Everyone's Favorites Will Be Closed Thanksgiving Day

Depending on your traditions, Thanksgiving dinner might be more like Thanksgiving lunch. Your Thanksgiving turkey might be a Thanksgiving porchetta. Or you might skip the homemade spread altogether and get your food at a restaurant or pick up from a grocery store.

However, not everywhere is going to be open on Thanksgiving Day—and some of the spots you might assume stay open through holidays are actually going to be closed. Here are the spots you should avoid on Thanksgiving, because you'll find their doors shut and the lights turned off.

• Chick-fil-A: Considering the brand's practice of not operating on Sundays and its current (limited) test of three-day work weeks, it should come as no surprise that Chick-fil-A will be closed on Thanksgiving Day. The chain's website reads, "Hours may differ on holidays, and all Chick-fil-A restaurants are closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day so restaurant Team Members can spend time with family and friends."
• Taco Bell: There is, unfortunately, zero possibility of getting your hands on a Crunchwrap or Baja Blast on Thanksgiving Day. Per Taco Bell's website, the chain's doors are officially closed on the holiday.
• Costco: For many of us, last-minute Thanksgiving grocery shopping is a standard operating procedure. We all know the big meal is coming, and yet someone always forgets the rolls, or the overdone homemade pie needs to be replaced. Though Costco normally has the bulk buys you need to feed an army, you won't be able to pop in at the last second and grab them on Thanksgiving Day. The wholesale chain will be closed, as confirmed by its website.
• ALDI: Recently, ALDI introduced Thanksgiving Price Rewind, which offers new lower pricing specifically around typical holiday dinner ingredients. The promotion is running until November 29, and holiday items will be marked down to match the cost of the items back in 2019. According to a press release sent to The Takeout, those discounts will be as much as 30% off the current in-store price. It's almost like the grocery chain is trying to make up for the fact that it's closed on Thanksgiving Day.

These closures might be an inconvenience for some last-minute shoppers, or for anyone looking to eat something other than turkey on November 24, but what's striking is just how small this list is. Most places you can think of are open on the holiday; it's harder to find a food-related business that's closed on Thanksgiving than those that plan to remain open, staffing workers throughout the day who might otherwise be celebrating with their families. I'm thankful the employees at Taco Bell, Costco, and other chains get to take a break. As for those who don't, let's be sure to keep their holiday as pleasant and uneventful as possible.