All The Restaurants Open for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is upon us, the holiday in which we take a moment to pause and be thankful for the important things in our lives. It’s a holiday that is traditionally marked with a big meal as an opportunity to come together with family and friends in order to share that gratitude and reconnect. However, not everyone is up for cooking a large feast for Thanksgiving. There are countless reasons why spending a day (or more) cooking a large meal just isn’t in the cards for everyone on Thanksgiving which means that there are those who will be looking for a place to enjoy a meal out for the holiday.

Fortunately for those who aren’t going to be spending their time in a kitchen, there are plenty of restaurants and chains that are open for Thanksgiving and many of them even offer traditional Thanksgiving fare such as turkey and all the trimmings. Other establishments may not offer traditional holiday foods but are open just the same to provide a dining alternative for those looking to celebrate a bit different. To help those people, we’ve put together a list of various national chains and restaurants that will be open for Thanksgiving. It’s by no means a fully exhaustive list, but it’s a pretty good representation of places you can get a bite to eat. We’ve also included an specific information about hours or other restrictions where applicable, but if you are planning to pay any of these establishments a visit on Thanksgiving, we encourage you to give the location you’re intending to visit a call just to double check — some locations may have their own, regional-specific hours or offerings.

Fast Food

Looking to pick up something quick? Craving a burger and fries? Wanting to try out that ever-popular Popeyes Chicken Sandwich and just haven’t yet had a chance? Here are the fast food establishments we’ve found are set to be open on Thanksgiving.

Burger King
McDonalds
Popeyes
Sonic
Subway
Wendy’s
White CastleKFC
Jack in the Box
Steak ‘n Shake

Coffee and Doughnuts

Even if you’re planning to have a traditional Thanksgiving meal with family, you might need to caffinate in order to get through it and if that’s the case, you’re in luck! Both Starbucks and Dunkin’ are open on Thanksgiving Day but in the case of Starbucks, make sure you double check the hours. The coffee giant frequently has different hours on holidays.

Other options which will see select locations open only are Krispy Kreme and Peet’s Coffee.

Buffets

Looking for a little all-you-can-eat for Thanksgiving that doesn’t require you to do dishes? There are several buffet restaurants that will be open on the holiday!

Ryan’s
Sizzler
Old Country Buffet
HomeTown Buffet
Country Buffet
Golden Corral

Pizza

Yes, you can get pizza on Thanksgiving. It may be worth checking about delivery options, though.

Little Caesers

Domino’s

Papa John’s

Pizza Hut

Other restaurants

Perkins Restaurant & Bakery

Buca Di Beppo

Fogo de Chao

Red Lobster

Qdoba

Denny’s

Buffalo Wild Wings

Waffle House — the iconic eatery literally never closes. 

Other restaurants continued

Applebees — make sure you call on this one. Not all locations will be open for the holiday as the decision of whether to open or not is left up to individual franchisees.

Bob Evans — offering a special menu and only open until 8 p.m.

Boston Market — call before going. Some locations are open only for catering orders on Thanksgiving.

Carrabba’s Italian Grill: — only open between 9 a.m. and noon for pick up orders.

Romano’s Macaroni Grill — 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Hard Rock Cafe — will have a special menu for the holiday

IHOP — check your local restaurant before going