There was a time when few people thought of anything other than a homemade meal surrounded by family when it came to Thanksgiving. While that is still the traditional image of the holiday that most of us have, the ways we celebrate are becoming more and more modernized. Now, it’s commonplace for people to order takeout, or even to see families choose to go out to a restaurant for their Thanksgiving meal.

Everyone has different opinions on this. There are some purists who think that Thanksgiving dinner should be enjoyed with a home-cooked meal, while others are open to new ways of celebrating the holiday. When one woman saw a TikTok video in which the creator discussed three categories of people on Thanksgiving, she couldn’t help but point out how rude she found it to go out to eat on Thanksgiving.

A woman on social media called eating at a restaurant on Thanksgiving ‘peak classicism.’

TikToker Jenny Park shared some interesting thoughts about the different ways people act on Thanksgiving. She called the holiday “a living exhibit of American class and culture” with three different “wealth codes” families adhered to. The first, she said, is traditional. “This is the family that does homemade everything,” she argued.

Up next is the “quiet, luxury family.” Park said, “This family is probably doing full-on catering, or mostly catering with a little bit of homemade aesthetic.” The third group was, apparently, the biggest offender. This is the “cosmopolitan family.” “They are going out,” she said. “They are skipping the whole tradition altogether.”

One TikTok user shared her distaste that some people go this route. “Going out to dinner on a holiday is a peak classism,” she said in her comment. “Instead of the restaurant closing and giving their employees off, they force them to come in, serve some bratty people, and miss their own holiday with their own family. It is disgusting to go out on a holiday, and I’ll die on that hill.”

: Woman Uninvites ‘Picky Eater’ Mother-In-Law From Thanksgiving After Learning What She Planned To Eat For Dinner

Despite the woman’s disdain for anyone who eats at a restaurant on Thanksgiving, plenty of families do.

In 2023, interactive menu platform Popmenu conducted a survey to determine how Americans were spending their Thanksgiving. They found that 17% of their 1,000 respondents were planning on eating their Thanksgiving meal at a restaurant. Another 32% planned to order takeout for their meal.

Popmenu went a step further and asked those who were eating out why they chose to do so. Unsurprisingly, 64% of respondents said it was easier. 35% just didn’t want to cook, and another 35% liked eating food cooked by a professional chef better. Additionally, 24% thought that it was probably cheaper.

: Study Finds Exactly How Much Each Guest At Thanksgiving Dinner Will Cost You

There are two sides to this argument, and a solid case could be made for each.

It’s easy to develop an argument to support either side of this issue. One could say that restaurant staff deserve to spend Thanksgiving with their own families, and should be given the day off because of that. Restaurants shouldn’t have to open up because some people don’t feel like cooking on a holiday when that’s what you traditionally do. The same goes for grocery stores, drugstores, and other businesses that open up on holidays.

Thanakorn.P | Shutterstock

However, someone could also say that people deserve to celebrate Thanksgiving and other holidays, however they choose to. Plus, how can you turn away paying customers? Some workers are considered essential. For example, a hospital couldn’t shut down just because it was a holiday. As hard as it may be for them to accept, restaurant staff are in a similar situation. They provide an important service that their community needs, especially on holidays.

In fact, no one goes into the restaurant industry as a career and assumes that they will work a traditional schedule. Weekends and holidays are working days and usually busy working days. That’s a decision you make when you take on that job.

Each side of the argument has its merits. It feels like how they spend Thanksgiving should really be up to each family. Similarly, the decision to stay open and serve food is up to each restaurant owner or manager. Calling it “disgusting” to eat at a restaurant is a bit much, though.

: Wife Threatens To Kick Husband Out If He Attends Thanksgiving NFL Game He Won Tickets To Because Family Comes First

Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.