Thanksgiving Survey – What Americans are Really Serving This Year

Want to know what Americans are serving for Thanksgiving? We surveyed 2,000 Americans and found that a whopping 65 percent would like an alternative to turkey on the table this year. So what are families serving for Thanksgiving?

The most popular alternatives to turkey are ham, chicken, and roast beef, but some will also be serving seafood and steak.

Top 5 Alternatives to Turkey on Thanksgiving:

Ham 60%
Chicken 41%
Roast beef 37%
Seafood 29%
Steak 26%

This survey also revealed that nearly half (44 percent) of Thanksgiving hosts will be serving a new main dish year. Shocking, we know!

“This survey confirms what we at Omaha Steaks have known for years,” said Omaha Steaks Senior Vice President and Family Owner of Todd Simon. “While most Americans have a tradition of serving turkey on Thanksgiving, spiral sliced hams and roasts are also popular main dishes for the holidays and other special occasions. We continue to see increasing popularity in these items every year.”

We also discovered that on an occasion that expects near perfection, the average Thanksgiving dinner only goes 64 percent as planned. So what usually goes wrong? The biggest “Thanksgiving fail” is not having all the food cooked on time — with 41 percent of Americans saying they’ve been left hungry and waiting at dinner.

There’s nothing much worse on Thanksgiving than screwing up the turkey, but it’s easy to do. In fact, it’s the second most common “fail,” with one in four Americans (26 percent) having dealt with an overcooked turkey in the past. Luckily, our whole turkeys are pre-brined and come with a roasting bag and pop-up time, so your turkey is perfect and juicy every time.

Not having enough seating rounds out the top three “Thanksgiving fails” (26 percent), with completely forgetting the cranberry sauce following close behind (23 percent). Running out of wine and food also landed on this list.

Top 10 Most Common “Thanksgiving Fails”:

Not all of the cooking done on time 41%
Turkey overcooked 26%
Not enough seating 26%
Forgot the cranberry sauce 23%
Spilled a dish on the floor 22%
Ran out of gravy 20%
Turkey undercooked 18%
Food is cold by the time it’s served 17%
Not enough food 16%
Ran out of wine 16%

“With our complete meals, we’ve taken all the stress out of having to spend hours shopping and preparing your holiday dinner,” continued Simon. “Each meal arrives ready to cook and includes a main dish, side dishes, and dessert. You’ll no longer spend your holidays in the kitchen, you’ll be enjoying that time celebrating with your friends and family in the true spirit of the holidays.”

Leave a comment and share what you plan to serve this Thanksgiving or share one of your “Thanksgiving Fails.”