Market research firm Technomic said fewer consumers will order ready-made Thanksgiving meals and sides, but local demand remains strong.
Technomic’s survey found 23% of consumers would likely buy a full meal for takeout, and 22% will rely on restaurants for part of their meals, compared to 29% last year.
“It’s crazy.”
That’s how Josh Garcia, vice president of Miracle Mile Deli in Phoenix, described business.
He said they’ve sold out of Thanksgiving meals, mostly because the order sizes are bigger than last year.
“We found that we were doing families of six, eight, 10, 12, 15," Garcia said.
Last year, they served 225 pounds of turkey; this year, more than 400.
“I was maxed out on my staff, I was maxed out on the oven capacity, and I was maxed out on the product. So, I could not get a hold of any more of that, so that’s when we had to throw in the white towel," Garcia said.
Technomic’s survey found more people who plan to get Thanksgiving meals from restaurants will dine in versus carry out, but not at Miracle Mile Deli.
“We are closed on Thanksgiving Day. It’s been a family day for our family and our team for over 74 years, so we keep that tradition for sure," Garcia said.
When they return, they’ll start working on to-go meals for Hanukkah and Christmas.
Of those ordering dishes from restaurants, Technomic found side dishes are most popular (45%), followed by desserts (41%) and entrée items (40%).
