Partial list of restaurants open and serving a special Thanksgiving meal:
Applebee’s
Multiple locations
11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Asian Buffet
6310 S. Gilmore Rd., Fairfield
(513) 275-1102
Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Barn-n-Bunk Farm Market
3677 Wayne-Madison Road, Trenton
(513) 988-9211
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Bob Evans Restaurants
Multiple area locations
8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Coach House Tavern and Grill
120 Berkley Dr., Hamilton
(513) 856-7899
Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Cracker Barrel
Multiple locations
Hours: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Dad’s Family Restaurant
3131 S. Main St., Middletown
(513) 423-0022
Hours: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Golden Corral
Multiple area locations
Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The Golden Lamb
27 S. Broadway St., Lebanon
(513) 932-5065
11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Houston Inn
4026 U.S. Route 42, Lebanon
(513) 398-7377
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Lone Star Steakhouse
Middletown and Mason locations
Hours: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Max & Erma’s
Multiple area locations
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. (hours may vary)
Millville Restaurant
1198 Millville-Ross Rd., Hamilton
(513) 863-4644
Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Symmes Tavern on the Green
500 Wessel Dr., Fairfield
(513) 829-8440
Hours: 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.
Twin Dragon Buffet
7763 Tylersville Rd., West Chester Twp.
(513) 759-9777
Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Walt’s Barbeque
Colerain Twp. and Hamilton locations
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
*This partial list does not include the dozens of sports bars and pubs in the region that open Thursday afternoon and will be open for their regular hours and serving their regular menu Thursday night. The list also doesn’t include a handful of eateries that told us Friday they are already sold out and are not accepting any more reservations.
Several local restaurants are following the example of big-box and department-store retailers and expanding their Thanksgiving Day hours to accommodate hungry shoppers as well as those who don’t want to cook at home on the holiday.
Research from the National Restaurant Association has suggested that at least 33 million Americans rely on restaurants for all or part of their Thanksgiving meals, and at least 46 million Americans are expected to dine out while shopping on Thanksgiving Day or Black Friday.
Multiple restaurants in southwest Ohio, both chains and independently owned eateries, are gearing up to help their customers celebrate the holiday with less mess and little or no cleanup.
Walt’s Barbeque in Colerain Twp. and Hamilton will be offering a Thanksgiving buffet for the first time this year, said manager Cindy Sechrist.
“Everybody needs a little TLC on Thanksgiving,” she said.
The full traditional buffet will include smoked meats, sweet potato casserole and three types of pie, and costs $19.95 for adults, $8.95 for children, and $13.50 for takeout. Walt’s can also cater for dinner at home.
The Coach House Tavern at Berkeley Square is open for a traditional lunchtime buffet, said hostess Miranda Hoffman.
“It’s harder (for our residents) to get out in the colder weather, so families come celebrate with their relatives here,” she said.
Some restaurants that accept reservations are filling up fast, or have filled slots in the most popular times. Even for those restaurants not taking reservations, it’s a good idea to call the restaurant first, to avoid disappointment.
Asian Buffet in Fairfield is one of several area Chinese buffets open on Thanksgiving Day, and will be serving a turkey dinner special for $12.99 per person.
“Some people don’t have a place to eat, so we are always open,” said manager Rose Chan.
The restaurant association’s consumer survey, conducted last November, suggested that 15 million Americans planned to visit a restaurant for a Thanksgiving meal, an additional 14 million planned to order parts of their Thanksgiving meal from a restaurant to be eaten at their home or someone else’s home, and 4 million planned to order a full takeout Thanksgiving meal from a restaurant. Restaurant association officials said earlier this week they don’t expect those numbers to change substantially this year.
But those numbers may shift somewhat because of the changing retail landscape on the holiday itself, with an unprecedented number of retailers moving their opening times from Black Friday to Thanksgiving Day, and opening earlier in the day than ever before.
Several chain restaurants that have multiple locations throughout southwest Ohio will be open Thursday, including Applebee’s, Cracker Barrel, Golden Corral and Max & Erma’s. Bob Evans Restaurants, which opened last year on Thanksgiving Day for the first time, said demand was so strong that the Columbus-based chain decided to stay open six hours later than last year, until 8 p.m.
The list accompanying this story doesn’t include the dozens of sports bars and pubs in the region that open Thursday afternoon and will be open for their regular hours and serving their regular menu Thursday night. The list also doesn’t include a handful of eateries such as the Golden Jersey Inn and Yankee Trace Golf Club’s restaurant that are already sold out and not accepting any more reservations.
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