“Why America’s Turning to ‘Grocerant’ Thanksgiving: When Time, Price, and Cleanup Collide”

 

A Data-Driven Holiday Report from the Grocerant Guru®

Every year more consumers migrate toward the Grocerant—that powerful intersection of grocery, restaurant, and convenience retail—when deciding how to feed the family on Thanksgiving. This year, new research from Popmenu once again confirms the trend: consumers want great food, less work, and a better value.

But the real story?
The battle between Time vs. Price vs. Cleanup has become the defining driver of Thanksgiving behavior.
And the Grocerant Guru® has been forecasting this for years.

 

Restaurants Rise—Because Time Is the New Currency

According to Popmenu’s November 2025 nationwide study of 1,000 U.S. consumers, 53% of Americans will order takeout or delivery for Thanksgiving—an astonishing jump from 37% in 2024 and 32% in 2023. Another 5% will dine in.

The Grocerant Guru® perspective:
Consumers aren’t simply “ordering food.”
They’re trading hours of prep and cleanup for a frictionless, fully composed meal solution.

Key Drivers Behind the Shift (Popmenu data):

·       63% want to enjoy the day—not cook.

·       35% want to avoid ingredient shopping and prep.

·       26% prefer a professionally cooked meal.

·       19% say they’re simply too busy.

Grocerant Insight:
The average homemade Thanksgiving dinner requires 8–12 hours of prep, cooking, serving, and cleanup. A restaurant-prepared meal requires 15 minutes of ordering and 10–20 minutes of pickup.
Consumers are doing the math—and time is winning.

 

Price Pressure Is Real—But Not How You Think

Popmenu found that 59% of consumers plan to spend less this year, averaging $165 for the holiday meal.

Why?

·       69% blame expensive groceries.

·       58% say their household budget is tighter.

·       31% cite general economic concern.

But here’s the Grocerant Guru® lens:
Many Americans believe restaurant-prepared Thanksgiving meals cost the same—or less—than buying ingredients.
And they’re often correct.

According to current foodservice pricing indices:

·       Turkey is up 11% YoY in retail channels.

·       Butter, eggs, and baking staples are up 6–14%.

·       Ready-made restaurant bundles average $12.95–$18.50 per person, comparable to scratch cooking when factoring in no waste and no cleanup.

 

Where Consumers Are Cutting Back

To stretch budgets, consumers say they are:

·       39% – reducing side dishes and desserts

·       33% – celebrating with fewer people

·       31% – choosing cheaper brands

·       29% – asking guests to bring dishes

·       26% – opting for recipes with fewer or cheaper ingredients

·       19% – serving a less expensive main dish

And what’s being cut from the table?

·       31% Mac ’n cheese

·       28% Cranberries

·       26% Sweet potatoes

·       23% Pumpkin pie

·       22% Corn

·       19% Green beans

·       15% Turkey (yes—turkey!)

Grocerant Insight:
Turkey being cut by 15% is a staggering early signal that convenience proteins (rotisserie chicken, smoked meats, sheet-pan meals) are becoming socially acceptable Thanksgiving centerpieces.

 

What Americans Are Serving Instead

Turkey still dominates at 84%, followed by ham (46%) and chicken (19%).

But the real disruptors?

·       15% serving lasagna or pasta

·       Fast food on 19% of tables

·       Surge in pizza, tacos, chili, and stew

Grocerant Insight:
Consumers are redefining Thanksgiving not as a traditional menu—but as a shared food occasion.
That opens the door wide for grocers, C-stores, and restaurants to sell “Mix & Match Holiday Bundles” built around time and convenience.

 

Time vs. Price vs. Cleanup: The Thanksgiving Equation

Popmenu’s consumer insights illuminate what the Grocerant Guru® calls the Three Levers of Holiday Behavior:

1.       TIME SAVED (ordering beats cooking)

2.       MONEY SAVED (restaurant bundles reduce waste & labor)

3.       HEADACHE SAVED (less stress, less mess)

Consumers now evaluate Thanksgiving this way:

“If cooking costs almost the same, requires hours of work, and leaves a mountain of dishes—why not order?”

This shift explains why grocers, C-stores, and restaurants are all reporting double-digit growth in holiday meal kit revenue.

 

Grocerant Guru® Holiday Success Tips

1. Bundle Around Time Savings, Not Just Price

Promote your offering as:
“12 hours of holiday saved—instantly.”
Consumers buy time first, food second.

2. Mix & Match Meal Components Win

Let customers build their own “hybrid holiday.”
Side bundles, dessert pairings, protein upgrades—these now outsell full turkey meals.

3. Shift to Portion Transparency

Consumers want to avoid waste. Label meals by realistic servings (“Feeds 6 hungry adults” beats “Serves 10”).

4. Highlight Cleanup Reduction

The #1 emotional driver of restaurant-prepared holidays?
No dishes.
Use marketing that says:
“Zero Cleanup Thanksgiving.”

 

Think About This

As the Popmenu study shows—and as the Grocerant Guru® has long predicted—America’s Thanksgiving is evolving. The future belongs to the operators who understand that consumers are not choosing between cooking and ordering…

They are choosing between stress and ease,
between time lost and time gained,
between mess and moments that matter.

And the Grocerant is winning that choice—one meal bundle at a time.

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