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Food & Drink / Fast Food

12 Fast-Food Chains with Thanksgiving Menu Items Actually Worth Trying

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A close-up of a sandwich with sliced turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, leafy greens, and oat-topped whole grain bread. The sandwich ingredients are overflowing between the bread slices.
bhofack2/istockphoto

Are you working on Thanksgiving this year? Just not feeling in the spirit? Can’t afford a big family dinner? Chain restaurants are here to help with inexpensive fast food Thanksgiving deals that’ll make your day a little more festive with no effort — because everyone deserves something special on Thanksgiving. Just make sure you double-check the hours and participation at the locations near you if you plan to get any of these fast-food holiday specials on Thanksgiving. 

Subway: TurHamKen and Festive Subs

A sandwich filled with turkey, ham, stuffing, cheese, and vegetables sits on Subway-branded paper, with a green Subway cup and a bag of Miss Vickie’s Jalapeño chips in the background on a light wood table.
Subway

Subway released three new subs this year for Thanksgiving, and they’ve all got stuffing and cranberry sauce on them. Get it with turkey, rotisserie-style chicken, or a sandwich take on the turducken: TurHamKen. It’s got turkey, ham, and chicken, plus all the fixings. 

Ponderosa and Bonanza Steakhouse: Holiday Buffet

A Ponderosa Steakhouse restaurant with a stone and wood exterior, large windows, and a sign on the roof under a blue sky with scattered clouds.
Alice K. / Yelp

On Thanksgiving, Ponderosa and Bonanza will offer a holiday buffet for $20 per person ($19 for seniors). It’ll include turkey, ham, fried chicken, meatloaf, butterfly shrimp, mac and cheese, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and desserts. 

Arby’s: Gobbler Sandwich

Two toasted sub sandwiches, one filled with lettuce, tomato, cheddar cheese, and deli meat, and the other with turkey, fried stuffing, and cranberry sauce, displayed on sandwich paper.
Arby’s

Arby’s is well known for bringing back its Gobbler sandwich every holiday, and this year is no exception. It comes with deep-fried turkey slices, bacon, Swiss cheese, crispy onion strings, cranberry sauce, mayo, and stuffing on a sub roll. Depending on the location, it’s about $8. (If you’re going for a full holiday meal here, get a side of mac and cheese and an apple pie shake for dessert!)

Boston Market: Thanksgiving Dinner

A variety of Thanksgiving foods on a table, including sliced turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, dinner rolls, mixed vegetables, cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole, and two pies.
Boston Market

You can buy a Thanksgiving dinner for the whole family at Boston Market. Get individual meals with ham, turkey, or chicken as the centerpiece, plus sides, starting at $16 each. There are also meals for three, or up to 10 people, for $20 per person. 

Popeyes: Cajun Turkey

A whole Popeyes Thanksgiving turkey on a platter with herbs, surrounded by bowls of coleslaw, mashed potatoes with gravy, biscuits, and another side dish on a wooden table.
Popeyes

Every year, Popeyes brings back its cult favorite whole Cajun turkey. It’s fully cooked and seasoned with Cajun spices, so all you have to do is heat it up in your oven. Order it online and ship it for $99. 

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Golden Corral: Holiday Buffet

A plate of fried shrimp, fried fish, stuffing, and green beans, served with bowls of tartar sauce and cranberry sauce on a wooden table. An orange drink is partially visible on the side.
RevDrDeLeon/Reddit.com

Golden Corral will be open on Thanksgiving with a holiday buffet, but if you would rather feast at home, you can also order take-home meals instead. The meals serve 6-8 people and include turkey, ham, or pork roast, plus sides and a whole pie for $120, or about $20 per person.

Capriotti’s: The Bobbie

The Bobbie Sandwich on white serving paper, Capriotti's, Wilmington, Delaware, another sandwich behind it, on a grey table
Anthony N. / Yelp

Capriotti’s is a sub chain credited with making Thanksgiving sandwiches really popular. You can get The Bobbie, with roasted pulled turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce, year-round, but of course it tastes better this time of year. Plus, if you’re a member of the chain’s rewards program, you can get a free side of gravy for dipping.

Denny’s: Holiday Turkey Bundle

A plate of food featuring breaded chicken with orange sauce, mashed potatoes with gravy, steamed broccoli, and corn is shown in front of a red and white holiday-themed menu background.
Ria N. / Yelp

For $55, you can get a holiday dinner feast for four people at Denny’s. It comes with carved turkey breast, stuffing, red skin mashed potatoes, one side of your choice, gravy, and cranberry sauce. 

Firehouse Subs: Thanksgiving Turkey Sub

A Thanksgiving turkey sub sandwich filled with turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce is sliced and displayed with a bowl of macaroni and cheese and a dish of brown gravy. "THANKSGIVING TURKEY SUB" and "FIREHOUSE SUBS" logos appear above.
Firehouse Subs

Firehouse Subs has a limited-time Thanksgiving sandwich. It comes with turkey breast, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and mayo on a toasted sub roll. Don’t forget to heat it up with some of the chain’s hot sauces.

Wawa: The Gobbler

A sandwich cut in half, filled with thick slices of tofu, sauce, and what appears to be mushrooms, on a piece of wax paper with faint red text in the background.
Efflux/Reddit.com

Wawa is a beloved East Coast convenience store known for its great sandwiches. This year, the chain has brought back the Gobbler for the season. It comes hot or cold, with turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and gravy for a delicious, messy finish.

KFC: Extra Crispy Festive Feast

A festive table with a KFC bucket of fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, biscuits, and dipping sauces, surrounded by colorful holiday lights on a red background.
KFC

Gravy lovers are going to be interested in this year’s Thanksgiving meal from KFC. The Extra Crispy Festive Feast comes with eight pieces of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, biscuits, and a flight of gravy. You get classic gravy, white peppercorn, and a brand new southwest cheddar gravy, all for $25.

Publix: Holiday Sub

A sub sandwich with turkey, bacon, cheese, and cranberry sauce on seeded bread is topped with a green gift bow, photographed on a white background.
Publix

Who doesn’t love a Pub sub? Right now, Publix has a special holiday sub guaranteed to help you feel festive. It’s got sliced turkey, gruyere cheese, bacon, mayonnaise, and cranberry orange relish.

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Two McDonald's dessert pies with sprinkle topping sit in open boxes on a wooden table next to a McCafé cup and a paper McDonald's bag.
waterfalls55/Reddit.com

Meet the Writer


Lacey Muszynski

Lacey Muszynski is a staff writer at Cheapism covering food, travel, and more. She has over 15 years of writing and editing experience, and her restaurant reviews and recipes have previously appeared in Serious Eats, Thrillist, and countless publications in her home state of Wisconsin.