When special occasions disrupt daily routines, consumer behavior shifts. Thanksgiving food delivery data reveals three key patterns: order volumes drop 33% while basket values rise 10%, timing shifts from evening to morning/midday, and light users emerge for occasion-specific needs. Here's what these holiday delivery trends tell us about how brands can identify and capitalize on shifting consumer patterns.
Traditionally, Thanksgiving is all about home cooking. But that doesn’t mean everyone spends hours over a hot oven during the holiday. OpenTable recently reported that Thanksgiving-day restaurant reservations were up 13% since last year, and plenty of restaurant chains offered carryout and pre-orders for the holiday. With on-demand delivery apps now the norm across categories, do third-party delivery platforms also play a role in Thanksgiving-day eating?
The answer is yes, but not in the way you may expect. Our unique data on in-app food delivery behavior from US consumers shows orders drop on Thanksgiving. But the ordering patterns reveal how the holiday disrupts delivery routines—and what it means for brands.
Thanksgiving Eve is the real surge point. Competitor data shows Wednesday peaks for panic buying, especially in groceries and social categories like alcohol and pizza. Alcohol delivery rises +88%, alongside last-minute grocery orders as consumers fill gaps, reduce prep time, or prepare for informal gatherings. This is preparation behavior, not replacement of the Thanksgiving meal. Brands that focus only on Thursday miss this window, when urgency is highest, price sensitivity is lower, and consumers are actively solving short-term needs ahead of the holiday.
Delivery orders fell 33% on Thanksgiving compared to typical Thursdays in November. But despite lower volume, order values increased 10% from baseline, to $31.78 up from $28.61. 15% of orders were over $50, compared to just 10% on a typical Thursday. This isn't surprising when you consider the context: according to one survey, the average Thanksgiving host expects 9 guests. This isn’t the usual weeknight order for one or two.
Plus, mental accounting is a factor here: Consumers tend to categorize holiday spending as one-time purchases that sit outside the normal budgets, making them less price sensitive. A $50 delivery order that might feel extravagant on a routine evening becomes justified on Thanksgiving.
On a typical Thursday, delivery orders ramp up through the afternoon and peak at dinner time (6-8pm). Thanksgiving flips this: orders peak in late morning and early afternoon, then drop off through the evening. A secondary late-night spike around midnight suggests that delivery isn't necessarily replacing the Thanksgiving meal; it's working around it. New moments appear around the main event: breakfast while cooking, post-turkey late-night snacks. Thanksgiving delivery follows a clear pattern: a morning/midday peak, a dinner-time drop, and a smaller late-night bump.
Chains like Denny's, IHOP, and Dunkin' appeared more prominently (and with higher-than-usual order values) in Thanksgiving orders, consistent with a morning family-breakfast order. While it’s a much smaller share of overall orders, consumers are also more likely to order grocery and retail categories on Thanksgiving—suggesting there may be some panic buying of forgotten ingredients.
Who’s ordering on Thanksgiving? It’s not the usual crowd. Nearly a quarter of Thanksgiving orders (24%) came from customers who hadn’t ordered at all during the previous month. These aren’t habitual delivery users, but light users solving occasion-specific needs, like those mentioned above. Restaurants and delivery services are catering to a different cohort of customers on Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving delivery attracts a different customer profile. Nearly a quarter of orders come from light buyers, users who have not ordered recently and are using delivery to solve a specific need. Their behavior differs from regular delivery users in three ways. What they buy: components and quick solutions such as breakfast items, desserts, drinks, or missing ingredients rather than full meals.
When they buy: earlier in the day, with sharper last-minute spikes driven by urgency rather than routine. What they need: clear menus, reliable fulfillment, fast reordering, and pickup or carryout options that reduce friction. For these users, delivery is a utility, not a habit.
Special occasions disrupt normal behavior, creating time windows where different rules apply. Granular behavioral data reveals those opportunities:
Understanding who's ordering, when, and why helps brands match the moment rather than making assumptions about behavior patterns.
Thanksgiving Eve should focus on preparation needs. Promote alcohol, grocery add-ons, party food, and quick meals, with availability and speed prioritized over discounts. On Thanksgiving Day, shift to support roles, such as breakfast, desserts, drinks, and late-night snacks, rather than full meal replacement.
Thanksgiving is centered on a planned home-cooked meal, which reduces routine dinner ordering. Delivery activity shifts earlier in the day and late at night, indicating that delivery supports the holiday meal instead of replacing it.
Holiday spending is treated differently from everyday budgets. Consumers are less price-sensitive and more willing to place higher-value orders to solve time or hosting problems, especially for group needs or last-minute gaps.
Thanksgiving highlights a repeatable pattern: pre-event preparation surges, day-of support use cases, and different buyer profiles. Brands can apply this framework to other holidays by identifying when preparation peaks, when core behavior drops, and when light buyers enter the market.
