Many of us look forward to feasting all day on Thanksgiving, but the time spent over the hot stove cooking the turkey and savoury side dishes like mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, rich stuffing, and green beans may be exhausting. And, while creating your turkey dinner is unquestionably worthwhile, we also understand that entertaining is never as easy as it seems and can sometimes make the holiday feel more tiresome than pleasurable.
Fortunately, there are ways to avoid spending the entire day in the kitchen while still enjoying a delicious meal. Restaurants such as Maggiano’s and Denny’s are open on Thanksgiving and offer both dine-in and take-out options. Furthermore, supermarkets like Albertsons and Whole Foods and other meal delivery businesses offering pre-cooked turkey and sides will be open on Thanksgiving. Ordering Thanksgiving dinner to-go is a terrific way to free up time to spend with family and friends playing Thanksgiving games and participating in Turkey Day activities—it’s a win-win situation!
The Rise of Thanksgiving Dining Out
The popularity of dining out for Thanksgiving has been steadily increasing in recent years. This trend can be attributed to several factors, including:
- Convenience: Dining out eliminates the hassle of cooking and cleaning, allowing families to focus on enjoying each other’s company.
- Variety: Restaurants offer a diverse range of Thanksgiving menus, catering to various tastes and preferences.
- Quality: Professional chefs prepare Thanksgiving dishes with expertise, ensuring a delicious and memorable dining experience.
Thanksgiving Dinner Restaurants
As far as Thanksgiving dinner restaurants go, here is a list of some of the best options you’ll find across the country.
HoneyBaked Ham Co
This retailer is known for its juicy HoneyBaked hams, but they also offer HoneyBaked turkey and full Thanksgiving meals that you can order online for delivery or store pick-up.
Harry and David
Known for its wine-and-cheese baskets, Harry and David will also express ship a whole or sliced turkey (fully cooked!) to your door, along with a variety of sides such as gruyère and garlic red mashed potatoes and sun-dried tomato truffle mac and cheese.
Cracker Barrell
Cracker Barrel offers Heat n’ Serve family meals to-go that can serve up to 10 people if you’re craving some classic American comfort food. Two oven-roasted turkey breasts, turkey gravy, cranberry relish, two sides, and pie for dessert are included in the Heat n’ Serve Feast.
Bob Evans
This holiday season, Bob Evans offers various to-go meal options, including pot roast, turkey, ham, sides, and even dessert. Meals can accommodate up to six people.
Whole Foods Market
You can go for their Thanksgiving feast, which includes turkey, creamy mashed potatoes, traditional herb stuffing, and other dishes. If you don’t want turkey this year, try their Prime Rib Meal, which includes a salt and pepper prime rib roast, truffled parmesan mashed potatoes, and other delectable sides.
Denny’s
The diner takes pride in being open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, so it works out if you want to eat out, too! On Thanksgiving day, you can pre-order Denny’s Turkey & Dressing Dinner Bundle. This package includes roasted turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, sides, and more. On Thanksgiving, certain regions offer online ordering and delivery; check with your local Denny’s to see if they are participating.
Nueske’s
This dinner specializes in smoked meats if you enjoy nice, smoky turkey. They will send you honey-glazed turkey breast or applewood-smoked boneless turkey breast for your Thanksgiving feast.
Omaha Steaks
This well-known mail-order steakhouse sends much more than just steak. Every year, they run a special promotion in which they will mail you a juicy whole-basted turkey for Thanksgiving.
Williams Sonoma
William Sonoma’s kitchen is now selling complete Thanksgiving dinners online with turkey and all the fixings. If you already have the sides and just want the turkey, you can choose from various birds or even desserts.
Goldbelly
Goldbelly can ship your Thanksgiving dinner to you no matter where you are. Choose your region to see a variety of Thanksgiving main dishes and side dishes. There’s a lot to choose from, from classics like sweet potato pie to modern options like turduckens.
Brio Italian Grille
This year, make your Thanksgiving dinner Italian. Brio Italian Grille is open for Thanksgiving Day dining as well as take-out orders. They have everything you’ve been craving, from roasted white turkey meat to Italian sausage stuffing to roasted garlic mashed potatoes and more. Order ahead of time to feed up to 20 people.
FreshDirect
Customers can purchase a fresh, full Thanksgiving dinner for $9.99 per plate. Dinner consists of a turkey breast stuffed with cornbread and sausage, green beans, mashed potatoes, and gravy.
Maggiano’s
Every year, the Italian-American restaurant invites customers to enjoy a four-course family-style meal in the comfort of their own homes. Everything from smoked ham to four-cheese ravioli to pumpkin praline cheesecake and more is on the menu!
Marie Callender’s
Customers at Marie Callender’s can pre-order their holiday meal, which includes everything from turkey and ham to mashed potatoes and more. Don’t forget to save room for a slice of pie!
Buca di Beppo
This family-style restaurant is once again serving Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving classics include sliced turkey, gravy, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, seasoned vegetables, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and more at Buca di Beppo.
Trader Joe’s
Although Trader Joe’s does not provide a fully prepared Thanksgiving meal, their Brined Bone-In Half Turkey Breast is delicious! To round out your meal, pick up their Turkey Gravy, Scallopini Potatoes, Nantucket Style Cranberry Pie, Cornbread Stuffing Mix, and much more!
Albertsons
Albertsons is now accepting pre-orders for Thanksgiving dinner! Their menu features smoked and baked turkey options and a spiral-cut ham. Of course, they have all the traditional side dishes, like mashed potatoes, giblet gravy, cranberry relish, and more, to round out your holiday meal.
Bravo! Italian Kitchen
Order your Thanksgiving dinner to-go from Bravo! Italian Kitchen. Their menu includes roasted turkey breast, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, spicy Italian sausage stuffing, pumpkin pie, and other holiday favorites. Prices range from $105 to $560, with options feeding three to twenty people.
Popeyes
Popeyes has you covered, whether you’re in the mood for traditional turkey or chicken. You can order Popeye’s juicy Cajun-style turkey alongside the chain’s legendary chicken and other delectable sides like biscuits, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and even cinnamon apple pie.
Publix
It’s as simple as 1, 2, 3 to get Thanksgiving dinner from Publix! Order your meal online by selecting your meal options individually, adding a few sides and dessert, and then picking up at the deli and bakery when it’s finally time to host your family and friends.
Tips for a Smooth Thanksgiving Dining Out Experience
To ensure a seamless and enjoyable Thanksgiving dining experience, consider these helpful tips:
- Make reservations early: Popular restaurants tend to fill up quickly during the Thanksgiving season, so making reservations early is crucial to secure a spot.
- Consider your preferences: Whether you prefer a casual ambience or an upscale setting, choose a restaurant that aligns with your preferences.
- Communicate any dietary restrictions: Inform the restaurant of any allergies or dietary needs in advance to ensure they can accommodate your requirements.
- Be patient and understanding: Thanksgiving is a busy time for restaurants, so be patient with the staff and understand any delays.
No one can imagine a Thanksgiving meal without roasted turkey with all the trimmings, a smorgasbord of creamy casseroles, and, of course, several pies (think pecan, pumpkin, and sweet potato). Don’t forget the buttery rolls, cranberry sauce, and corn pudding.
Where can I get a Thanksgiving dinner?
If you prefer to order in, here are some places that offer pick-up for turkey dinners.
- Cracker Barrel.
- Whole Foods Market.
- Boston Market.
- Harmon’s.
- Williams Sonoma.
- Honey Baked Hams.
- Hello Fresh.
- Bob Evans.
What do people eat on Thanksgiving?
Turkey, stuffing, gravy, sweet potatoes, cornbread, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce are all traditional Thanksgiving foods. Pie is commonly served as a dessert at the end of a meal. Pumpkin, pecan, sweet potato, and apple are popular pie flavors.
How do you celebrate Thanksgiving dinner?
Traditional foods play an important role in Thanksgiving celebrations. Many families involve the entire family in the preparation of food. Turkey, stuffing, gravy, sweet potatoes, cornbread, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce are all traditional Thanksgiving foods. Pie is commonly served as a dessert at the end of a meal.
Conclusion
Dining out for Thanksgiving presents an opportunity to savour the season’s flavours, explore new culinary horizons, and create lasting memories with loved ones. Embrace the adventure, indulge in the culinary delights, and let the spirit of gratitude fill your heart.
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Thanksgiving Dinner Restaurants: References
