While many of us celebrate Thanksgiving at home surrounded by family and friends, the joy of eating out cannot be denied. Heaven is someone else stressing over the turkey, preparing the roster of sides that accommodate all dietary needs, and then sticking around to clean up and do all the dishes.
But going out on Thanksgiving also means that all those folks cooking in restaurant kitchens and working the dining room are giving up their holidays to make yours flawless and festive. Good manners and generous tipping should be standard practice at a restaurant any night of the week, but diners need to be extra mindful of their etiquette and gratitude on Thanksgiving. We spoke to chefs, restaurateurs, and hospitality consultants to share best practices to follow if your Thanksgiving dining room is a restaurant.
“Whether you’re hosting dinner at a small mom-and-pop restaurant or a big hotel, it’s really important to talk about the menu with your guests well before you show up for dinner,” suggests Nicholas Bathurst, director of food & beverage at the newly reopened Waldorf Astoria in New York City.
Waldorf’s chef Michael Anthony will serve a classic American Thanksgiving feast of butternut squash soup with cider-pickled apples, roast turkey with gravy and cranberry relish, a sage, mushroom stuffing, and a parade of desserts including apple crostata, chocolate cake, and pear panna cotta. Given that many restaurants run special holiday menus, they may not be able to easily switch out a dish without prior notice. “Customization and ordering off menu might not be the same as it would be on a normal day,” Bathurst says. He advises that guests get a sense of the menu beforehand and communicate any special requests such as allergies, dietary restrictions, or preferences with the restaurant in advance.
Thanksgiving is an all-day endeavor that lasts from lunch into dinner service. Restaurants take meticulous care to pace reservations so guests have ample time to leisurely enjoy their dinner. “If someone does not adhere to reservation time or we have a latecomer, that table will delay guests down the line,” Bathurst says. “There’s a domino effect. It’s very important to show up on time for reservations.” Bathurst notes that if you are running late for any reason, let the restaurant know. (If the restaurant doesn’t have a phone number listed, contact them through the messaging function on the reservation app.)
“Don't cancel last minute or no-show on Thanksgiving,” says chef Aaron Bludorn of Perseid in Houston, a Bon Appétit 2025 Best New Restaurant. He is serving a three-course Thanksgiving menu featuring choices like a duck terrine of foie gras with fig jam and a biscuit, turkey roulade with stuffing, brussels sprouts, gravy, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie with miso caramel and spiced Chantilly cream. “It is nearly impossible to add a last-minute reservation or a walk-in on Thanksgiving, so don’t play it like a Friday night reservation where you make three and pick the best one at the last minute. We won’t be able to make up that revenue, and the staff that’s working and giving up their holiday to be there for you will make less in tips too.”
The Waldorf’s Bathurst agrees. “We understand things happen and unexpected circumstances arise, but canceling the day of will mean we cannot fill that seat, so the team will lose revenue. Please cancel well in advance of the day of, so the restaurant can resell that table.”
Bringing kids and need a highchair? Have a guest who uses a wheelchair? Let the restaurant know in advance so they can make sure to accommodate. “Keep in mind that it is really difficult to turn things around on a dime when we are in the middle of serving 200 people Thanksgiving dinner,” says John Winterman, a partner at the Michelin-starred Francie in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where guests reserve weeks in advance for chef Chris Cipollone’s crown of duck. “We have a limited number of high chairs, knowing whether you will have a stroller or a wheelchair will also help us with our seating plan. Giving us advance notice of a serious allergy will also be helpful.” Winterman says letting the restaurant know if you have a change in party size is also crucially important. “Changing party size from six to four, or having a table for two show up with a third? That makes it more difficult for us to manage. We aren’t always able to accommodate the last-minute change.”
All of our experts pointed out that restaurant teams are working extra-long shifts on Thanksgiving, often more than 10 hours, and recommended tipping extra generously. “The tipping should go hand in hand with acknowledgment that it is a holiday, and we have a much longer day for staff, many of whom are spending their day working and not home with their own families and friends,” Winterman says.
Beyond tipping well, Bathurst says it’s nice to connect on a more human level. “Don’t be afraid to thank your server for taking care of you,” he says. “Maybe you leave a handwritten note on the table, or even put a smiley face on the check. An act of kindness to the service team member goes a long way.”
Staff are working a longer shift than usual on Thanksgiving, often starting as early as 11 a.m. and well past 10 p.m. in one go, explains Kate Edwards, founder of Kate Edwards & Company, a restaurant consultant since 2007 and a former maître d’ at Balthazar and Per Se. Most teams have a nice meal before service but keep in mind that there is a lot of work to do on special holidays, with both front and back of the house often having to learn to execute and serve an entirely new menu. “This is a huge switch from what most teams are used to,” she says. “Servers have to memorize new pairings and new sequence of service, and the kitchen has to learn a completely different menu, too, which can be stressful for the team. Be a little more patient than usual.”