To dine out or stay home on Thanksgiving? We asked chefs and here's what they said

To eat out or not to eat out — on Thanksgiving?

That is the question many of us will be asking now that the holiday is almost upon us.

The answer isn't as clear, as say, eating out on Valentine's Day or Mother's Day, the two busiest days of the year for restaurants, when restaurants are crowded, service is rushed or downright bad, prices are jacked up and the food, thanks to a stressed and rushed kitchen staff, may be subpar. It's often a bad idea, those who should know best, chefs and restaurateurs, will tell you.

Just listen to Stephen Chrisomalis, chef and owner of Steve's Burgers in Garfield and North Bergen, about eating out on Valentine's Day: "It is the sucker's holiday," he said. "Restaurants gouge you big-time." Nevertheless, Chrisomalis, a bachelor, admitted, when he has "a Valentine," he can't help it: he takes her out on Love Day. The reason? "It's fun." And he quipped: "I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed."

So what about Thanksgiving? Is it a good idea to let someone else do the shopping, prepping, cooking, serving, cleaning?

Sure, if you don't want to cook or don't know how to cook, if you don't have anywhere else to go, or actually for any reason at all. No one's judging or should be judging your choices. Celebrate the holiday however and wherever you'd like.

Thanksgiving is a busy time for restaurants, too

"Every diner doesn't want to cut a turkey and make all the trimmings," said John Campbell, owner of The River Palm Terrace, a beloved steakhouse in Edgewater. Last year on Thanksgiving, the steakhouse served 750 dinners (beginning at 11:30 a.m.), 450 of which were turkey dinners. That is more than twice as many meals served on a regular Thursday (around 350).

Talk about holiday stress. Home holiday cooks apparently have little to sweat about compared to restaurant staffs come the celebrations, Thanksgiving included.

Just ask Ariane Duarte, who two years ago closed her well-loved, 7-year-old Verona restaurant, Ariane Kitchen & Bar, and today owns, with her husband, Michael, CulinAriane, a catering company based in Brick.

"Thanksgiving was among our busiest time," said Duarte. "We were slammed. And I hated it. The people who come out on the holiday tend to be very demanding, they are families with children, they are people who never go out except this one time. They didn't know how to behave."

And, she said, because restaurants are overwhelmed with guests, the food tends not to be up to snuff. "The food is always mediocre," Duarte said. "When you are cooking for so many people, you take short cuts. It's not your best food. The presentation isn't going to be there. Everything is done very fast."

One chef, who wanted to remain anonymous, said that some, if not many, restaurants use canned, frozen and boxed ingredients on Thanksgiving. "You're eating Stouffers stuffing, canned cranberry sauce, instant mashed potatoes, canned pumpkin whatever."

Campbell admitted that service and food quality may suffer somewhat on a hectic day. "I’m not going to expect a restaurant’s perfect performance on a busy holiday," he said.

Still he and others said that restaurants do their best, despite the heightened pressures. Some maintained that standards stay as high, no matter how crowded the dining room may be.

"No matter what day it is, I cook in the restaurant as if I’m cooking for my family or myself," said Francesco Palmieri, a Bloomfield resident, who, as of a few days ago, was the executive of Calandra's Italian Village in West Caldwell. "I’m not going to say that some chefs don't use canned and boxed ingredients. But I always get fresh cranberries to make the cranberry sauce. I always roast the bones for the gravy. The quality is going to be high level no matter what. We're professional."

Related: 20+ places to get Thanksgiving pies in North Jersey

More people are doing Thanksgiving takeout

Not many of us home cooks are able to compete with restaurants (we don't have a staff of cooks, dishwashers, runners and servers) — or, for that matter, want to. It's not easy to clean the house, shop for groceries, prep the food, cook and serve the meal, and then clean the house again when you've got only two people around a table. When you've got the whole family plus whomever your cousin is dating currently and your uncle insists on bringing as well, it can seem overwhelming.

Which may explain why last year 45% of Americans said they planned to order all or part of their Thanksgiving meal from restaurants, according to a survey by Popmenu, a marketing technology platform. Of course, last year, Americans were faced with jaw-dropping food prices and key shortages — of (ironically) turkey (avian flu was the culprit) and cranberries (blame heat waves). Before the pandemic hit, anywhere from 6% to 10% of Americans ate at restaurants on Thanksgiving, according to the National Restaurant Association.

This year, prices are still high but not exorbitant: $1.27/pound today vs. $1.72/pound last year.

Jonathan Bernstein, owner of B&M Market, a gourmet market, butcher shop and event caterer in Park Ridge, maintained that catering your Thanksgiving may not cost significantly more than cooking the meal at home. "If you look at how much you spend and how much time it takes, you're not that far off from what it would catering it."

Besides, he said, "not everyone is a good cook."

Palmieri said he certainly understands the desire to both eat out and to eat in Turkey Day.

"It’s a big yes from the point of view of being able to go to a place that can execute the dinner for you," he said. "All you have to do is show up and pay the bill."

No stress, no...cooking mishaps.

'Emergency turkey' to the rescue

Palmieri said that he always had three extra roasted turkeys in his restaurant kitchen for those frantic calls he'd get from family members or customers who burnt theirs. "I call them emergency turkeys," he said.

Still on the flip side, there's the comfort of being with your loved ones at home —yours or theirs — for the holiday.

"It's intimate in a home. You can chit chat over the sides or the burnt turkey," Palmieri said with a laugh.

Which is one of the main reasons many restaurateurs said they close their restaurants on Thanksgiving.

"I refuse to make my staff work on the day that you should be with family," said Chris Cannon, owner of Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen, an award-winning and stunning restaurant in Morristown. "You should stay home and order out from Jockey Hollow," he added, roaring with laughter.

Stephen Chrisomalis Steve's Burgers, multi-award-winning burger joint in Garfield and North Bergen, said he closes his restaurant on all holidays. "I give my employees a break," he said. "I make them go to church and things like that.

Home for the holiday

It's important to note that Thanksgiving is an extremely profitable day for restaurants — and their staff.

"It's a good money day," Duarte said.

Christine Nunn, former chef of Vesta Wood Fired in East Rutherford who today heads catering firm Picnic Catering by Christine, agreed that home is the best place to celebrate the holiday.

"You're better off even getting your food from Boston Market," she said. "There's something about being home on Thanksgiving."

Said Duarte of CulinAriane, "I love being home for the holidays. I would envy those diners who came to the restaurant. I'd think, Why are you coming out? You can stay in your PJs. After you eat, you’re stuffed. You can roll on the couch and watch Wizard of Oz."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Thanksgiving at a restaurant: Should you do it? We asked NJ chefs