As people are running around for last-minute meals or gifts on or before Thanksgiving Day, some stores and restaurants will remain open in the St. Cloud-area.
But shoppers beware, flurries are possible on Thanksgiving in St. Cloud, as temperatures remain below freezing during the holiday weekend.
Two large grocery stores will be open with limited hours during the holiday. Coborn's Marketplace locations will be open on Thanksgiving with limited hours, serving the public from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Fresh Thyme Market will be open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Coburn's Marketplace, Target and Walmart will open at 6 a.m. Black Friday. Fresh Thyme Market opens back up at 7 a.m. Sam's Club will open its doors at 8 a.m., and Costco will open at 9 a.m.
Chains including Wendy's and McDonald's will be open on Thanksgiving, though their hours will vary by location, according to USA Today.
IHOP also plans to be open on Thursday, and customers who prefer takeout can order its "French Toast Creations" meal for the holidays. The meal includes hash browns, sausage, French toast slices and toppings to mix and match.
Diners looking for a more local restaurant have a few options available. Granite City Food & Brewery will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thanksgiving and will serve a traditional Thanksgiving buffet with items like turkey, ribs and pie.
Mavericks Steak & Cocktails will also serve a Thanksgiving brunch buffet from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Nov. 28. The meal's menu offers brunch items and traditional Thanksgiving dishes, as well as walleye, brisket and desserts.
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Blue Line Sports Bar & Grill has both dine-in and takeout options, with rolls, stuffing, ham and turkey. The deadline for pre-orders and reservations is Nov. 24.
Green Mill will host a buffet as well, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with the last seating at 1:15 p.m. The menu includes turkey, ham, mashed potatoes and baked mac and cheese. Children 5 and under can eat free, but reservations are required.
Here are some St. Cloud-area restaurants that offer take-out for Thanksgiving.
Up in Smoke BBQ in St. Cloud is offering customers two different takeout options dependent on the size of the gathering. Its eight to 12-person option and 18 to 24-person option both include a choice of turkey or ham, rolls, cheesecake and three sides, including barbecue beans, mac and cheese and coleslaw. All orders must be placed by Nov. 24 for Thanksgiving pickup.
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Those looking for a less traditional Thanksgiving meal can order from Mexican Village. The Mexican-themed restaurant has $50 taco and enchilada packs that feed up to eight people. Bigger groups can also use the restaurant's catering service, which starts at $10.95 per person.
Sauk Rapids restaurant Lost Times Tavern also has Thanksgiving takeout options, with a 4-person dinner at $130 and an 8-person dinner at $250. The restaurant also has a $32.50 individual dinner option. The meal includes turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and cornbread dressing. Orders must be placed by Nov. 25 and are prepay only.
Copper Kitchen, formerly Copper Lantern, is celebrating its third anniversary of selling its Thanksgiving meal kits for two or four people. The dishes feature family recipes and items like mashed potatoes, sage dressing and corn. Customers can also order an extra meal that Copper Kitchen will donate to a family in need.
Blue Line Sports Bar and Grill is also offering take out.
Takeout orders can also be placed with several of the area's bakeries, including gluten-free bakery Mixin' it Up, which currently has a Thanksgiving sale and is selling items like stuffing mix and pies.
Great Harvest customers can order stuffing bread and several varieties of rolls, and Backwards Bread is selling buns, pies and special holiday breads like craisin orange and hazelnut currant. Dutch Maid Bakery is also taking Thanksgiving orders on pies, dinner rolls and other pastries. All four spots are encouraging or requiring orders to be placed ahead of time.
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There are a lot of possibilities for vegetarian Thanksgiving meals. Fresh Thyme, Good Earth Food Co-op, Minnesota Street Market and Coburn's Marketplace offer lots of solutions to the non-meat menu.
Both Good Earth Food Co-op and Minnesota Street Market have noticed an uptick in the number of customers seeking plant-based options or asking employees for help brainstorming.
At Minnesota Street Market in St. Joseph, when customers buy vegetables or items to cook as meat substitutes, the store sends them home with recipe cards and cooking instructions.
A 15-pound turkey, which can feed upward of 10 people, is expected to cost an average of $31.16, or $2.08 per pound this year, according to personal finance company FinanceBuzz. Turkey prices across the country are down 12% from last year, though Minnesota residents will have to pay slightly above-average costs.
FinanceBuzz ranked Minnesota as the ninth most expensive state for Thanksgiving turkeys, with the state's prices averaging around $35.30 for a 15-pound turkey.
Other basics for the big dinner are listed at similar prices across several grocery stores, such as Aldi and Coborn's. This year, both potatoes for a side of mashed potatoes and stuffing mixes are hovering slightly above $2.