SEATTLE — Instead of spending hours in the kitchen, some people will be turning to take out for their Thanksgiving dinners.
It’s good news for restaurants who keep their doors open like Olympic Pizza and Spaghetti House in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood.
The shop’s owner, Laiq Muhammad, planned on prepping 150 pizzas for anyone looking to ditch the turkey on Thanksgiving.
“Sometimes they miss their flights, sometimes their parents are here and they wanna eat here,” he said.
Muhammad told KIRO 7 he’s keeping his dining room open for those who can’t make it home for the holidays.
“We get to chat with them, make them feel comfortable and then enjoy. Make their special day, whatever they want to spend with us,” Muhammad said.
That same kind of comfort can also come from a box of Chinese takeout.
“We’re just prepping extra,” said Yen Ma, Manager of Gan Bei.
Ma says they’ll also be open Thanksgiving, like many other restaurants in the Chinatown Internation District that don’t close for the holiday.
“I think we’re just hard workers,” Ma added. “We know how hard it is to make it in this country.”
She says they keep this tradition going for those who may not have one.
“Like a family for folks, who are you know away, from their family that might be in a different state or it’s just like a homey here,” Ma added.
A survey from Popmenu finds that more people are leaving the cooking to the pros.
Out of 1,000 people surveyed, they determined 37% are ordering takeout for Thanksgiving. It comes out to a 32% increase from last year.