News Release | National Restaurant Association

News Release

Fact sheet: Thanksgiving Dining and Takeout

November 12, 2008
Contact: Annika Stensson (202) 973-3677, Mike Donohue (202) 331-5902

According to National Restaurant Association research, one in 10 Americans (11 percent) celebrate Thanksgiving Day by dining in one of the nation's 945,000 restaurants.

Also according to Association research, more than half (53 percent) of consumers use restaurant-prepared takeout items for all or part of their Thanksgiving Day meals (from complete holiday feasts, to a ready-to-eat turkeys or hams, to side dishes and desserts).

Consumers living in smaller households and households without children are more likely to dine out on Thanksgiving. Males are more likely than females to eat at a restaurant on the holiday. Generally, younger adults are more likely to use restaurant takeout items as part of their Thanksgiving meal at home.

Restaurants offer consumers nutritious, traditional and creative Thanksgiving dishes without the hours of planning, shopping and cooking—not to mention cleaning up.

Year-round, 79 percent of American adults say going to restaurants with family and friends is a better use of leisure time than cooking and cleaning up.

Restaurants serve more than meals during this holiday season—they serve their communities too. In fact, year-round, nine out of 10 restaurants are actively engaged in some type of charitable activity and Thanksgiving provides yet another opportunity to underscore their commitment to their neighbors.

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Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which is comprised of 945,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a work force of 13 million employees. Together with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, the Association works to lead America’s restaurant industry into a new era of prosperity, prominence, and participation, enhancing the quality of life for all we serve. For more information, visit our Web site at www.restaurant.org.

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