Top 5 Thanksgiving Foods Your Restaurant Must Offer [2025 Edition]

Thanksgiving used to belong mostly to grandma’s dining room table. Not anymore.

Every year, more guests choose to skip the cooking and book a table, or order a full Thanksgiving feast from their favorite restaurant. That’s a huge opportunity if your menu hits the right notes: classic, comforting, easy to execute, and profitable.

The good news? You don’t need a 30-item holiday menu to win.
If you get these 5 Thanksgiving foods right, you’ll cover guest expectations, dietary variety, and margin, whether you’re doing dine-in, takeout, or catering.

And with the right POS behind you, these dishes become even more powerful: pre-orders are smoother, upsells are easier, and your kitchen stays sane on the busiest week of the year.

Let’s dig in.

Must Read: How to Create Holiday Menu Combos That Boost Profit [POS-Ready Ideas]

1. A Showstopper Roast Turkey (with Smart Alternatives)

If there’s one thing guests expect on a Thanksgiving restaurant menu, it’s turkey. Nearly every “classic Thanksgiving menu” in food media and grocery chains treats roast turkey as the centerpiece.

What to offer

• Signature roast turkey
  
  • Herb-butter roasted turkey breast or carved dark-and-white-meat platters
  • Optional gravy, cranberry sauce, and stuffing on the same plate
    
• At least one alternative main for non-turkey guests:
  
  • Herb-crusted salmon or trout
  • Mushroom Wellington or stuffed squash for vegetarians
  • Glazed ham or braised short rib for red-meat lovers

Why it’s a “must have”

• It’s the emotional symbol of Thanksgiving — leaving it off your menu will feel “wrong” to many guests.
• Turkey is perfect for prix fixe menus. A pre-set plate lets you control portions, food cost, and ticket times.
• Alternative mains let you say “Yes” to a wider range of diners without adding 10 more dishes.

How your POS should support it

• Create a Thanksgiving prix fixe combo:
  “Roast Turkey Plate” with pre-set sides, dessert, and optional wine pairing.
• Use modifiers to streamline choices:
  
  • Dark/white meat
  • Extra gravy
  • Gluten-free stuffing substitute
• Offer pre-order and time-slot selection for takeout/catering turkeys, so your kitchen isn’t hit by a 4pm surge all at once.

2. Comfort-First Stuffing (The Side People Secretly Care About Most)

Recent polls show that more guests are team-side-dishes than team-turkey — and stuffing (or dressing) is often their #1 favorite.

What to offer

• Classic bread stuffing/dressing
  
  • Celery, onions, herbs (sage, thyme, rosemary), turkey drippings or veg stock
    
• One chef’s twist:
  
  • Sausage and apple stuffing
  • Cornbread and chorizo
  • Wild mushroom and leek, etc.

Why it’s a “must have”

• Stuffing is a non-negotiable comfort side for most guests. It’s what makes a plate feel truly “Thanksgiving.”
• It uses low-cost base ingredients (bread, stock, aromatics) yet can carry strong margins, especially on prix fixe menus.
• It’s batch-friendly and holds well in warmers, making it a line cook’s best friend.

How your POS should support it

• Add stuffing as:
  
  • A default side on turkey plates
  • A premium add-on for burgers, sandwiches, or Thanksgiving brunch items
    
• Use item-level reporting to:
  
  • Track which stuffing variation sells best
  • Decide what to keep for Christmas or winter menus
    
• For online ordering, show clear photos and mouth-watering descriptors so guests add it to their carts without thinking twice.

3. Ultra-Creamy Mashed Potatoes (or a Potato Dish That Owns the Plate)

From traditional menus to supermarket bundles, mashed potatoes appear everywhere at Thanksgiving.

What to offer

You don’t have to reinvent potatoes, but you do want your own signature:

• Classic buttery mashed potatoes
• Or a slight upgrade:
  
  • Garlic mashed potatoes
  • Brown-butter mashed potatoes
  • Potato gratin/dauphinoise
  • Sweet potato mash or casserole

Why it’s a “must have”

• It’s the comfort anchor of the plate — especially useful if your turkey is lean or your sides are more modern.
• Potatoes are:
  
  • Cheap
  • Easy to batch prep
  • Flexible across dishes (Thanksgiving plate, shepherd’s pie special, brunch hash, etc.)
• They’re also perfect for gravy upsells (“Make it loaded: +$X”).

How your POS should support it

• Set up:
  
  • A base “Mashed Potatoes” item
  • Upsell modifiers like “Loaded with cheese & bacon,” “Truffle oil drizzle,” or “Extra gravy.”
• In online ordering and tableside ordering:
  
  • Surface potatoes as a default side option but visually highlight upgrades at the decision point.
• Use ingredient-level inventory tracking (if supported) to:
  
  • Monitor usage of potatoes, cream, and butter
  • Avoid running out mid-service.

4. A Bright, Seasonal Vegetable Star (Green Beans, Brussels, or Roasted Roots)

Traditional Thanksgiving spreads can be a wall of beige. A standout vegetable dish adds color, freshness, and a nod to lighter eating — which health-conscious and plant-based diners will appreciate.

Green bean casserole and roasted veggies consistently appear in “classic menu” and side-dish roundups.

What to offer

Pick one or two veg showpieces:

• Green bean casserole (classic or modernized)
• Roasted Brussels sprouts with maple and pecans
• Roasted root vegetables (carrots, parsnips, beets, squash)
• A shaved Brussels or kale salad for something fresher and bright

Why it’s a “must have”

• It balances all the rich, heavy items on the plate.
• It’s your best chance to:
  
  • Showcase seasonal produce
  • Signal that you care about vegetarians, vegans, and lighter eaters
• Veg sides can be portion-controlled margin drivers — they’re relatively low food cost with strong perceived value.

How your POS should support it

• Make one vegetable side:
  
  • Included in prix fixe
  • Plus available as a shareable add-on (ideal for larger parties)
• Tag veg items as:
  
  • V (vegan), GF (gluten free), etc., in your POS so these icons automatically show on menus and online ordering.
• Use menu-level reporting after the holiday to:
  
  • See whether guests preferred creamy casseroles or lighter roasted veg
  • Plan your winter menu and Christmas offerings accordingly.

5. An Iconic Fall Dessert (Pumpkin Pie & Friends)

Grocery chains, magazines, and restaurant specials all agree: pumpkin pie is still the dessert icon of Thanksgiving, often joined by pecan or apple options.

What to offer

• Pumpkin pie as your default hero:
  
  • Classic pumpkin pie with whipped cream
  • Or a twist (pumpkin cheesecake, bourbon pumpkin pie, pumpkin crème brûlée)
• One or two complementary options:
  
  • Pecan pie
  • Apple crumble or cobbler
  • Gluten-free/vegan dessert option

Why it’s a “must have”

• Diners expect a proper Thanksgiving dessert, not just “any cake.”
• Desserts are:
  
  • Easy to batch prep the night before
  • Excellent margin drivers when bundled into a prix fixe or upsold.
• A strong dessert program gives guests a reason to linger longer (and order coffee, dessert wines, or digestifs).

How your POS should support it

• Configure:
  
  • A Thanksgiving dessert trio sampler
  • Or a “Dessert add-on” upsell that your staff and online ordering flow can push on every check.
• Use your POS email/SMS or CRM integrations to:
  
  • Promote pre-order whole pies for pickup on Thanksgiving week
  • Send reminders to guests who ordered last year.

Pulling It Together: Your “Minimalist” Thanksgiving Menu Structure

With these five elements, you can design a lean but complete Thanksgiving restaurant menu:

1. Main
   
   • Roast turkey (and one alternative protein or vegetarian main)
2. Key sides
   
   • Stuffing
   • Potato dish
   • Seasonal vegetable
3. Dessert
   
   • Pumpkin pie (plus one or two other options)

From there, you can:

• Build a prix fixe dinner:
  Starter + turkey or alt main + 2 sides + dessert.
• Offer a takeout Thanksgiving bundle:
  “Feeds 4” or “Feeds 8,” using the same core components.
• Spin off brunch or lunch specials using the same ingredients to keep food cost under control.

Your POS is what keeps all of this manageable: separate holiday menus, clear time slots, automatic kitchen tickets, inventory visibility, and data you can use next year.

Turn Your Thanksgiving Menu Into a Revenue Engine

Designing a great Thanksgiving menu is only half the job.
Making sure every pre-order, modifier, and last-minute walk-in flows smoothly through your system — that’s where the real magic happens.

Also Read: Is your POS ready for the holiday rush? A step-by-step guide to prepare your restaurant for the holidays

Want to see how OneHubPOS can help you:

• Build and price your Thanksgiving prix fixe menu
• Manage dine-in, takeout, and catering orders in one place
• Track which dishes your guests love most and carry that data into Christmas and beyond?

👉 Stop guessing and start profiting. Book your free 30-minute demo today to know more.