Thanksgiving has arrived with celebrants gathering to socialize, give thanks for various aspects of their lives, and indulge in a traditional holiday breakfast, brunch, supper, or dinner.
Many households will prepare a lavish holiday meal on Nov. 28 featuring, turkey, ham, roast beef, roast pork, grilled fish, or any number of entrees, other side dishes, and desserts.
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It usually takes hours – sometimes days – of preparation to present the ideal Thanksgiving meal for friends and family to enjoy.
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In some cases, it’s not possible to prepare a Thanksgiving meal for any number of reasons, such as people traveling away from home, an unexpected malfunctioning oven or stove, a power outage, or maybe someone forgetting to defrost their turkey in the freezer.
What does one do when they are unable to prepare their Thanksgiving meal? An obvious answer is to visit a restaurant serving a Thanksgiving menu.
Unfortunately, many casual chain restaurants that might normally be open on a Thursday are closed on Thanksgiving, which limits diners’ options.
For people planning to dine out on Thanksgiving, the following casual restaurant chains are among those that will be closed across the nation: Bonefish Grill, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Chili’s, Olive Garden, Outback Steakhouse, Red Lobster, and Texas Roadhouse.
Applebee’s, Denny’s and IHOP are open Thanksgiving, but a review of Applebee’s and IHOP’s menus don’t show any Thanksgiving meal specials. Denny’s has a turkey and dressing dinner that is available through Jan. 7, 2025.
Several casual restaurant chains, however, will be open and serving special Thanksgiving menus for diners who won’t be cooking on the holiday.
A Darden Restaurants Inc. Bahama Breeze Island Grille location. Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Casual restaurants offering Thanksgiving dinner specials
Darden Restaurants’ (DRI) Seasons 52, with 42 locations, will be open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving and will serve a special dinner consisting of roasted turkey, savory pan gravy, Yukon mashed potatoes, brioche and sage dressing, green beans, mashed sweet potatoes, cranberry relish, and pumpkin pie mini indulgence, priced at $44 for adults, $18 for children.
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Another Darden restaurant, Bahama Breeze with 43 locations, will be open from noon to 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving and will offer its Island-Style Turkey Dinner with slow-cooked turkey in jerk seasoning, topped with home gravy, green beans, brioche stuffing, cranberry pineapple chutney and either mashed potatoes or cinnamon mashed sweet potatoes, priced at $25.99.
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Johnny Carino’s, with 37 locations, is open on Thanksgiving from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and offers a traditional three-course dinner with a house salad and fresh-baked bread; roasted turkey with gravy, cornbread stuffing, red-skin mashed potatoes, candied yams, fresh vegetable medley, cranberry sauce; and pumpkin pie with whipped cream, priced at $25.99 for adults and $10.99 for children 10 years old and under.
The casual Italian restaurant chain will also offer a Turkey Family Platter to-go that serves four for $74.99 and a Feast To Go that serves eight for $139.99.
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, with about 662 locations in 45 states, will be open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Thanksgiving and will offer its Homestyle Turkey n’ Dressing meal, Country Fried Turkey Plates, or Grandma’s Holiday Sampler Breakfast Special, featuring hand-breaded country fried turkey with buttermilk pancakes, served all day.
It also offers a variety of fresh-baked pies. Diners should check their area’s Cracker Barrel menu for item prices.
For an even more casual Thanksgiving dinner, Golden Corral Buffet & Grill offers its Holiday Buffet featuring roast turkey, glazed ham, bone-in pork roast, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole, green beans, and desserts, including pecan pie and pumpkin pie. Golden Corral will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving.
Regular buffet dinner prices range from $16.99 for adults; $11.49 for ages 9-12, and $10.49 for ages 4-8. Check your local Golden Corral for menu prices.
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