Not cooking? Dine in or carry out from local restaurants on Thanksgiving

JACKSON, Tenn. — Spend less time in the kitchen and more time with your family this Thanksgiving. Many people choose to let someone else do the cooking.

Workers smoked turkeys Tuesday at Paul Latham’s Meat Company in Jackson. Pat Patrick said they are busy filling last-minute orders. “Some order just turkey,” she said. “Some order turkey, dressing, sweet potato casserole, green beans, rolls, desserts.”

Owner Paul Latham said they will smoke about 1,000 turkeys. “People like to be with their family and they do not like to cook at home anymore,” he said.

Options are limited, but several restaurants will be open Thanksgiving. Cracker Barrel opens at 6 a.m. Thursday and closes at 10 p.m. “We start serving the Thanksgiving lunch at 11 o’clock,” Cracker Barrel Retail Manger Vickie Whittington said.

Whittington said Thanksgiving is Cracker Barrel’s busiest day of the year. She said they serve about 1.5 million people company-wide on Thanksgiving. “You’ve got more time with your family and friends to celebrate,” she said.

Denny’s will be open around the clock through the holidays. “We’ve got pumpkin pie,” Denny’s District Manager John Cochran said. “We’ve got pecan pie and then we have turkey dinner.”

Paul Latham’s Meat Company is closed Thanksgiving, but Patrick said they will take orders through Wednesday. “As long as we have it, we will be glad to sell it, so they can call anytime tomorrow,” Patrick said.

Local restaurants open on Thanksgiving include:

Brooksie’s Barn 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Cracker Barrel 6 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Waffle House open 24/7
TGI Friday’s 4 p.m. – 10 p.m.
IHOP open 24/7
Denny’s open 24/7