• by Teresa Buyikian , November 20, 2023

Approximately half of all consumers celebrating Thanksgiving will be spared Aunt Edna’s Jell-O salad this year.

According to recent survey by restaurant tech company Popmenu, one third of consumers (32%) plan to order takeout or delivery for Thanksgiving dinner this year, while another 17% intend to dine out in-person at a restaurant.

The numbers are even higher for those under the age of 35, 42% of whom plan to order takeout or delivery, while an additional 20% plan on eating out.

When asked their reasoning, 64% of participants said eating out or ordering take out/delivery vs. cooking is easier, 35% just don’t feel like cooking, and 35% also prefer professionally prepared food.

In light of higher food costs, 24% estimate that it will be cheaper to order from restaurants than to buy all the ingredients needed to cook a full Thanksgiving dinner themselves.

Despite not cooking the food at home, consumers are sticking to ordering traditional Thanksgiving foods, including: turkey (77%), ham (42%), steak (27%), fish (27%) and vegetarian options (20%).

"More consumers are trading in their aprons for the convenience, taste, and potential cost-savings of having restaurants cook Thanksgiving dinner for them," said Brendan Sweeney, CEO and co-founder of Popmenu, in a release. "Ideally, you want to place online orders and book reservations a few weeks in advance, but you can still find special menus and deals this week. Check out restaurants' websites and act quickly." 

Dining and ordering out numbers are also high for the holidays after Thanksgiving. One in four consumers (26%) plan to dine at or order takeout/delivery from restaurants for Christmas this year, while 36% also plan to do so on New Year's Eve.

The survey, published by Popmenu this week, was part of a nationwide study of 1,000 U.S. consumers conducted from Nov. 6 to Nov. 7.