COLORADO SPRINGS — Higher costs of Thanksgiving staples means more families may choose to eat at local restaurant or order their holiday meal to-go.
Beasts & Brews in Colorado Springs off of Voyager, is one of the local restaurants where you can enjoy a Thanksgiving dinner. You can order your meal for $24 a person and pick it up on Wednesday or Thursday, or on Thanksgiving, you can dine in for $35 a person.
According to the USDA, the average price of a frozen turkey is now $1.99 per pound, which is 73% higher than last year. Trimmings like potatoes are up about 18%, and canned vegetables are up 19%. The higher prices are why some families like the McClellan family are choosing to spend their Thanksgiving at a local restaurant.
“I went to the grocery store, and I was just in awe how much it would cost me if I were going to make everything from scratch this year,” said Lindsay McClellan, who is a mom in a family of four. “So this is a much better option to save me money. A lot of times it’s for food that the family doesn't eat.”
They’ll be dining at Beasts & Brews on Thanksgiving instead of having dinner at their home. It’s the first year the restaurant has served dinner to customers on Thanksgiving, despite higher costs for the business too.
“We just decided to give people an option, that might not want to have all that at their house and maybe can meet some friends over here,’ said Tim Peterson, the owner of Beasts & Brews. “It’s a lot more expensive. Costs have gone up by manyfold for everything.”
Yes, eating at a local restaurant is usually more expensive than eating at home. However, the cost of dining out rose 8.6% over the last year, while the cost of eating at home rose 12.4%. That means enjoying your thanksgiving meal at a local restaurant is closer to the price you'd pay, if you prepared your meal at home.
“Hopefully the combination of taking the hassle of spending a day and a half, and taking time off of work, to have it ready for everybody, that we can compensate for that and buy in bulk and prepare a great meal, with our great chefs,” said Peterson.
While dining out might not be the best option for everyone, it is saving time and money for many.
“My parents are actually more traditional and when I grew up we did these huge thanksgiving meals, and this was their idea this year to make it easier on everybody. S we can actually spend time together,” said McClellan.
At Beasts & Brews, you can still book a reservation or order your meal to-go. You just have to do that by Sunday. Many other restaurants also asking you to call ahead of time if you plan on supporting local on thanksgiving.
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