During the height of the pandemic, catering companies came to the rescue, providing meals for families whose traditions were upended. This year, one locally owned restaurant tells us business is even better now that people are back at the dinner table.
Smokey John’s BBQ in Dallas was one of several North Texas caterers that stepped up when family gatherings were canceled.
“So last year we were having the small, intimate gatherings,” said co-owner, Brent Reaves. “Meals for four, meals for six.”
This year, even with vaccines and people reuniting, Thanksgiving to-go orders are still in demand.
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Both Juan Reaves and Brent Reaves, co-owners of Smokey John’s, said sales are up 40% over this time last year.
“We’re setting records. We have two size family meals, but we’re setting records for the small and large family meals,” said Juan Reaves. “We’ve never sold this many on the holiday.”
They have somewhat of an idea why catering is still in such high demand. Their guess isn’t scientific, but they believe it has something to do with families maximizing time together this year.
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“Maybe they just want to enjoy that time with their families, so they don’t want to do all the work,” Juan said.
The demand was so high, they stopped online orders for Thanksgiving meals two days earlier than planned.
