PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y.—Only 30 percent of households actually will prepare a turkey on Thanksgiving Day, but 82 percent of consumers will eat it, according to market researcher The NPD Group.
NPD finds that, typically, two households are the guest of another household on Thanksgiving, which amounts to an average of nine people at each dining table.
“This has been a hectic year and a time of high anxiety, and contrary to popular belief, people don’t turn to food for comfort, they turn to other people,” Harry Balzer, chief industry analyst and vice president at NPD and author of the annual "Eating Patterns in America", said. “I expect a larger crowd around America’s Thanksgiving tables this year.”