Happy Thanksgiving from Franchise.com - Franchise.com Blog

Are you going out for thanksgiving? According to a National Restaurant Association Survey more than 32 million Americans are going to spend Thanksgiving at restaurants this year!

Whether you are eating in or dining out, this holiday is one of the most celebrated holidays, and to honor it, here are some statistics and a little bit o' history:

• This is the 397th Thanksgiving - Celebrating it began in 1621.
• However, President Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday of November Thanksgiving, and it became a national holiday in 1863.
• 53 colonists and 90 Wampanoag (Native Americans) attended the first feast.
• 45 million turkeys will be consumed, and 80 percent of Americans will eat turkey this year.

• There are four places in the United States named after the holiday's traditional main course:

  • Turkey Creek, LA
  • Turkey, TX
  • Turkey, NC
  • Turkey Creek, AZ
• The average weight of a turkey is 17 pounds. Males tend to weigh more than females and can weigh up to 25 pounds. The biggest turkey ever weighed was 86 pounds!

For those of you avoiding the stress and mess that hosting this holiday may bring, check out Franchise.com's food franchises. And for those of you who would like to prosper from the 32 million people going out to dinner this year, consider opening a food franchise yourself. Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Franchise.com!