This Thursday, for the first time in my life, I won’t be eating Thanksgiving dinner with my family. It was a tough decision not to go home, as it’s one of my favorite holidays. But after taking into account sky-high airfares and a separate trip back to the Midwest for my brother’s wedding in a few weeks, it made sense to stay in New York this year.
After the initial sadness of not being able to share the day with my extended family, however, I began to look for the positives. And, interestingly enough, for a holiday known more for home-cooked meals and old family recipes than restaurant fare, it is actually a few local restaurants that are helping me see the brighter side of my holiday weekend.
While I’ll be staying in and cooking on Thursday with friends, I know I’ll be popping into restaurants the rest of the holiday weekend for a sense of community that I normally would have gotten from family and old friends back home.
For starters, there’s the wine bar in my neighborhood that will be holding its annual “Orphan’s Thanksgiving” potluck on Wednesday night. The bar doesn’t even have a full kitchen — its menu consists primarily of cold cheese and charcuterie plates. But for this one night it provides turkey, gravy and cranberry sauce. Each guest is encouraged to bring a side dish to share to round out the meal, and those who bring food get their first drink on the house.
So, unlike past years where I spent Wednesday night fighting airport crowds and dealing with travel headaches, this year I can whip up a batch of my grandmother’s famous sausage stuffing and head down the street to meet a few neighbors over some new dishes and a glass of wine.
On Thursday, when I’m cooking up a meal with two friends, we may even supplement it with a few ready-to-eat restaurant treats, since a traditional whole turkey and massive casseroles just don’t make sense for three people. Then, on Friday and Saturday, I’m likely to make the most of the long holiday weekend by meeting friends for lunch or hitting up a pub to catch some college football.
Even though most Americans hunker down at home on Thanksgiving, operators would be wise to remember that there are plenty of people willing to spend money for a little taste of home on Thursday — and the days surrounding it. Even restaurants that close their doors on Thanksgiving can get in on the action. They can reap the sales benefits by enticing locals with clever preholiday specials like my wine bar does, advertising easy carryout options to supplement home-cooked feasts or offering happy hours and promotions to get people out of the house Friday and Saturday, when they can’t stomach another leftover turkey sandwich. All these things not only can help give sales a boost, but they’ll also do wonders to build loyalty and goodwill among guests.
I know nothing could ever replace the warmth and comfort of spending Thanksgiving with my family back home. But this year, with the help of my friends — and the hospitality of a few local restaurants — I should be able to remember this Thanksgiving as one of celebration, not solitude.
And, for that, I’m truly thankful.
Contact Christi Ravneberg at christina.ravneberg@penton.com .
