- \n
- A 1960 Long Island Howard Johnson\u2019s Thanksgiving menu resurfaced on Reddit, priced at just $2.25, or about $24.52 today.<\/li>\n
- The spread mirrors today\u2019s classics\u2014turkey, gravy, cranberry sauce, and a lineup of sides\u2014with a few charming period touches.<\/li>\n
- The find highlights how Thanksgiving flavors stayed familiar while prices climbed with inflation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\nFor the most part, the traditional Thanksgiving spread remains largely unchanged year after year. There are always the potatoes, stuffing, and the star of the table: the turkey. Where you might get creative is with the sides\u2014such as a fun salad, a veggie dish, or a dessert. Maybe you trade the mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving-inspired potato skins, and the green bean casserole for one with Brussels sprouts. <\/p>\n
Well, an unearthed restaurant menu from the 1960s shows that not much has changed in terms of Thanksgiving food (aside from a few interesting sides). But the price? That’s a different story. <\/p>\n
Reddit user u\/AxlCobainVedder<\/a> posted a vintage Thanksgiving menu for a Long Island Howard Johnson’s in the r\/vintageads subreddit<\/a>. The multi-course Thanksgiving dinner would have set someone back only $2.25\u2014and even less for children under 12, who could eat for $1.50. <\/p>\n
\n Obviously, there’s a thing called inflation, which is why you can maybe<\/em> buy a bag of rolls for that price in 2025. But here’s the thing: using the inflation calculator <\/a>from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, $2.25 in 1960 is equivalent to $24.52 today. I’m not sure about portion sizes at Howard Johnson’s, but that seems like a great deal for an elaborate Thanksgiving dinner. <\/p>\n
\n \n\n![\"thanksgiving](\"https:\/\/hips.hearstapps.com\/hmg-prod\/images\/screenshot-2024-09-26-at-5-01-36-pm-66f5d4f6ba6e6.png?crop=0.9621621621621622xw:1xh;center,top&resize=980:*\" "\\"thanksgiving")
![\"pinterest\"](\"https:\/\/www.delish.com\/_assets\/design-tokens\/fre\/static\/icons\/social\/pinterest.e8cf655.svg?primary=%2523ffffff\")
<\/div>\nJason Blatt\/AxlCobainVedder \/ Newspapers.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n The menu starts off with your choice of a chilled fruit cup with sherbet or chilled fruit juice, followed by celery and olives. There’s no butternut squash soup, but rather a cream of celery soup with croutons. <\/p>\n
Accompanying the turkey is giblet gravy and Cape Cod cranberry sauce. There are mashed potatoes, glace sweet potatoes, buttered peas, mashed turnip, butternut squash, boiled buttered onions (!), sweet mixed pickles, rolls and butter, and Waldorf salad. <\/p>\n
For dessert, there’s more sherbet\u2014it was <\/em>the 1960s, after all. Another standout dish is the New England plum pudding. Pie comes with cheese, and you get your choice of pumpkin, apple, or mince. <\/p>\n
Do you think you can find a Thanksgiving spread like this today for $24.52? If so, we wish you the best of luck.
<\/p>\n