Traditional catering kitchens across the country have completed extensive preparations to meet soaring demand for Eid banquets and family gatherings, with operators reporting that reservations for the first days of Eid are already fully booked.
Kitchen operators said they had finalised operational readiness measures, including stocking large quantities of spices and cooking essentials, upgrading food preparation facilities, and recruiting additional specialised culinary teams to manage the exceptional seasonal demand.
Many managers noted that Eid represents one of the busiest periods for the traditional food sector, driven by the deep-rooted cultural importance of communal feasts, sacrificial meals, and large family gatherings that define the celebration in local society.
Preparations inside the kitchens often begin late at night and continue through the early hours of the morning. Teams start processing ingredients and preparing sacrificial meat before dawn, while large-scale cooking operations commence at sunrise. Orders are then delivered in carefully coordinated stages throughout the morning and early afternoon to ensure efficiency and timely service.
Some customers prefer to collect their orders directly from kitchens on the first day of Eid due to the exceptionally high number of family events and social gatherings taking place nationwide. Kitchen managers stressed that traditional dishes such as majboos, mandi, biryani, and other festive meals remain central to Eid celebrations.
Shamsuldeen Suleiman, manager of a traditional kitchen, said all operational arrangements for the Eid season had been completed, noting that staff were working under a continuous operating plan to ensure timely order delivery. He explained that the first day of Eid is primarily dedicated to preparing sacrificial meals and banquet feasts, while kitchens begin offering their regular range of traditional dishes from the second day onward.
Meanwhile, Hafeez Mashhour, manager of traditional kitchens, said operations were running at full capacity throughout the Eid holiday. He noted that chefs begin work before dawn to prepare large banquet orders according to pre-arranged delivery schedules. He added that chefs' experience and expertise play a vital role in preserving the quality and authenticity of traditional dishes, particularly during periods of exceptionally high demand.
Mohammed Abdulrahman, manager of another kitchen, said kitchens were continuing to accept additional requests despite the main reservations being fully booked. He noted that banquet preparations begin as early as 3am, with the first deliveries dispatched during the early morning hours under tightly organised workflows designed to maintain both speed and service quality.