Smack Dab Rethinks Holiday Traditions with a Focus on Community, Staff, and Sustainability

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The Rogers Park brunch restaurant announces changes to its holiday pre-orders, encouraging customers to plan ahead while prioritizing employee well-being.

CHICAGO, IL, UNITED STATES, October 19, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The holidays are coming, and at Smack Dab, that has traditionally meant months of cooking, baking, and celebrating with the Rogers Park community. From Halloween pastries and Thanksgiving sides to Hanukkah sufganiyot and Christmas pre-orders, the independent, queer woman-owned brunch restaurant has built a collection of seasonal traditions that customers look forward to year after year.

But this holiday season, things are going to look a little different.

With Teeny now at the helm as sole owner, Smack Dab is taking a fresh look at how it celebrates the holidays, balancing the traditions its customers love with the well-being of the employees who make them possible.

"We love the holidays, and we love feeding people. That's never going to change," says Teeny. "But taking care of our staff is just as important as taking care of our community. They're the people who make all this happen, and I don't think we should have to exhaust everybody just to keep doing things the way we've always done them."

Rather than trying to execute four major holiday pre-order programs back-to-back, Smack Dab is simplifying some traditions, expanding the usefulness of others, and continuing its commitment to making sure neighbors have access to good food.

HALLOWEEN: ALL THE TREATS, WITHOUT THE EXTRA PRE-ORDERS

Halloween has historically brought special pastry pre-orders to Smack Dab, giving customers festive treats to bring home for the occasion.

This year, the team is keeping things simple with Halloween-inspired specials and donuts available at the restaurant instead of a separate pre-order program.

The change is especially timely, as several employees have been away during October, making it even more important to balance holiday production with the everyday demands of running a busy neighborhood restaurant.

"Sometimes keeping things simple is exactly what we need," says Teeny. "We can still have fun, make delicious Halloween treats, and celebrate with our neighbors without turning it into another huge production. I'd rather have a happy, healthy team making really good donuts than a completely exhausted team trying to do everything."

THANKSGIVING: ONE BIG PRE-ORDER TO HELP GET YOU THROUGH THE HOLIDAYS

Thanksgiving will continue to be one of Smack Dab's biggest holiday pre-order celebrations, with comforting favorites like mashed potatoes, stuffing, macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes, and other holiday sides.

But this year, Smack Dab is encouraging customers to think beyond Thanksgiving dinner.

Historically, the restaurant offered Christmas sides for pickup on the Tuesday before Christmas. While convenient for some, Teeny realized that many customers begin their holiday celebrations long before Christmas week. Instead of offering a second round of holiday sides for Christmas, Smack Dab is encouraging customers to order everything they'll need for the season during Thanksgiving pre-orders.

Family gatherings, office celebrations, potlucks, and holiday parties can begin as early as the first week of December. And sometimes, people don't need a side dish for a particular celebration. They simply need something delicious and easy to serve after another long day of holiday responsibilities.

"We realized we were offering Christmas pre-orders when a lot of our customers had already been celebrating for weeks," explains Teeny. "And let's be real, sometimes you don't need a tray of mac and cheese for Christmas dinner. Sometimes you need it because it's December, you're exhausted, you've got a million things to do, and you just cannot bring yourself to cook another damn thing."

To make things easier, Smack Dab's Thanksgiving sides will be freezer-friendly, allowing customers to stock up in advance and enjoy their favorites throughout the holiday season. The restaurant will also provide freezing and reheating instructions to help customers get the most out of their orders.

Whether someone is hosting a gathering during the first week of December, preparing for Christmas dinner, or simply looking for a convenient meal after a busy day, they'll have a little Smack Dab comfort waiting in the freezer.

There will be no separate Christmas holiday sides pre-orders or pickups during Christmas week this year. Thanksgiving pre-order starts on November 1st, ordering instructions, and pickup details will be announced separately.

FEEDING OUR NEIGHBORS: HOLIDAY MUTUAL AID CONTINUES

For Smack Dab, the holidays have always been about more than what's on the table. They're also about making sure everyone has an opportunity to eat.

One of the restaurant's most meaningful Thanksgiving traditions is preparing extra food to support its neighborhood Love Fridge, a community resource that provides free food to people experiencing food insecurity. Alongside its customer pre-orders, Smack Dab traditionally prepares additional holiday dishes. Some are available for purchase at the restaurant on pickup day, while food is also prepared to help stock the Love Fridge for neighbors who need additional support.

That commitment will continue this year.

"There's something really beautiful about cooking all this food and knowing that some of it is going to people who might not otherwise have a holiday meal," says Teeny. "We want our customers to have something delicious on their tables, but we also want to make sure we're looking out for the folks who are having a harder time. That's what community means to us."

Smack Dab will also continue accepting donations to support its holiday mutual aid efforts. For the restaurant though, supporting the Love Fridge and other mutual aid initiatives is not a seasonal marketing effort. It's an extension of the values that shape how Smack Dab operates throughout the year.

HANUKKAH: A BELOVED TRADITION STILL BEING CONSIDERED

Smack Dab is also evaluating whether it will offer its traditional Hanukkah sufganiyot pre-orders this year. The jelly-filled donuts have long been a favorite holiday offering, but producing them often requires additional preparation and staffing on days when the restaurant would normally be closed.

Teeny and the team are considering how to honor the tradition while maintaining a manageable holiday schedule. A decision will be announced separately.

A MORE THOUGHTFUL WAY TO CELEBRATE

The changes to Smack Dab's holiday offerings reflect a larger philosophy taking shape under Teeny's sole ownership: a successful restaurant should be good for its customers, its community, and the people who work there.

The holiday season can place extraordinary demands on small businesses, particularly independent restaurants balancing everyday service with large-scale special orders and seasonal celebrations.

For Smack Dab, rethinking traditions isn't about doing less for the community. It's about finding better ways to show up for everyone involved.

"Just because we've always done something a certain way doesn't mean it's the best way to keep doing it," says Teeny. "I want people to love working here just as much as I want our customers to love eating here. And I want us to keep feeding our neighbors who need us. If making a few changes helps us do all three, that's a pretty wonderful way to celebrate the holidays."

Customers can follow Smack Dab's website and social media channels for upcoming Thanksgiving pre-order announcements, seasonal specials, and updates about holiday mutual aid opportunities.

ABOUT SMACK DAB

Smack Dab is an independent, queer woman-owned brunch restaurant in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood, serving creative comfort food, handcrafted donuts, and inclusive menu options, including vegan and gluten-free choices. More than a neighborhood brunch spot, Smack Dab is committed to feeding and supporting its community through mutual aid, neighborhood partnerships, and initiatives like the Love Fridge. The restaurant also offers Chicago catering and private event rentals for gatherings of all kinds.

Learn more at www.smackdabchicago.com.

Teeny Forrester
Smack Dab Chicago
+1 (872) 241-9111