Business Monday: Big Island restaurants give visitors Thanksgiving dinner options

A few Big Island restaurants have been doing extra work to prepare for Thanksgiving, with plenty of tourists away from home, and for locals who don’t want to cook.

“We decided to open up because of the needs of tourists who arenʻt home, but we are,” said Allen Hess, owner and head chef at FORC Restaurant, on Friday. “We’ve started to get a lot of calls with just some people on the fence about where and what they want to do for Thanksgiving, so I think it works for a lot of people.”

FORC is a new restaurant in Waimea that will be offering Thanksgiving meals to-go or for dine-in with a special menu perfect for people without plans to cook. 

For people interested in taking Thanksgiving to-go, orders can be made until Tuesday and Hess will facilitate pick-ups for meals on Wednesday. The to-go orders will be chilled in oven-proof containers and can be re-heated in a hour and a half. 

“For dine-in, we have a lot of couples showing interest in spending Thanksgiving with us and have made reservations,” Hess said. “I think weʻll get some more interest for to-go orders when we get closer to the holiday.”

For those with reservations to dine-in, they can choose a classic turkey dinner, prime rib or a miso butter fish. 

“Having a Thanksgiving meal takes a lot of planning and it starts with just making sure we can get all the products in house. We have to order a few weeks out and make sure we have alternative ingredients for gluten free customers,” Hess said. “We also have to be on point with scheduling. People seem to want to eat at the same time, so you have to be sure to get everyone in at a good time that works for them.” 

FORC’s classic turkey dinner costs $65 and includes Portuguese sausage stuffing, buttered corn on the cob, garlic mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, gravy, marshmallow yams, pineapple cranberry and sweet rolls. 

The prime rib dinner will be limited, but also will cost $65 and include the same side dishes. The miso butter fish will cost $45 and include garlic fried rice, seasonal vegetables and a miso glaze. 

Customers can add a homemade cup of corn chowder or a wedge salad and all meals will come with pumpkin pie. 

FORC is open from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thanksgiving and is located at 65-1214 Lindsey Rd. Waimea. For reservations or to-go orders, call 808-731-4656. 

More restaurants with a special Thanksgiving menu or hours are listed below, however, some may already be booked solid.

Restaurants

• Jackie Reyʻs Ohana Grill—Hilo and Kailua-Kona
• WSW Whiskey Steak Wine—Hilo
• Kona Inn Restaurant—Kailua-Kona
• Papa Kona—Kailua-Kona
• Huggoʻs—Kailua-Kona
• On the Rocks—Kailua-Kona
• Kai Eats and Drinks—Kailua-Kona
• Royʻs Waikōloa Bar & Grill—Waikōloa
• Mauka Bar & Grill—Waikōloa

Resorts with Thanksgiving options

• Hilton Waikōloa
• Fairmont Orchid
• Marriott Waikōloa
• Royal Kona Resort
• Outrigger Kona Resort
• Mauna Lani 
• Mauna Kea Beach Hotel
• Four Seasons Hualalai