What Restaurant Operators Can Expect on Thanksgiving

Consumers who plan to get food from a restaurant this Thanksgiving will most likely dine in (47%) versus get carryout (27%), according to Technomic. That’s a shift from 2022, when only 21% of consumers planned to dine-in and 39% aimed to get carryout.

Technomic recently posted the infographic “Thanksgiving Foodservice Trends to Watch” on its social media platforms. Here are a few other insights:

• 94% of consumers say they celebrate Thanksgiving
• 63% say their gathering will be the same size as last year; 9% say their gathering will be larger than last year (down from 13%)
• 23% say they would be likely to purchase a full, ready-made Thanksgiving meal for pickup from a restaurant (down from 29%)
• 22% of consumers will use food from restaurants for at least part of their Thanksgiving meal (down from 29%); among these consumers, most will get sides (45%), desserts (41%) and entree items (40%)

All comparisons are to 2022. A Technomic October 2023 Omnibus consumer survey served as the source for the infographic.