Some Pittsburgh area restaurants offering pre-made dinners for Thanksgiving

PITTSBURGH — This Thanksgiving will be anything but traditional for all of us.

COVID-19 cases are on the rise. And staying home, health officials say, is the best way to protect yourself and others this year.

For many families, Thanksgiving is about coming together to enjoy a meal with loved ones. But as COVID-19 rages on, dinner and other social gatherings are too risky this holiday.

That’s why many restaurants are offering pre-made dinners to feed you or your own household.

“Everything is going to be prepared and cold, and they just have to heat it up at home,” said Jessica Bauer, executive chef at Bistro 19.

Bauer said there is such a need for prepared meals this holiday, and Bistro 19′s meals are already sold out.

“We put the menu online at the end of October, and it sold out pretty quick. I took more orders than I wanted to because the need is there,” Bauer said.

“It definitely has provided a boost,” said Erin Connolly, owner of the Cornerstone Restaurant and Bar in Aspinwall.

Connolly said they are sold out of Thanksgiving meals, preparing to dish out more than 200 for carry out or delivery on Wednesday.

“We had such a great response that we did have to cap it because all orders, all of our orders to our purveyors had to be in a certain time,” Connolly said.

For the first time this year, she says the restaurant opted to offer a “meal for one” option.

“Because we felt like there was going to be a huge need, we felt like people weren’t going to be gathering,” Connolly said.

And it appears she was right. Other restaurants are also getting more orders, which is welcome support during a challenging year for the industry.

“It’s an improvement obviously it could always be a lot better you know,” said Jospeh Piccirilli, partner at 424 Walnut.

Piccirilli said they’ve chosen to be open on Thanksgiving.

Takeout meals can be picked up at the Sewickley restaurant that day.

“We’ve been blessed. We almost sold out. We still have probably a little bit to go if people want to they can place an order up to 9 o’clock tonight,” Piccirilli said.

There are plenty of other restaurants across the area offering Thanksgiving dinners to go.

In a Facebook group called Pittsburgh, PA Quarantine *Small Business* Take Out/Delivery 2020, you’ll find a thread at the top of the page with people commenting on restaurants offering Thanksgiving dinners.

With a little bit of planning, your family can still enjoy the holiday while minimizing the risk of being exposed or spreading COVID-19 to loved ones.

Some Pittsburgh area restaurants offering pre-made dinners for Thanksgiving

Cox Media Group