Thanksgiving Leftover Ideas

Every year, nearly 40% of all Thanksgiving food goes to waste. This year, try to reduce the amount of waste by doing something with your leftovers! With these Thanksgiving leftover ideas, you can reduce the amount of food that ends up in the trash and do something creative with the leftovers you decide to keep on hand.

Prepare for Thanksgiving

Before you have to worry about the leftovers, think about the ways in which you can prevent food waste. The number one thing you can do is make you order just enough food for the holidays. Check what you have and order accordingly. If you find that you over-order for Thanksgiving every year, take a closer look into what tends to be leftover after the rush.

What to Do with Thanksgiving Leftovers

When you have customers leaving with large amounts of leftovers, reconsider the way you order ingredients for the next year. If you find your restaurant has an abundance of ingredients left over from the holidays, there are a few things you can do with them to switch things up from the typical turkey sandwiches.

• Get experimental – Use the leftovers to create a new and exciting dish that won’t have customers groaning, remembering the large feast the day before such as a light salad with turkey and cranberries.


• Compost – Most ingredients in Thanksgiving meals are compostable so if there are plates coming back to the kitchen with some food still on them, you can collect those leftovers and compost them in a garden, a barrel or even donate them to a company that will do it for you.


• Donate – If there are any unopened ingredients that you have in stock that you don’t see yourself using, consider donating them to a food bank. Just be sure to confirm the types of foods they accept as well as read their donation guidelines.

For holiday recipes, tips on how to get your restaurant ready for Thanksgiving and more, browse our articles to get the jump on the competition.