10 Thanksgiving Leftover Ideas for Restaurants

Time Magazine reports that food waste from American families triples on Thanksgiving compared to typical days. While this statistic specifically reflects household behavior, it’s still important for the foodservice industry to avoid contributing to the problem. If you need guidance, these 10 Thanksgiving leftover ideas for restaurants will help you plan for the holiday so you can minimize waste while improving efficiency and increasing profits.

Prepare for the Holiday

Preparing your restaurant for Thanksgiving is one of the best ways to reduce the amount of post-holiday leftovers. For example, you can use POS system data from the previous year to estimate customer volume and menu demand so you don’t order excess food that won’t be used. It’s also a good idea to review existing inventory to avoid unnecessary purchases, which is key to not only reducing food waste but also improving operational efficiency and controlling costs.

Use the FIFO System

Taking stock of current inventory before the holidays is also critical for using the FIFO inventory system so that your restaurant uses older ingredients first, limiting food waste due to spoilage. To make your FIFO system as effective as possible, be sure to label ingredients with the date so kitchen staff know which to use first, as well as to place older products in front of newer ones to prioritize those nearing expiration.

Offer Small Plate Options

Thanksgiving classics like turkey, potatoes and stuffing are heavy and filling, so it’s normal for some guests to not finish everything on their plate. But if you notice that customers are leaving behind significant amounts of uneaten food, consider offering two portion sizes—one being smaller and at a lower price point—for diners who have smaller appetites. Besides reducing leftovers, you’ll also increase profitability because small plates allow you to charge a higher markup without raising the price.

Encourage Take-Home Containers

Another good idea for reducing Thanksgiving leftovers at your restaurant is offering take-home containers to all guests with uneaten food. While it may seem trivial, the simple act of asking people if they’d like to take home what they didn’t finish is sure to increase the number who do so–just make sure you have plenty of takeout containers on hand so you don’t run out before the holiday is over.

Follow Food Safety Guidelines

Since your restaurant is bound to have at least some leftovers after Thanksgiving, it’s crucial to follow food safety guidelines when handling and storing them. When refrigerating food items, be sure to put them into cold storage within 2 hours of cooking, as well as to place salad, vegetables and other foods that will be eaten uncooked above raw meat and fish to avoid contamination. By adhering to these best practices, you can limit inventory loss due to spoilage and foodborne illness because of mishandling.

Repurpose Leftover Foods & Ingredients

No list of Thanksgiving leftover ideas for restaurants would be complete without mentioning the importance of using leftovers in other dishes to not only reduce waste but also increase profits. To help you craft a menu that’ll boost both customer satisfaction and business profits, consider:

Turkey Pot Pie

A comfort food classic, turkey pot pie makes use of not only extra turkey, but also leftover vegetables and unused milk. While it’s often made in large pans, it can also be baked in individual ramekins for easy serving.

Turkey Stock

Not sure what to do with unused bones and vegetable scraps? Make stock by simmering them on the stove for a few hours, then drain. It’s great as a base for soups, stews, rice or even quinoa. It freezes perfectly, so its shelf life will go well beyond the holidays.

Turkey Salad

For something a bit lighter after the feast, serve sliced turkey breast on a bed of lettuce or leafy greens with a light dressing. If you want to continue the Thanksgiving flavor profile, adding roasted pecans and dried cranberries is a fantastic way to do so.

Fried Mac and Cheese Balls

Give new life to leftover macaroni and cheese by scooping it out, rolling in breadcrumbs and then frying. Although you could use almost any type of breading for fried mac and cheese balls, Jennifer Stewart from Take Two Tapas suggests using panko breadcrumbs for extra crispiness.

Stuffing Waffles

With a warm inside and crunchy outside, stuffing waffles are sure to be a hit–simply mix leftover stuffing with a bit of flour and egg, press into a waffle iron and then cook until crispy. If you have any leftover cranberry sauce or gravy, serve it on the side as a topping or dipping sauce.

Cranberry Cocktails

Make use of leftover cranberry sauce by mixing it with ginger beer and bourbon to make cranberry sauce cocktails. Remember to serve it in a clear glass to show off its beautiful red color.

Promote Thanksgiving Leftover Dishes

Spread the word about your turkey pot pie, mac and cheese balls and other post-holiday dishes to make sure you use up your leftovers. Use table toppers to highlight your limited-time menu, along with social media to create buzz about the post-holiday dishes. Additionally, price them competitively to make them more appealing, and ask waitstaff to suggest them to customers. Combined with your restaurant’s other Thanksgiving marketing efforts, you’re sure to sell a lot of these dishes over the holiday weekend.

Donate Leftovers to Charity

Another good use of Thanksgiving leftovers at your restaurant is giving them to a good cause. By partnering with charities like Chicago-based Rescuing Leftover Cuisine, you can make sure your surplus food and excess ingredients can help families in need. In addition to food rescue nonprofits, local food banks are another great option for donating your restaurant’s Thanksgiving leftovers–just be aware that they usually only take non-perishables.

Compost Your Kitchen Scraps

From vegetable peels to coffee grounds, a wide range of kitchen scraps can be turned into nutrient-rich fertilizer for flower pots, herb gardens or other plantings. To make composting your restaurant’s food waste as effective as possible, be sure to educate staff members on what food waste can be composted and what can’t so they can sort scraps correctly and avoid contaminating the compost pile.

Plan for Next Thanksgiving

Once the holiday is over and done, take a look back and evaluate. If you ordered too much of a certain item, order less next year; if your turkey pot pie was a hit but the salad not so much, you know which dish to promote. By identifying which strategies were most effective, you’ll have a head start on reducing food waste from leftovers next year.