San Angelo Restaurants Serve up Thanksgiving Day Meals

Peeling potatoes, frying turkey, baking stuffing and countless sides—let’s face it, Thanksgiving Day food prep is a lot of work. With the holiday season moving ever more toward quick fixes and advance shopping, it’s not surprising that a recent bit of research from the National Restaurant Association (NRA) found that 33 million Americans will rely on restaurants for all or parts of their Thanksgiving meals this year, an recent NRA press release states.

The NRA’s consumer survey found that 15 million Americans plan to visit a restaurant for a Thanksgiving meal this year, an additional 14 million plan to order parts of their Thanksgiving meal from a restaurant to be eaten at their home or someone else’s home, and 4 million plan to order a full takeout Thanksgiving meal from a restaurant.

“Our research shows that many of today’s consumers will leverage the convenience of restaurant meals for the Thanksgiving holiday, allowing them more time to spend with friends and family rather than cooking and cleaning up,” said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of the Research and Knowledge Group for the National Restaurant Association. “In addition, more consumers will visit restaurants during post-Thanksgiving shopping trips, providing a boost to restaurants located in or near shopping malls and centers.”

The release also shows that an expected 46 million Americans will dine on-the-go this year while doing their holiday shopping on Thursday and Friday. With so much anticipated traffic, some San Angelo restaurants have decided to keep their doors open this year, providing an alternative to the traditional turkey and trimmings.

While most franchise locations will be observing the family holiday, almost all will be open Friday, and some local eateries specializing in Asian cuisine or known for their breakfast or lunch menus will offer families a Thanksgiving Day alternative to the home-cooked meal.

The San Angelo Chamber of Commerce keeps a list each year of restaurants open for holiday diners, and if you’re looking to enjoy a good meal without fighting your way down a grocery isle, this list is for you. Here’s where to go in San Angelo:

China Garden—buffet, 10:30am – 9:00pm
Denny’s—regular menu, 24 hours 365 days a year
IHOP—turkey, ham and regular menu, until 2:00 p.m.
Nacho’s—Thanksgiving buffet, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Lin’s Grand Buffet –traditional Thanksgiving and Chinese food, 11:00 a.m. – 9:30 p.m. 
Miss Hattie’s Restaurant—Thanksgiving buffet, 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Peppercorns—Thanksgiving meals (meals to go also available), 10:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. 
Dunbar East—breakfast/open menu, 6:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. 
McGowens Rio Concho Manor—Thanksgiving buffet, 10:45 a.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Kenneth Blanek Village Café—breakfast, Thanksgiving menu starts at 11:00 a.m.
Fiddle Fire Chuckwagon—Dutch oven turkey ($12.50, military discount), 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.  
Golden Corral—Thanksgiving dinner/regular menu ($12.99, seniors -60 cents, drinks $1.99), 11:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Please note the list includes only those restaurants that have provided the Chamber with their holiday hours, and if your local fave isn’t on the list, you should probably call ahead and ask.

The NRA survey was conducted on Nov. 14-17 this year and included responses from 1,004 American adults. If you know of a restaurant open in San Angelo that is not on the list, share it with our readers in the comments below. Happy Thanksgiving!