When catering Thanksgiving, it’s best to order Thanksgiving dinner online. Any family style dining occasion can be difficult to plan and host. From locating seasonal ingredients to determining a delicious turkey wine pairing, many consumers opt for Thanksgiving dinner catering options. 

This means that every restaurant business has the opportunity to make the most of the holiday season. Creating bundles that feature main courses and side dishes is a great way to surpass competitors. Add holiday drinks by the gallon to your Thanksgiving catering menu, and you’re golden. 

Now, let’s discuss how exactly you can offer such a profitable and convenient service to customers who order Thanksgiving dinner online! See below:

Let Customers Order Thanksgiving Dinner Online In 7 Steps

The ability to order Thanksgiving dinner online is a huge value proposition for restaurant brands. For one, it allows restaurants to maximize profits by selling dishes beyond the brick and mortar business. Meanwhile, people who have massive gatherings or have limited cooking space don’t have to endure extra holiday stress. It’s a win-win for everyone, and certainly something you should offer during this time of year. 

Ready to let customers order Thanksgiving dinner online? Make it an easy process by following the steps below:

1. Launch An Online Ordering System

Let customers order Thanksgiving dinner via food delivery apps. Marketplace order insertion for holiday dinners can work just the same as they do for regular deliveries. If your restaurant is promoting Thanksgiving dinners online, it’s a good idea to have a digital storefront built into your website. Plus, Google food ordering is essential, especially if you conduct restaurant SEO efforts.

2. Create Bundles Instead of Menu Types

When restaurants provide customers with a menu to choose from, catering orders can get out of hand. From varying items to entirely different quantities, it can make mass cooking extremely difficult. To combat this stressor, simply create bundles that guests can order. Each one can have a variety of sides, dessert menu items, and more. You can even change things up a bit and allow customers to choose a turkey or a ham.

3. Set An Order Deadline

Thanksgiving dinner comprises many components that need to be made in separate steps. From roasting the turkey to baking the pies, all of it can’t be made under a time restriction. So, set a deadline for customers to order Thanksgiving dinner online. Doing so will give the restaurant enough time to prepare. Plus, it will also create a sense of urgency–a foolproof restaurant marketing tactic.

4. Require a Delivery or Pickup Method Confirmation

Will the customers who order Thanksgiving dinner online be picking up their dishes? Or will the staff be delivering it to them? These are the questions that you need to ask sooner than later. Thanksgiving dinners are the kinds of meals where you might need to prepare certain items a day or so in advance. So, it’s important for customers to retrieve orders on time, without there being a chance that they’ll experience food spoilage. The best way to do this is to require a date and time for pickup or delivery.

5. Offer Various Payment Processing Methods During the Ordering Process

It would be best for customers to pay for their bundle when they order Thanksgiving dinner online. This way, there’s no transaction at the time of pickup or delivery. But more importantly, the restaurant will not get scammed out of preparing a ton of dishes without compensation in the end. Thanksgiving dinners call for an enormous amount of ingredients, time, and effort. This means that restaurants could experience major financial losses if there are no-shows or customers unable to pay for their order.

6. Send Restaurant Email List Subscribers a Discount Code

Reward your most loyal customers by sending them discounts during the holiday season. When it comes to meal prepping, Thanksgiving is one of the most expensive holidays. So, many people who order Thanksgiving dinner online are already looking for great deals. So, here’s your opportunity to remind your customer base that you offer Thanksgiving dinner catering. But more importantly, you're reminding them that they can save money with your bundles.

7. Prepare for a Super Busy Week

The holiday season is a time when food service workers experience an overwhelming sense of work overload. If you’re going to let people order Thanksgiving dinner online, it would be a smart move to hire seasonal staff members. We recommend hiring more kitchen staff than anything else. Plus, the extra labor will come in handy throughout December. From family dinners to corporate events, an understaffed restaurant can lead to inadequate productivity and quality.

How Can Caterers for Thanksgiving Prepare?

There are many necessities for a catered Thanksgiving dinner. Without them, it can be a major challenge for restaurant staff to prepare. As a result, the customer experience may not meet your standard. Before allowing customers to order Thanksgiving dinner online, ensure that you acquire the following tools and software:

• Ample storage space for dishes and ingredients prepped in advance. 
• Functional restaurant equipment to prepare massive amounts of food. 
• Up to date hospitality software for the online ordering processes. 
• Enough staff members to manage and prepare Thanksgiving catering orders. 
• A streamlined day of delivery or pickup process for customers and the staff.

Frequently Asked Questions About How to Order Thanksgiving Dinner Online

When you allow customers to order Thanksgiving dinner online, there’s so much to prepare. Though it can result in a busy week, it can be an extremely lucrative decision. So, breeze through the following FAQ section for more details on the topic of Thanksgiving dinner!

What Is the Best Order to Cook Thanksgiving Dinner?

Once you have everything in order for Thanksgiving, the best order to prepare dinner is as follows:

• Defrost any items, such as bread and dinner rolls. 
• Place wine and beer in their own ice buckets. 
• Either stuff the turkey or get it ready to cook on the side. 
• Begin roasting the turkey based on the desired timeline. 
• While the turkey is in the oven, prepare the side dishes. 
• While making the sides, prepare the gravy. 
• Remove the turkey and let it sit in foil for about an hour. 
• Set the dinner table with dishware and glassware if it's not already.
• Reheat anything that needs it and enjoy your Thanksgiving feast!

Can You Buy a Cooked Turkey for Thanksgiving DInner?

 Yes, you can buy a precooked Turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. Many grocery stores provide this option as it gets close to the holiday. Not only is it super convenient, but it will save dinner hosts a substantial amount of time.

Does Kroger Have Prepared Thanksgiving Dinners?

Yes, Kroger sells meal bundles that include everything you need already prepared for Thanksgiving dinner. Plus, they have such a variety of bundles, that even families that enjoy prime rib or ham can get these options instead. With the meat, these bundles come with a variety of side dishes, from potatoes to gravy.

What Is the Best Brand of Turkey to Buy?

Several of the best brands of Turkey to buy for Thanksgiving dinner are:

• Butterball
• Harry and David 
• Simple Truth 
• Willie Bird 
• Porter Road
• D’Artagnan
• Fossil Farms

Is It Better to Buy a Fresh or Frozen Turkey?

Whether it's better to buy a fresh or frozen turkey is dependent on your situation. For instance, if you're cooking Thanksgiving dinner in a time crunch, a fresh Turkey will deliver a much quicker turnaround time. But if you have a lot of time to prepare, a frozen turkey will work just fine.

Pickup or Delivery?

You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much your restaurant thrives when you let customers order Thanksgiving dinner online. From large payments to raving customer reviews, there are many advantages. Use this blog post as a guide when crafting your Thanksgiving catering plan, and you’ll be set.