Empty nesters are using their kids’ favorite holiday meals to attract them home for the holidays, according to a new survey.
The poll of 1,000 U.S. “empty nesters” — parents whose kids have already moved out of the home — found more than half (54%) plan on having their children come home for the holidays this year, and their kids are trekking an average of 596 miles to get back home.
Many empty nesters admitted they struggle with the home being too quiet (36%) and that they often get nostalgic for when their kids were younger (35%).
Despite this, the study commissioned by The Honey Baked Ham Company and conducted by Talker Research revealed 69% claim it’s “easy” to convince their kids to come home for the holidays. For many, all they need is their favorite foods.
One in four (28%) said their kids have made special requests for their homecoming: having their favorite meals made for them (72%), asking to have their favorite snacks or drinks ready for them (46%) and visiting old local spots and hangouts (18%).
And 87% of empty nesters are all too happy to oblige, already planning to make their kids’ favorite meals while they’re home for the holidays.
While 26% of empty nesters motivate their kids to come home by reminding them how nice it is, 19% prefer to welcome them home with their favorite foods and another 16% offer to send them home with extras.
Two-thirds of parents said they start shopping weeks in advance for their kids’ favorite foods before arriving home. Likewise, 42% said they’d likely need to shop for different foods, depending on who their kids bring home with them.
“Making the home really feel like home means making sure there’s something for everybody,” said Jim Dinkins, CEO, HoneyBaked. “Around the holidays, people want to feel welcomed. There is nothing quite as welcoming as making sure their favorite foods are ready for them.”
The survey found, in addition to their kids, empty nesters are also planning to host their grandkids (53%), their kid’s significant other (42%), extended family members (40%) and their own significant other (36%).
Four in five believe it’s important that everyone coming to their home for the holidays has something good to eat, no matter their preferences.
On average, empty nesters said they’re planning to have three different main dishes at the ready before guests arrive — the most popular being turkey (66%) and ham (52%).
But many expect getting the table ready will involve some quick thinking. Over half (56%) anticipate they’ll have to make last-minute runs to the store to grab food they forgot about. One in four believe they’ll have to make at least two last-minute shopping sprees to get everything they need.
“Food is such an important part of the holidays — it’s exactly what empty nesters and their kids can gather around to make coming home for the holidays feel special,” continued Dinkins. “But empty nesters don’t want to spend all their time in the kitchen, away from the family members they only see once or twice a year. They deserve to have recipes and meal options that are effortless yet delicious, letting them put more focus on spending time with family.”
Survey methodology:
Talker Research surveyed 1,000 American parents who have adult children that no longer live at home; the survey was commissioned by HoneyBaked and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Oct. 8 and Oct. 15, 2025.
We are sourcing from a non-probability frame and the two main sources we use are:
Traditional online access panels — where respondents opt-in to take part in online market research for an incentiveProgrammatic — where respondents are online and are given the option to take part in a survey to receive a virtual incentive usually related to the online activity they are engaging in
Those who did not fit the specified sample were terminated from the survey. As the survey is fielded, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to achieve the quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.
Regardless of which sources a respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey, where the survey was conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents were awarded points for completing the survey. These points have a small cash-equivalent monetary value.
Cells are only reported on for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted, but quotas and other parameters are put in place to reach the desired sample.
Interviews are excluded from the final analysis if they failed quality-checking measures. This includes:
Speeders: Respondents who complete the survey in a time that is quicker than one-third of the median length of interview are disqualified as speedersOpen ends: All verbatim responses (full open-ended questions as well as other please specify options) are checked for inappropriate or irrelevant textBots: Captcha is enabled on surveys, which allows the research team to identify and disqualify botsDuplicates: Survey software has “deduping” based on digital fingerprinting, which ensures nobody is allowed to take the survey more than once
It is worth noting that this survey was only available to individuals with internet access, and the results may not be generalizable to those without internet access.
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