If Fast Food Is Your Go-To for Christmas Day This Year, Here's What's Open

Whether it's a holiday tradition to do without traditional meals on Christmas Day, you burned the turkey, or you just don't feel up to traveling to Aunt Karen's house with the rest of the family, sometimes, Christmas calls for fast food. But what fast food restaurants are actually open on Christmas Day? There are plenty that operate on Christmas Eve, even if some of the hours are changed slightly.

As far as sit-down restaurants go, you can usually find a Chinese buffet or restaurant on Christmas Day. Apparently, A Christmas Story was on to something with that little tidbit. According to NPR, it has been a tradition for individuals of the Jewish faith at Christmas for decades. Now, other people have adopted it as their own tradition. But what about the tradition of slamming some hastily made burgers and fries after Santa comes?

In some cases, you are going to have to check the locations local to you in order to know for sure which fast food restaurants are open on Christmas, especially since many are franchised. Subway, for example, is a corporation full of independently run locations, and whether or not your local Subway is open depends on who owns it.

According to People, though, you can count on Wendy's and McDonald's for at least some holiday operating hours. Burger King is another solid option, though it hasn't been confirmed that it is open all day on Christmas. Chick-fil-A and Chipotle are both closed on Christmas, however. It's very possible that Dunkin' is open, but Starbucks is more of a gamble.

We aren't saying you should make a beeline for the roasting hot dogs and other meat sticks at your local gas station, but many gas stations are open on Christmas Day. LiveNOW from Fox reported that many Circle K, 7-Eleven, and Safeway locations are open on Christmas. While traditional grocery stores are mostly closed on Christmas Day, some gas stations with larger convenience store sections could still be helpful.

The day after Christmas, everything is typically open again, and operating hours are usually reinstated as normal. Even though the holiday hours might have been different for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day respectively, the day after Christmas is not a nationally recognized official holiday. On Dec. 18, 2025, Donald Trump did sign an executive order that declared Christmas Eve and Dec. 26 as federal holidays.

According to USA Today, though, his policy regarding federal holidays only applies to federal employees. So they don't directly affect fast food, gas station, or restaurant employees. His executive order also did not account for the years after 2025. For Dec. 26 to actually be an official federal holiday across the board, Congress would have to pass legislation. That did not happen when Trump declared the day after Christmas as a federal holiday for federal employees.