Cost-sharing is coming to the holiday table. Napa Cellars, the Oakville-based winery founded in 1976, has launched a Friendsgiving Registry — an online platform that lets hosts assign dishes and wine pairings to guests before the gathering, distributing both prep work and spending across the group rather than leaving one person to absorb the full bill.
The move is rooted in proprietary consumer data. The winery's 2026 Friendsgiving Trends Report identified managing rising food costs as the single biggest hosting challenge this year, with 65% of respondents saying they want to lower their financial responsibility. The registry addresses that directly by letting a host claim the main course and a wine pairing, then share a link so guests can claim sides, salads, appetizers, desserts, and bottles to bring — ensuring no two people show up with the same dish.
Three Menus, One Shared Table
Chef James Houghton, director of culinary for Napa Cellars, developed three themed menus sized for 20 adults at buffet-style quantities. The first, "Pass the Mac," centers on a six-variation mac and cheese bar — anchored by a Truffle and Charred Onion Mac and Cheese — paired with Napa Cellars Chardonnay. The second, "Y2K Throwback Thanksgiving," leans into the nostalgia preferences of nearly 17% of survey respondents, featuring classic roast turkey, Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie alongside Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. The third menu, "Brunch-Giving," was designed for the survey's leading format preference: 35.6% of respondents chose a daytime brunch format, while another 31.6% favored a late-afternoon sip-and-graze. That menu leads with Sweet Corn Blini with Crème Fraîche and Chives, paired with Sauvignon Blanc.
Hosting and entertaining expert Kelli Calkins, the recipe developer behind Cooking with Kelli, collaborated on the platform. "It doesn't have to be complicated or expensive to make it special," she said, noting the registry is designed so hosts "spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying the company."
What the Trend Data Signals
Beyond the registry itself, the Trends Report offers a snapshot of where informal holiday entertaining is heading — and the implications reach beyond wine marketing. Daytime formats dominated timing preferences, with 67.2% of respondents favoring either brunch or a late-afternoon occasion over a traditional dinner hour. Food remained the clear spending priority: 79.6% said they'd spend extra on food, while fewer than 10% would do the same on décor. Wine selection skewed practical — 48.4% prioritized food versatility, and 31.2% targeted a $20–$35 price range, a signal that value-driven wine programs remain central to casual beverage industry trends at the consumer level.
For operators watching how consumers organize informal gatherings, the registry model is worth noting. The concept mirrors the potluck ethos that has long driven catering and restaurant hospitality strategies around large-party dining — but in a self-managed, digital format that reflects how younger consumers plan shared experiences. As food costs remain elevated heading into the holiday season, platforms that explicitly address cost-sharing may find a receptive audience both at home and in event-dining contexts.
The Friendsgiving Registry is live now at napacellarsfriendsgiving.com ahead of November celebrations.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
