Are you cooking for Thanksgiving this year? Maybe you’re happy you only have to bring a side dish. Or, maybe you plan to eat in a restaurant and avoid the cleanup. Fewer people this year plan to follow the traditional custom of cooking a big Thanksgiving meal at home.
A survey by the American Farm Bureau Federation finds the cost of cooking Thanksgiving dinner is down about 5% this year, largely because of lower turkey prices.
That’s if you’re doing the cooking. If you’re looking to avoid the stress of it all, having the meal catered can run you from over $100 from a grocery store to up to $350 from a caterer or restaurant, depending on the size of your group, of course.
That’s becoming a more popular option, according to a survey by restaurant tech leader Popmenu. Some 53% of U.S. consumers said they planned to order their Thanksgiving dinner to go this year, up from 37% last year and 32% in 2023.
Another 5% planned to eat the meal in a restaurant, similar to last year.
Most people surveyed said they realize it’s cheaper to cook yourself, but 63% said they want to enjoy the holiday and not worry about cooking. 26% said they’d rather have a professionally cooked meal, and 19% said they’re just too busy to cook.
