NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — It might be cheaper for small groups to eat out at a restaurant for Thanksgiving, due to food inflation.
At Monell's in Germantown, it's chaos in the kitchen as they prepare food.,
"I love the preserve that they make," Eti Lazarian said. "I love the corn thing, the stuffing — everything’s amazing. The fried chicken is the best."
Lazarian said it's cheaper to eat there than feed her family at home for Thanksgiving.
“We just talked about it; so, to feed our family was about $350, to buy food for the house,” Lazarian said.
Monell's owner, Michael King, is keeping the cost for adults under $30 a plate. For kids, it's even cheaper:
"We’ll go through 5,000 pounds of potatoes in this location, and the manor will go through about 6,500-7,000 pounds," King said, "Turkey’s gone up 30%, potatoes 40%. It’s unreal."
For consumers, the average price of food increased to nearly 11% in the last year, according to federal data.
"Groceries are higher than eating out,” Monell’s customer Brandon Armstrong said.
If he didn't work Thanksgiving, he'd consider going to a restaurant.
"I always ate with my family and stuff, but us just being on our own, it will be very convenient for us to come here, not having to cook, especially not knowing how to do all of that," Armstrong said.
To meet demand, Monell's erected a tent for overflow. At their Germantown restaurant, they're preparing to serve up to 700 people. And they'll likely feed a maximum of 1,400 people at the manor near the airport. They also sold out of 350 early pickup Thanksgiving orders.
For a list of other open restaurants go here.
