This Thanksgiving, restaurants are trying to treat the wounds of a difficult year, with several staying open for the holiday for the first time and others offering expanded or lower-priced menu options to entice diners.
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Andina, a Peruvian Restaurant in Portland, Ore., is one of many restaurant that plans to stay open on Thanksgiving for the first time. The reasons, according to the restaurant’s publicist, were “the economy, and the desire to keep sharing their food and culture and connect to the community.
"It was hard for them to ask their staff to give up Thanksgiving, but it was a team decision,” the publicist said.
Andina's Thanksgiving meal will include roasted heritage turkey with gravy made with a Peruvian fruit called lúcuma, along with a chutney of quince and the Peruvian herb huacatey.
Beppe, an Italian restaurant in New York City, is staying open for the first time, too.
“They want to support the neighborhood and longstanding clientele, especially in this challenging economy,” a spokeswoman said.
The four-course meal, available on Thanksgiving from noon to 10 p.m., is $80 per person, but any wine ordered will be sold at half price. Options include traditional Italian favorites such as gnocchi with “mamma’s Sunday sauce,” and more Thanksgiving-oriented choices such as squash ravioli.
Another New York Italian Restaurant, San Domenico, has stayed open for Thanksgiving in the past, but this year's menu, at $55 a person, is $20 cheaper than last year's offering. Kids under 12 eat for $30 each.
The lower-priced meal reflects the restaurant's reinvention as SD26 in a new space with a bigger bar, more private dining options and a less expensive menu.
“Since we moved, I think the prices are 20 percent lower,” said Marissa May, who runs the restaurant with her father, Tony May.
SD26 will serve its Thanksgiving meal between 1 p.m. and 9 p.m. Thursday. The three-course meal includes such options as butternut squash ravioli and stuffed turkey with sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce, as well as Italian classics such as spaghetti with basil and tomato sauce
T.G.I. Friday’s will be open on Thanksgiving for the first time in more than a decade on a systemwide basis. However, the casual-dining chain is looking to attract football fans with half-price appetizers in its bar.
Acompany spokesman explained that in previous years some franchisees had decided to stay open, and some corporate stores stayed open depending on the market, but “in a year like this, probably more than any year in history, [customers are] looking for an escape.”
In addition, Friday’s said all 50 restaurants in its home state of Texas will donate 5 percent of their net sales on Thanksgiving Day to assist the Fort Hood community, where 13 people were killed in a shooting Nov. 5.
Other restaurants across the country are focusing on their takeout options.
Ruth’s Chris Steak House restaurants are offering takeout sides and desserts, ranging from $24.95 to $29.95 for items that serve eight to 12 people. Options include green beans with roasted garlic, sweet potato casserole and bread pudding.
Little Dom’s Deli in Los Angeles for the first time is offering a Thanksgiving-to-go menu that includes an organic, free-range 12-pound deep-fried turkey with giblet gravy for $69, and a pumpkin cake with rum-raisin glaze that will serve 6-8 people, for $36.
Also in Los Angeles, Akasha restaurant has been promoting its Thanksgiving offerings with $10 tastings of its side dishes. A recent tasting included cornbread & sausage dressing, candied yams with Ceylon cinnamon and brown palm sugar, organic cheddar macaroni and cheese and seasoned breadcrumbs, and half a dozen other items.
The restaurant’s publicist said the offering gives customers perceived value and also lets them know what dishes are available for takeout on the holiday.
Other restaurants, in an attempt to provide both a sense of value and a sense of tradition, are giving their customers leftovers to take home.
After the $75 Thanksgiving meal at Dragonfly at Hotel Zaza in Dallas, which is being served from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., guests get a free “turkey tote” containing the fixings for a turkey sandwich the following day.
Herbfarm in Woodinville, Wash., which regularly offers nine-course dinners that cost $179 to $195, will offer an “American Harvest” dinner on Thanksgiving. The meal costs $205 per person, but guests go home with extra turkey, trimmings and dessert to eat the next day.
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected].