If you find yourself short a couple sticks of butter on Thanksgiving Day, you’re in luck this year. Whole Foods has announced it will deliver groceries to Amazon Prime members until 2 p.m. on the holiday itself. The deal will be available across the 63 cities where Prime Now operates, and some locations will also include a pickup option, although that kind of negates the whole idea of not having to dash to the store to pick up that extra pack of breadcrumbs. Via Prime Now, you can even order last-minute cookware, cleanup supplies. and table settings.
None of this is surprising. Food delivery, whether it’s from restaurants, the grocery store, or a meal kit company, continues its growth, with companies touting convenience as one of the main selling points. So it seems inevitable that, led by a behemoth like Amazon-Whole Foods, Thanksgiving Delivery options would be out in full force this year. Just in time for Turkey Day, here are a few options you can choose from if you’re short on time or just prefer someone else to roll up their sleeves and do the heavy lifting.
Meal Kits
If you like cooking but need extra guidance for a big meal like Thanksgiving, the meal kit sector has a few different options. It’s past time for orders on some (HelloFresh, Blue Apron), but a few are still accepting them:
Fans of a southern-style Thanksgiving can check out meal kit company Peach Dish’s Week of Thanksgiving menu. Peach Dish specializes in organic, local, and sustainable food, and since the company is based in the South (Atlanta), much of their menu is geared towards Southern flavors (shrimp ’n’ grits, anyone?). There are a few kits you can choose from for Thanksgiving, from an organic prairie-turkey dinner for 12 ($247) to a smoked ham feast ($125). Or if you have your turkey and just want to dress it up with lots of extras, there’s an option to buy six side dishes for $77. If you’re not a Peach Dish subscriber already, you have the option to order as a guest.
There are still a couple days to order from Home Chef’s menu for Thanksgiving. While they’re not shipping full Thanksgiving spreads a la Peach Dish, you can order side dish kits for dishes like sage and pecan sweet potatoes, walnut-maple Brussels sprouts, and cranberry stuffing. Each serving is $9.95 for Home Chef subscribers. Even if you’re not a subscriber, you can download the recipes and try with your own ingredients. There are varying levels of difficulty with these dishes, so make sure someone in the kitchen knows what they’re doing if you order anything labeled “expert.”
Grocery/In-store Meal Kits
Walmart gets the award for the most budget- and time-friendly dinner. The retail giant has started to dabble in meal kits, and while their Thanksgiving box isn’t available for delivery, it may be worth trekking to one of the company’s brick-and-mortar locations to obtain from the deli. For a whopping $47.88, you can get a Thanksgiving dinner kit that serves six to eight people and includes turkey or ham as well as a variety of side dishes. And they’re “fully cooked and microwavable”
Chain Restaurants
On the other hand, if you’re time-strapped, bad at cooking, or lazy, chain restaurant meals have always been a good standby, and this year some major ones are making delivery and pickup available to a wider swath of people:
Denny’s, who’s been hard at work pushing its online and mobile ordering strategy since 2017, is offering its Turkey and Dressing Dinner Pack via the Denny’s On Demand platform. Each pack serves four to five people and costs $39.99, and comes with Thanksgiving basics for four to five people, and you can add desserts on for extra when ordering.
Boston Market, meanwhile, will ship an entire pre-cooked Thanksgiving meal to your door anywhere in the continental U.S. The online menu features a few different dinners to choose from so you can customize based on how many people you’re feeding and how traditional (or not) you want the food. Price varies based on the meal you choose. Heat and serve upon receiving the delivery. Orders are due by November 18.
Though they don’t deliver it, Bob Evans will sell you its Farmhouse Feast online, which serves up to 10 people. Each box (4-person, 8-person, or premium) is a variation on the standard Thanksgiving staples. Boxes are available for pickup at a Bob Evans location, which are typically in the Midwest, South, or Mid-Atlantic states. From there, it’s a matter of heating the food up once you get it home.
Obviously, this is just a sampling of what’s available out there as alternatives to cooking a whole meal from scratch at home. I can’t vouch for the quality of everything listed here, but if you’re looking to shake up your Thanksgiving routine, one of these options might be a place to start.
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