A current research signifies a rising development amongst U.S. customers to depend on eating places for Thanksgiving meals, with 53% planning to order takeout or supply, a rise from 37% in 2024 and 32% in 2023. Moreover, 5% of customers count on to dine in at eating places, in step with the earlier yr. The research, carried out by Popmenu from November 16 to November 17, 2025, surveyed 1,000 U.S. customers aged 18 and older.
The shift in direction of restaurant-prepared meals is attributed to a number of components. A good portion of respondents, 63%, expressed a need to benefit from the vacation with out the burden of cooking. In the meantime, 40% consider that buying components and cooking at house is both dearer or comparable in price to ordering from a restaurant. Different causes embrace avoiding the trouble of meal preparation (35%), preferring a professionally cooked meal (26%), and being too busy to arrange a meal (19%).
Regardless of the inclination in direction of restaurant meals, 59% of customers plan to scale back their total Thanksgiving spending in comparison with 2024. The typical anticipated Thanksgiving expenditure this yr is $165. The first causes for this discount embrace rising grocery prices (69%), tighter family budgets (58%), and financial issues comparable to inflation (31%).
To handle bills, customers are adopting varied methods. These embrace lowering the variety of facet dishes and desserts (39%), celebrating with fewer folks (33%), buying cheaper manufacturers (31%), asking friends to contribute a dish (29%), selecting recipes with fewer or cheaper components (26%), and choosing a cheaper major dish (19%).
Sure conventional dishes are being omitted to chop prices. The survey discovered that 31% of respondents plan to remove mac ‘n cheese, whereas 28% will forgo cranberries, 26% candy potatoes, 23% pumpkin pie, 22% corn, 19% inexperienced beans, and 15% turkey.
However, turkey stays the preferred dish, with 84% of customers planning to serve it. Different major dishes embrace ham (46%) and hen (19%). Moreover, some customers are incorporating non-traditional objects comparable to lasagna or different pasta dishes (15%), pizza, tacos, and even quick meals, with 19% anticipating to incorporate a quick meals dish.
The survey highlights a development in direction of comfort and value administration in the course of the Thanksgiving vacation, as customers steadiness conventional celebrations with financial realities.
