Easter Sunday arrives on April 20 this year, bringing with it both celebration and the annual scramble to figure out what's actually open. While banks and post offices will be closed, your caffeine cravings don't have to suffer - Starbucks locations across the country will likely be brewing, though with a few caveats.

The coffee giant operates on a store-by-store basis for holidays, meaning your neighborhood Starbucks might have reduced hours or could surprise you with a "Closed" sign. I learned this the hard way last year when I showed up pajama-clad at 7am only to find darkened windows. Now I always check the Starbucks app before venturing out - it shows real-time hours and even lets you mobile order ahead to skip lines (crucial when you're trying to caffeinate before Easter egg hunts).

Beyond coffee, plenty of dining options remain available:

Breakfast saviors: IHOP and First Watch will be flipping pancakes, while Dunkin' and Krispy Kreme handle the donut demands. Pro tip: these spots get packed by 10am as church services let out.

Fast food fixes: McDonald's, Wendy's, and Taco Bell typically operate normal hours, though drive-thrus back up quickly when extended families realize no one planned lunch.

Sit-down solutions: Craving something more substantial? Cracker Barrel's country fried steak, Olive Garden's endless breadsticks, and Cheesecake Factory's massive menu (plus those famous Easter-themed cheesecakes) are all solid options - but reservations are golden if you don't want to wait.

Not everything stays open though. Chick-fil-A maintains its sacred Sunday closure (those cows get Easter off too), while Chipotle and Cava often shut down to give staff holiday time. And if you're counting on grocery stores for last-minute ham or deviled egg ingredients, check ahead - many close entirely or operate on limited schedules.

The takeaway? Plan your Easter meals like you plan your egg hunt - with strategy. Call ahead for sit-down spots, use apps for coffee runs, and maybe keep some backup frozen pizzas at home just in case. After all, nothing ruins the holiday faster than hangry relatives and a closed drive-thru.

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