# Is anyone buying ready made Thanksgiving meals at restaurants or grocery stores? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 19, 2012, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-buying-ready-made-thanksgiving-meals-at-restaurants-or-grocery-stores/641540 "2012-11-19T20:52:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Rahne\_McCloud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@Rahne\_McCloud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rahne_McCloud)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-buying-ready-made-thanksgiving-meals-at-restaurants-or-grocery-stores/641540/1 "2012-11-19T20:52:29Z")
We have decided this year to purchase a ready made Thanksgiving dinner. We are not having as many people this year as in years past,:eek: plus my sister is getting to the point where she needs help with all the work (she is in her 60’s).☹ I would love to help but due to a back injury there is not a lot I can help with (it suck’s, I loved helping out).:mad: Is anyone else doing this? ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-buying-ready-made-thanksgiving-meals-at-restaurants-or-grocery-stores/641540/2 "2012-11-19T20:53:54Z")
Seeing as how I currently expect to be dining alone at home instead of going to see family, I will likely be eating at a restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![eenerms](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@eenerms](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eenerms)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-buying-ready-made-thanksgiving-meals-at-restaurants-or-grocery-stores/641540/3 "2012-11-19T22:05:26Z")
My sister is getting everything at Whole Foods, this will be something like the 5th or 6th time…she seems to think its a good idea. ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-buying-ready-made-thanksgiving-meals-at-restaurants-or-grocery-stores/641540/4 "2012-11-19T22:24:38Z")
I know several people who buy the grocery store pre-made dinners and they have all said that they were good. Not great, but good enough that it was worth it to not have to go to the trouble. It depends on your family - if they’d be happy with it. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-buying-ready-made-thanksgiving-meals-at-restaurants-or-grocery-stores/641540/5 "2012-11-19T22:30:44Z")
I’ve done this before, from Wegman’s. I got the spiral ham, mac & cheese, green bean casserole, etc. and it was fine (except the green bean casserole wasn’t cooked enough - I just warmed it up and I should have baked it for an hour). They’re selling the turkey kit for about $85 :eek: but sure saves a lot of work, and isn’t really that much more expensive than buying everything piecemeal. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-buying-ready-made-thanksgiving-meals-at-restaurants-or-grocery-stores/641540/6 "2012-11-19T22:32:21Z")
The neighbor we’re going to be with Thursday is doing the grocery store thing. ---
**Author:** ![redtail23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3e96dc/32.png) [@redtail23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/redtail23)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-buying-ready-made-thanksgiving-meals-at-restaurants-or-grocery-stores/641540/7 "2012-11-19T22:32:23Z")
Not this year, but I have in the past. If you can’t or don’t want to cook, I think it’s a fine alternative. Our local grocery chain does full meals for the holidays. I think you have to order them a couple days ahead, so you might want to check on that asap. IIRC, we had turkey and ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, yams, green beans, bread, dressing, seems like maybe another veg - your basic Tday dinner. It was fine. I wouldn’t call it fine dining, but I’ve had much worse. I’d say it’s about equivalent quality to what you’d get at a decent chain restaurant. I don’t remember what the price was, but it seemed pretty reasonable. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-buying-ready-made-thanksgiving-meals-at-restaurants-or-grocery-stores/641540/8 "2012-11-19T23:43:14Z")
Going to a local restaurant to pick up pre-ordered turkey, dressing, gravy & potatoes for me & Dad. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-buying-ready-made-thanksgiving-meals-at-restaurants-or-grocery-stores/641540/9 "2012-11-19T23:53:09Z")
For the second year in a row, I will be dining in a restaurant for Thanksgiving with my family. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2012, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-buying-ready-made-thanksgiving-meals-at-restaurants-or-grocery-stores/641540/10 "2012-11-19T23:59:24Z")
As a lot of us either have no oven or only an Asian-sized oven, cooked turkey and turkey/ham dinners are quite popular here. Oh, the ovens aren’t big enough for Asian people, otherwise a turkey would fit. I simply mean that in Asia, the ovens often tend toward the size of Easy-Bake Ovens. A Cornish hen nicely fits in these ovens as a turkey fits in a North American oven. ---
**Author:** ![Rahne\_McCloud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@Rahne\_McCloud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rahne_McCloud)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-buying-ready-made-thanksgiving-meals-at-restaurants-or-grocery-stores/641540/11 "2012-11-20T01:11:47Z")
We already agreed when my sister in Spokane said she wasn’t coming and neither were my other sister and spouse, with son and s/o. We decided it was not worth the energy involved with only 6 for dinner. So we ordered or meal last week from Zupan’s due to dietary restrictions on my part (supposed to be completely organic with no added hormones or HFCS) ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-buying-ready-made-thanksgiving-meals-at-restaurants-or-grocery-stores/641540/12 "2012-11-20T02:06:13Z")
I did when my kids were very little. It was pretty good. It wasn’t “the same” but it was pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-buying-ready-made-thanksgiving-meals-at-restaurants-or-grocery-stores/641540/13 "2012-11-20T06:03:15Z")
I should mention I have plenty of experience with turkeys and chickens from Kroger. It’s the office holiday party staple. The management buys the meat. I’ve done the pick up before. They are generally pretty good. As good as my family makes. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-buying-ready-made-thanksgiving-meals-at-restaurants-or-grocery-stores/641540/14 "2012-11-20T06:47:49Z")
We are eating at a restaurant for the first time ever (save for the year that was in a hospital cafeteria). I am happy with bagged stuffing and cranberry sauce from a can, so I can’t imagine it won’t at least be satisfactory. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-buying-ready-made-thanksgiving-meals-at-restaurants-or-grocery-stores/641540/15 "2012-11-20T07:12:19Z")
We’ll pick up our Turkey and dressing dinner at a local cafeteria Wed and eat it Thursday. They also have full dinners for 6 that can be pre-ordered, but the wife and I will get the standard dinner from the line. Same food, just a reasonable one person dinner. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-buying-ready-made-thanksgiving-meals-at-restaurants-or-grocery-stores/641540/16 "2012-11-20T21:12:23Z")
Horror story of ready made: Good friend and his partner and another couple were staying at a high-end timeshare building over Thanksgiving. Poster in lobby announced Thanksgiving dinner brought to your timeshare apartment - $30 per person. He thought that was a great idea, plunked down the $120 and got on the list. The day before Thanksgiving, the front desk called asked what time they should bring everything up - they were surprised when he said, “Tomorrow, about 2:00 PM.” Sure enough, Thanksgiving day at exactly 2:00 PM there is a knock on the door and there is everything for Thanksgiving dinner - **uncooked** , including the uncooked turkey! There was a slight misunderstanding - these were Thanksgiving dinner _groceries_ for you to cook for yourself in your timeshare kitchen. They found a nearby restaurant that happened to still have a table for four. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-buying-ready-made-thanksgiving-meals-at-restaurants-or-grocery-stores/641540/17 "2012-11-20T21:29:53Z")
we aren’t going to. anyone who buys a pre-made meal is a phony. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-buying-ready-made-thanksgiving-meals-at-restaurants-or-grocery-stores/641540/18 "2012-11-20T21:38:32Z")
I got a meal package a couple years ago from Dominick’s (Safeway to most of the nation) and it was pretty good. I had to cook the turkey and heat the food but I wasn’t left making casseroles and stuffing from scratch. Last year we went to a lunch buffet at a golf course and it was delicious. What you lose in laying around your relative’s house afterward you make up in being able to end lunch and have the rest of the day to yourself. Was pretty affordably priced, as well. This year I’m doing a more traditional from scratch meal, mainly because I got my bird from a turkey farm and that’s the centerpiece of any “packages”. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-buying-ready-made-thanksgiving-meals-at-restaurants-or-grocery-stores/641540/19 "2012-11-20T22:06:23Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > we aren’t going to. anyone who buys a pre-made meal is a phony. I’m a phony. I don’t cook, I eat. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2012, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-buying-ready-made-thanksgiving-meals-at-restaurants-or-grocery-stores/641540/20 "2012-11-20T22:07:13Z")
I don’t cook. I watch football while the women cook and then I eat [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-anyone-buying-ready-made-thanksgiving-meals-at-restaurants-or-grocery-stores/641540.md?page=2)