At Thanksgiving, Restaurants Profit by Serving Those Who Don’t Cook
Armaan Dode, an hourly shift supervisor at Boston Market in Manchester, Connecticut, has worked the past three Thanksgivings at the store. Each year, he says, there’s a long line, all day long—from opening at 8 a.m. to its 7 p.m. closing time.
“It’s very chaotic,’’ said Dode. “It’s sometimes hard to stay calm and focus on the customer when you have six different people asking you questions.’’
During Thanksgiving, Boston Market becomes a mass of people, some waiting in line for carry-out, others ordering from behind the counter. This is not unusual for the chain, which was born in Newton but is now based in Colorado. Thanksgiving sales are 400 percent higher than the average day at the store, according to Molly Hulsey, a Boston Market spokesperson.
There is a sizable market for people who want to celebrate Thanksgiving but don’t have the time, interest, or resources to make a homemade meal. Food bsinesses are making a profit off this segment of the population—and it’s only increasing.
Last Thanksgiving at Boston Market, the company served over 41,000 turkeys and 13 million pieces of cornbread (cornbread comes free with individual and family meals). In 2011, the company saw an 11 percent year-over-year sales increase, and in 2012—the most recent year the company offered data for—it saw a 16 percent increase.
In Boston, the Back Bay Boston Market is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. during Thanksgiving. And its catering service delivers same-day meals as long as customers make an order 24 hours in advance.
For a family-sized meal, Boston Market makes a lot of food. The traditional route—a whole roast turkey fit to serve 12 people—comes with some spinach artichoke dip with crackers, two tubs of mashed potatoes with gravy, two tubs of cranberry walnut relish, two tubs of stuffing, and a couple of pies. That comes out to $99.99.
Boston Market’s offerings fit right in with your traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but it’s hardly the only eatery open during Thanksgiving. At Shabu-Zen’s Allston location, regular hours—11 a.m. to 1 a.m.—are in effect on the holiday.
The location’s manager, Victor Lam, says the restaurant tends to see a spike in business during Thanksgiving—because it is one of the few places still open. The Allston location, Lam says, is attractive to college students.
“A lot of students who don’t go home are pretty much stuck here for Thanksgiving weekend,’’ Lam said. “A lot of them don’t want to cook for themselves.’’
Other hotels and restaurants around Boston cook Thanksgiving feasts each year. Some, like the Beacon Hill Bistro and Stephanie’s on Newbury, offer in-restaurant meals. They typically fill up quickly, so customers have to reserve their tables well in advance.
For all the common imagery of a Thanksgiving feast—turkey in the oven and family chaos in the kitchen—restaurants handle quite a few people’s meals across the country. Last year, the National Restaurant Association found that 33 million people relied on restaurants for their Thanksgiving Day eating. And that number is expected to climb this year.
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