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More Thanksgiving dinners will include retailer-prepared dishes, survey finds

November 21, 2013

Nearly three out of 10 Americans plan to sit down to a Thanksgiving dinner this year that includes at least one prepared ready-to-eat dish from a retailer, restaurant or caterer, according to a recent Technomic survey.

Over the past three years, the proportion of consumers telling Technomic that they would turn to a foodservice source for part of their Thanksgiving dinner has risen, from 23 percent in 2011 to 29 percent in 2013.

In addition to those incorporating meat, sides or desserts from a retailer, restaurant or caterer into a home meal, 6 percent of those polled in all three years reported that they were planning to share Thanksgiving dinner in a restaurant.

"Technomic research consistently shows that consumers view restaurant meals as a way to connect with family and friends," said Darren Tristano, EVP at Technomic. "Using prepared foods for holiday meals at homes has the same effect; it gets hosts out of the kitchen sooner so they can really enjoy time with their guests."

Read more about trends and statistics.