Meat+Poultry - December 2016 - 8

C O M M E N TA R Y

Carving out options
While a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner away from
home is unthinkable to many (me included), the
convenience of eating out, carrying out and mail-ordering
holiday meals is a trend on the rise that shows no
signs of relenting. For every family who thrives on the
tradition of turkey shopping, turkey thawing and turkey
baking, smoking or frying, there are almost as many who
substitute or supplement their meals with non-traditional
entrees or side dishes.
This past month, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store
Inc., based in Lebanon, Tennessee, served a record-high
1.5 million diners on Thanksgiving Day. The chain's 641 US
restaurants were not only open
for business for the holiday but
offered heat-and-eat, prepared
Thanksgiving turkey dinners
with all the fixings that could be
preordered and picked up ahead
of the November holiday.
Cracker Barrel Executive Chef
Bill Kintzler said the company
offered the options for the same
reason many other foodservice
outlets and retail grocery stores
do: convenience.
"Preparing the Thanksgiving
meal can be quite a chore," he said.
"It's very
"Our new Heat n' Serve Holiday
Family Meals To-Go not only take
stressful
cooking dinner the legwork out of preparing a
traditional Thanksgiving meal,
for 10 to 20
but also give people more time to
relax and enjoy the day with their
people."
loved ones."
This convenience obviously resonates with consumers
as Cracker Barrel served nearly 500,000 lbs. of turkey and
330,000 lbs. of gravy on Thanksgiving.
As a representative of those who don't consider holiday
meal preparation a chore, I contend that it is cooking
that is one of the main events when I host the meal. Even
when another family member hosts I always volunteer to
cook the bird and deliver it with pride. In either scenario,
it is the cooking process, which takes place in a billowing
smoker on my patio, that always draws people to assemble
outside, where most enjoy bathing in the curtain of oak
and applewood smoke as the bird reaches its target
temperature. Coats are zipped, drinks are sipped and
laughter-filled conversation ensues in a manner that I
relish, and it is the part of the gathering I enjoy most.

MEAT+ POULTRY | 12.16 | www.meatpoultry.com

Still, there is obviously growing demand for quality
food that can be picked up on holidays and the enjoyment
of that food is as legitimate as cooked-at-home grub. For
Boston Market, Thanksgiving is regarded as a culinary
"Super Bowl," according to CEO George Michel in a report
published by CNBC this past month. The chain reportedly
sees a five-fold increase in sales on Thanksgiving Day
and the day before. Boston Market expected to serve 1.1
million customers on Turkey Day 2016.
Michel told CNBC: "Some customers come and eat in
the restaurants, some pick up meals to go home, some
pick up side orders or pies as gifts or to supplement their
own meals."
Sales during the months of November and December
now make up 20 percent of the year's business for the
chain. The fact that its Thanksgiving business has grown
100 percent in the past five years is a signal of evolving
consumers, Michel said.
"People are getting busier and busier with their lives
and spending less time planning Thanksgiving than they
did before," Michel said.
Splitting the culinary difference is the growing
popularity of meal kits, which include a variety of holidaythemed offerings. Up-and-comers in this subscriptionbased space include Blue Apron, Chef'd and Marley Spoon.
As part of a partnership with Martha Stewart, Marley
Spoon sold out of Thanksgiving-themed meal kits based
on Stewart's recipes and included everything to make her
turkey, stuffing with herbs and dried cherries, mashed
potatoes, brussels sprouts and even apple pie. I understand
it is convenient and is a solution many people demand.
Fabian Siegel, cofounder of Marley Spoon, told
CNNMoney just before Thanksgiving, "For those who
don't cook much, it can be scary."
"It's very stressful cooking dinner for 10 to 20
people," according to Boston Market's Michel. He adds:
"[Consumers] are looking for solutions to take the risk out
of cooking the turkey."
However, for those of us who thrive on the process
almost as much as the end result, the fear and risk is
overshadowed by the reward.
J O E L C R E WS, E D I TO R | j c r e w s @ s o s l a n d.c o m

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Meat+Poultry - December 2016

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