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by EMILY DUNN
Intern Lifestyles Reporter
Grab some blankets, a lawn chair, an umbrella and prepare to wait in line for Thanksgiving.
Since 1959, Dan’l Boone Inn has been offering a traditional Thanksgiving Day feast.
The restaurant begins serving at 11 a.m. and ends the night at 9 p.m.
However, customers start lining up around 8 a.m. and stay as late as they possibly can.
“Our
wait is sometimes two to three hours,” manager Jeff D. Shellman said.
“A lot of families drive up just for the day. That’s our main clientele
on Thanksgiving.”
For groups of 15 or more, the restaurant starts accepting reservations several weeks in advance.
No breakfast is served Thanksgiving Day because the restaurant is too engaged preparing for dinner.
“It’s insanely busy,” assistant manager Pat B. Stone said. “I’ve witnessed the madness.”
The Thanksgiving meal is traditional and includes turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry relish and pumpkin pie.
“We have
20 something groups of 15 or more [people] coming on Thanksgiving Day
already,” Shellman said. “We’re pretty much booked, but I would call
ahead and see if there are any more openings if you have a good amount
of people.”
The restaurant is divided into two sections: downstairs and upstairs.
On Thanksgiving Day, downstairs is reserved for the walk-in clients and upstairs is set up for those who made reservations.
“The
most I’ve done upstairs is a party of 189 people,” J. Nicole Wiggins, a
waitress, said. “That’s the most you can fit up there.”
The wait staff covers every job on Thanksgiving Day.
One employee is never doing one specific thing; they are all required to pitch in with every possibly free hand.
Every waiter helps with bussing, every hostess helps the waiters and everyone washes dishes.
After coming in from a two or three hour wait, customers are ready to eat and can be fairly demanding.
“You
kind of have to be a little more personable,” Wiggins said. “Even
though you’re working harder, you still have to go that extra mile.”
Thanksgiving is Dan’l Boone Inn’s biggest event.
For students living on campus or on a budget, Dan’l Boone Inn is a good way to avoid eating frozen meals for the holiday.
“If you are looking to have a decent Thanksgiving meal – this is pretty well your only option.” Stone said.
The meal is $15 for an adult and is a good opportunity for students to eat all they can eat.
“We see
waves of students come in,” Stone said. “While it’s not entirely
convenient, it’s a good deal if they want a home-styled meal.”
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