Restaurants: Expect A Busy Thanksgiving

Inspired by convenience and cost savings, just under one-third of consumers (32 percent) plan to order takeout/delivery for Thanksgiving dinner this year, while 17 percent plan to dine in person at a restaurant. This is according to a new survey of 1000 U.S. consumers by restaurant technology company Popmenu.

“More consumers are trading in their aprons for the convenience, taste and potential cost-savings of having restaurants cook Thanksgiving dinner for them,” said Popmenu CEO and Co-founder Brendan Sweeney.

When asked specifically why they are relying on restaurants to supply their entire meal or certain dishes as they celebrate Thanksgiving, the top responses by survey participants were:

• 64 percent said it’s just easier
• 35 percent don’t feel like cooking
• 35 percent prefer professionally cooked food
• 24 percent estimate that it’s cheaper to order from restaurants than to buy all the ingredients needed to cook Thanksgiving dinner

The study also found that consumers under the age of 35 are the most likely to lean on restaurants, with 42 percent planning to order takeout/delivery for Turkey Day and 20 percent planning to dine on-premise.

Click here for more from the survey.