Restaurants have been welcoming customers this holiday season by adding Thanksgiving items to their menus. SpotOn, a restaurant software and payment provider, reported a list of Thanksgiving meal trends it is seeing from the independent and small chain restaurants it serves across the U.S.
Some of the trends include:
Thanksgiving Menu Items
- A majority of items were added Oct. 23-29 and include Thanksgiving Meal Kits from Looking Glass Hospitality, Thanksgiving Dessert Boards and Cookie Decorating Kits from M. Streeting Baking Co., and even a Thanksgiving Leftovers Kit from Lucius Q.
- In the last 30 days, SpotOn reported an uptick in traditional Thanksgiving Day sides and desserts added to its restaurant clients’ menus, including 652 sweet potato items, 421 mashed potato items, 272 yam items, 275 pumpkin pie items, 164 pecan pie items, 83 stuffing items, 44 cranberry sauce items and 24 green bean casserole items.
Business on ‘Drinksgiving’
- The night before Thanksgiving, also known as “Drinksgiving,” is typically one of the busiest bar nights of the year as consumers kick off the start of the holiday weekend.
- Last year, SpotOn reported its bar and brewery clients saw a 50% increase in sales on “Drinksgiving” vs. the previous Wednesday.
- Not surprisingly, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving was also the busiest Wednesday of 2021 for SpotOn’s pizza clients.
Post-Turkey Day Trends
- After the holiday weekend is over, and the leftovers are gone, it seems diners are in the mood for a particular cuisine type(s). Last year, Japanese, sushi and seafood restaurants saw an 18% uptick in business on the Monday after Thanksgiving, welcoming in consumers hungry for a break from heavy holiday meals.
The Remaining Holidays
- Holiday menu items, in general, have been on the rise, with over 500 holiday menu items added in the last 90 days, with the largest number of items added the week of Oct. 2. Some of the highlights include a Herbivore Holiday Meal from Pondichieri in Houston, Holiday BBQ Plate from Viewhouse with various Colorado locations and Holiday Wellington from Matthew Kenney’s Veg’d in Los Angeles.
- SpotOn also saw an additional 405 Christmas menu items, with the largest spike added at the beginning of October, including The Christmas Mimosas at Famous Toastery, a “take n bake” Christmas Ham from Three Blondes Brewing and Christmas Chile at ABQ Burrito & Burger.
- As for the season’s favorite flavors, SpotOn found restaurants added: 470 hot chocolate and 86 hot cocoa items, 410 peppermint items, 148 gingerbread items, 21 eggnog items, 39 candy cane items and 22 mulled wine items so far.
If customers don’t want to cook Thanksgiving dinner at home, they can now visit a restaurant and enjoy a nice holiday meal with family.
