More eateries open on Thanksgiving
The restaurants aim to cater to weary shoppers, holiday revelers.
A growing number of restaurants are keeping their doors open on Thanksgiving Day in an effort to win weary shoppers and holiday revelers who don’t want to deal with a sink full of dishes.
Roughly 32 million Americans are expected to swarm shopping malls, big box chains and other retailers this Thanksgiving, and many of those consumers plan to eat at least one meal at a restaurant or fast food joint.
“As more retailers and merchants are treating Thanksgiving as a head start to Black Friday shopping, many restaurants are following suit to cater to and keep up with Black Friday shopping trends,” said Carson Yarbrough, Retail & Savings Expert at Offers.com. “Many restaurants have noticed the rise in consumers shopping on Thanksgiving, so they want to cash in on the day by being available to holiday shoppers.”
The website this year added nearly 20 new restaurants to its annual list of eateries that will be open on Thanksgiving,
Yarbrough said.
“Some people may see this as disrespectful to the holiday, but restaurants are opening with the intent to provide helpful dining options for shoppers out and about on Thanksgiving Day,” Yarbrough said.
In all, 1 in 10 Americans plans to dine at a restaurant this holiday, according to the National Restaurant Association.
Roughly 72 percent of those who plan to hit the stores on either Thanksgiving or Black Friday are expected visit a restaurant or fast food place while they are out shopping, a survey conducted by the association this month found.
Roger Amidon, general manager at the Palm Beach Marriott Singer Island Beach Resort & Spa, said Thanksgiving reservations at the beachfront resort’s 3800 Ocean Restaurant, have grown in recent years. The restaurant, which offers ocean views, serves a buffet-style brunch between noon and 8 p.m.
“The demand is definitely increasing,” Amidon said.
The restaurant typically feeds about 500 people each year. Many of those customers are locals who live in nearby condos and don’t have room to entertain their entire family, Amidon said.
Dining out offers a “no fuss, no muss” alternative, Amidon said.
“It makes it really convenient,” Amidon said.
Restaurateur Thierry Beaud, of Pistache on Clematis Street, said the restaurant’s Thanksgiving Day meals have become a tradition for many families. Since opening about a decade ago, Beaud said he’s seen customers return year after year to enjoy a holiday meal.
“Overwhelming the majority of people who try it are hooked and they come back,” he said.
Before the restaurant opens each year, Beaud said its staff — about 40 to 50 people — also feasts on turkey and trimmings.
“At Pistache, it is also a tradition for our team,” he said.
At The Regional Kitchen in CityPlace in West Palm Beach, Beaud said he hopes to create a different tradition. The restaurant, which will be open for its first Thanksgiving this year, will also offer take-out meals.
“People enjoy a little less work so they can enjoy their friends and family more,” he said.
According to the National Restaurant Association, 9 percent of Americans plan to pick up at least part of their Thanksgiving meal from a restaurant. Roughly 4 percent will order an entire meal to go.
Despite the surge of openings, some local restaurants have decided to keep their doors on Thanksgiving.
Big Time Restaurant Group, which operates six concepts, including Rocco’s Tacos, Grease Burger Bar and Louie Bossi’s, has considered opening on Thanksgiving, but always opts against it, partner Todd Herbst said.
“From the beginning when we first opened our first restaurant 20 years ago, we would toy with that scenario,” Herbst said. “It is very alluring to stay open on Thanksgiving Day. Every year we decided to close.”
Herbst said it is important for employees to spend the day with family and friends.
“We have 14 restaurants,” he said. “I do the math. I say, ‘14 restaurants. You could have very big day.’ But there are some things that are more important than money.”