Was This The World's Most Expensive Thanksgiving Dinner?
Correction 9/29/22: An earlier version of this story stated that the Old Homestead Steakhouse currently offers a $150,000 Thanksgiving dinner; this was a promotion at the restaurant in 2018.
With Thanksgiving being a big deal for many, there's a lot to prepare: calling relatives, getting the house ready, and, of course, making mental notes on what to serve for dinner. But with increased costs — 63% of Americans feared that rising food prices would impact their Thanksgiving meals in an October 2021 survey (via FinanceBuzz) — or even the reality that there are certain dishes you just hate making more than anything, would it not be easier to forget the whole mess entirely and take the whole family out to eat?
There are many restaurants that offer expectant dinner hosts an "easy way out" by providing a Thanksgiving meal that's already pre-made and cooked. Cracker Barrel, for example, offers the option of "take-home" dinners that include everything from turkeys to casseroles to pumpkin pie. (Of course, some may balk at the idea of eating out for the occasion. Homemade Thanksgiving side dishes such as cranberry sauce and stuffing and desserts like pumpkin pie are more what comes to mind when you think of the holiday than anything whipped up by a chain restaurant.)
But for those willing to pay a premium price, a New York City steakhouse once offered something a bit more extravagant for Thanksgiving dinner.
What was in the $150,000 Thanksgiving dinner?
Do you ever worry that your in-laws or those weirdly distant relatives are judging you? Maybe they think you're not a good cook? If you took them the Old Homestead Steakhouse in Manhattan, even the most judgmental relative might have eaten their words.
According to World Record Academy, the Old Homestead Steakhouse's 2018 Thanksgiving dinner was a far cry from your average turkey and mashed potatoes. Every dish was drenched in sheer opulence. In 2018, the Thanksgiving dinner was set at a cool $150,000, compared to a previous price of $76,000. (The reason for the markup was to celebrate the restaurant's 150-year anniversary.)
But what could justify such an enormous price tag? According to Fox News, the 25-pound turkey was free-range and basted with imported olive oil and edible gold flakes. The stuffing was made with $475-per-pound pork imported from Japan, and the gravy was mixed with a bottle of bourbon worth $3,000. The meal also came with side dishes such as a salad made with Wagyu beef, butternut squash topped with caviar from the Caspian Sea, and wild berries in a champagne-infused cream sauce.
The Old Homestead Steakhouse did offer a much more budget-friendly option at $70 a person back in 2019 for those not looking to cough up $150k for their Thanksgiving dinner.