was fashionable to eat the New Year¡¯s Eve dinner in a restaurant or hotel several years ago, as most families at that time were not as wealthy as they are today.

It was the ideal choice for families, who could spend several hundred yuan eating New Year¡¯s Ever dinner in a special restaurant, as it save them the trouble of cooking at home, he explained.

However, as eating out becomes a common practice for an increasing number of families in recent years, having the New Year¡¯s Eve dinner at home is a luxury for some people in the city, Qiu said.

¡°Eating the New Year¡¯s Eve dinner at a restaurant last year made us very nervous because we must get to the restaurant by five o¡¯clock on the New Year¡¯s Eve and then had to leave at seven o¡¯clock,¡± Qiu said.

Most local restaurants which provide two rounds of New Year¡¯s Eve dinner usually require customers to finish their dinners within a prescribed time, that is, between 4 p.m. and 6 or 7 p.m. and between 6 or 7 p.m. and mid-night.

Qiu said he and his wife had decided to eat dinner on New Year¡¯s Eve at home this year, and they would ask the restaurant to deliver the dishes.

To cater to the needs of some families, some mid-sized restaurants and hotels have begun offering home delivery this year.

Just like last year, bookings at various large restaurants in the city started more than 20 days before New Year¡¯s Eve.

Of the 13 restaurants surveyed in Futian and Luohu districts, over 80 percent of rooms and more than 50 percent of seats for individual customers in lobbies have been booked so far.

Editor: Yan