While people across the nation are gearing up to cook the family fiesta known as the Thanksgiving meal, a growing number of Baton Rouge restaurants are offering to host those gatherings.
Nearly 9% of adults plan to eat at a restaurant this Thanksgiving, according to the National Restaurant Association; of those, 31% say they’ll go to the same restaurant they traditionally go to for the holiday.
Scott Callais, general manager and director of operations for Juban’s Creole Restaurant in Acadian Perkins Plaza Shopping Center, says the restaurant had over 400 reservations as of Friday afternoon for Thanksgiving. He estimates the restaurant will be ready to serve up to 600 people on Thursday with over 50 cooked turkeys.
Juban’s started offering Thanksgiving meals about six years ago, Callais estimates, because there was a demand for it and the restaurant has seen more people come in each year.
“It gets bigger every year. People are working and people want to spend more time with family than in the kitchen,” Callais says.
The restaurant is offering a condensed version of their menu alongside a Thanksgiving-themed three-course prix fixe featuring slow-roasted turkey with sausage and herb stuffing as the entree. He estimates about 60% of customers will go the prix fixe option.
To prevent the restaurant staff from becoming overwhelmed, the eatery will serve people in rotations from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Adrian’s Restaurant and Bar at Highland Park Marketplace—part of the Juban Family Restaurant Group—is expecting 400 reservations.
On Corporate Boulevard, Mansurs on the Boulevard has been fully booked with reservations for the holiday for over a week, according to co-owner Brandon McDonald, and is already fully booked for Christmas Eve. The restaurant, which is offering a condensed version of its dinner menu, has remained open for the holidays since the eatery was founded nearly 30 years ago, according to McDonald.
“It’s a family tradition (for Baton Rouge families) to come have Thanksgiving at Mansurs,” says McDonald.
