Takeout for Thanksgiving : Caterers Are Grateful for Families Who Defy Tradition

Beverly and Charles Sammut are planning to host an elegant Thanksgiving dinner at their Beverly Hills home without dirtying a pot or pan.

“I don’t have an ego trip regarding cooking,” said Beverly Sammut, who, for the second year, ordered her Thanksgiving meal from the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. “I feel we all enjoy the holidays more when you are not involved in the work.” Sammut, who tells her guests that the hotel chef prepared the feast, said she couldn’t have put together a meal as delicious as the Biltmore’s “if I cooked for three days.”

This season, there appears to be a boom in takeout Thanksgiving dinners, according to caterers and food service professionals.

Rather than buying just a pumpkin pie and dinner rolls at the local bakery, many families are buying the entire turkey dinner. And, with food prices as high as they are, food service industry consultants say it is not that much more expensive to buy the ready-made dinners.

For instance, the Biltmore charges $98 for a 20-pound turkey and all the trimmings, which will easily feed 16 guests, according to Marchele Kowalski, the hotel’s food and beverage coordinator. The dinner is packed in special boxes that go right into the oven for reheating.

Kowalski said many of the 200 people who ordered the dinners this year were repeat customers who were pleased with past Thanksgiving dinners. For customers who preferred not to pick up their dinner at the Tiffany Ballroom, the Biltmore offered delivery service by limousine for an extra $49.

Diminishing Desire to Cook

“Takeout (Thanksgiving) food is popular because so many more people are forming families, having children and staying home,” said Joan M. Lang, executive editor of Restaurant Business, a New York trade publication.

Ronald N. Paul, president of Technomic, a Chicago food service consulting firm, said the market for takeout Thanksgiving food is “absolutely there.”

“Just think of the older couple where the wife doesn’t want to cook,” said Paul. And, he said, a busy two-income, professional couple is also more likely to buy, rather than cook, their holiday dinner.

Around the Southland, caterers and restaurant owners said they were deluged with Thanksgiving orders.

“We are quite busy this year, compared to last year,” said Daryl Trainor, owner of the Village Catering Co. in Larchmont Village. “I’ve been immersed in turkey and pie land.”

This year, she said, her staff prepared and served six catered Thanksgiving dinners, all for repeat customers who booked the service several months in advance. She also prepared a variety of side dishes for 75 to 100 local families.

After roasting 30 turkeys, preparing gallons of corn bread and sausage stuffing, baking scores of pumpkin cheese cakes, pecan pies and pastries at their Day Dreams Country Food Store & Deli, Day and Peggy Garson said they planned to spend Thanksgiving relaxing and eating anything but turkey.

“We are much busier with Thanksgiving this year,” said Peggy Garson, Day’s mother. “Older people don’t want to cook, and younger people don’t have the time.”

Day, who moved her business from Beverly Hills to Larchmont in May, said she can understand why many people don’t want to cook their own Thanksgiving meal.

“It’s lot of work!” said Day as she turned back to a kitchen full of turkeys.

People craving a Thanksgiving meal with a Greek twist turned to Sofi Konstantinidis, owner of Sofi’s restaurant in West Los Angeles. Konstantinidis said she prepared special Greek-style yams embellished with chestnuts and pine nuts to accompany the traditional turkey dinner. She said she expected to double her daily business with eat-in and takeout customers.

For a $5 charge, Phil’s Phresh Fish & Poultry in Larchmont cooked customer’s turkeys in their revolving oven. Counterman Joe Chavez said he expected to sell about 30 turkeys a day during Thanksgiving week.

Last-Minute Orders

Renee and Scott Diamond, owners of 7th Heaven, a gourmet takeout shop in Santa Monica, prepared a full, traditional Thanksgiving meal, including appetizer, main course and dessert, for $20 to $25 per person.

“We do a very special menu for Thanksgiving,” said Renee Diamond. “It’s a very big day for us.”

Diamond said she expected Thanksgiving sales to reach about $10,000, compared to about $3,000 on a normal day.

Jeff Nesemeier, manager of Tony Roma’s in Beverly Hills, offered a takeout Thanksgiving dinner for $7.95 per person that included turkey, sweet or baked potatoes, dressing and pumpkin pie. He said the restaurant traditionally “does real well on it.”

For people seeking takeout turkey dinners at the last minute, many turned to Gelson’s Markets. Gelson’s sold roasted turkey for $3.39 a pound, chestnut stuffing for $4.19 a pound and gingered yam souffle for $4.29 a pound, according to spokeswoman Elise Marks.

Jane Applegate reported from Los Angeles and Keith Bradsher reported from New York.