GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan — Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and new three-week epidemic order has effectively changed the Thanksgiving plans of Michigander's who were planning to eat out at local restaurants.
While the change of plans is a downer for some, local caterers are seeing spikes they weren't expecting in their orders
"Last year was the first time we had a thanksgiving promotion and we had 16 orders, now we have over 100," said Martha's Catering Chef Tony Nevarez. "We expected to double last years because of the pandemic, and about three weeks ago we had about 20 orders, maybe less, but in the last week and a half it really took off."
When asked what he thought sparked this change, Nevarez said, "Especially when the governor's announcement hit it just propelled it, like, exponentially."
Martha's original Thanksgiving order deadline was Friday, Nov. 20, but due to the sudden influx, the deadline was moved up to Tuesday, Nov. 17 instead.
Nevarez told us they value the quality of the meal over the quantity and want to ensure that each order gets the attention it deserves to make the holiday special and to keep customers coming back. They have already secured their turkey's from Otto's Turkey farm.
Another local restaurant, Pit Stop BBQ, is keeping their Friday deadline even though they are now having to use another vendor due to the demand for meals.
"I'll figure out the way to do it, I have a few suppliers that I trust so if I run out of my main ones, I know some good back ups and if I have to drive to Indiana on Monday morning to fill orders, I'll do it," said the owner, Matt Smith.
He has been selling Thanksgiving-to-go meals since the shop opened in 2015.
Smith said his wife Sue told him to sell smaller portions this year and that has made all the difference.
"I always want to see giant amounts of things and she said we need to dial it back a little bit. So instead of buying enough for fifteen they can order for 2,3,4,5,6 and I haven't been a fan of doing that in the past, but boy was I wrong this year so luckily my wife talked some sense into me," Smith said.
To learn about more holiday to-go meals, here is a link to the list that KIDSGR put together.
Some of the deadlines have already passed and due to mass orders some places have stopped taking orders even before their deadlines. Most vendors stop taking orders on Friday, Nov. 20 at noon.
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