The night before Thanksgiving — typically a popular night for people who have returned to their hometowns for the holiday to crowd local bars for impromptu reunions — brought on-premise establishments a boost by 2020 standards, according to BeerBoard, which tracks draft sales at bars and restaurants.
Nationwide, sales in the on-premise channel increased 77.4% over the previous Wednesday, but declined 57.3% compared to the same night in 2019. The year-over-year decline was understandable as cases of COVID-19 have spiked and state and local governments have taken measures to slow the spread of the pandemic by placing new restrictions on bars and restaurants.
In Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf and Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine ordered the cessation of on-premise alcohol sales at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 26. Sales were permitted to resume at 8 a.m. Thanksgiving morning, and to-go sales of beer, wine and cocktails were permitted during the temporary on-site ban. Philadelphia, the state’s largest city, shut down indoor dining for six weeks beginning November 20.
Nevertheless, on-premise sales on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving were up over a typical Wednesday. Some regions, such as the Northeast (+53.1%), had larger lifts than others. In California, on-premise establishments saw an increase of 40.8% over the previous Wednesday; the Southeast’s on-premise traffic increased 30.3% compared to the previous Wednesday.
Even as on-premise traffic was slower than in years past, e-commerce sales picked up during the week of Thanksgiving.
E-commerce alcohol delivery platform Drizly reported that online alcohol sales skyrocketed on Thanksgiving eve, as orders were 173.6% higher than the average of the previous four Wednesdays.
Drizly orders were elevated the entire week leading up to Thanksgiving, as people stocked their refrigerators and home bars for the holiday. Monday sales were 43.6% higher than the average of the previous four Mondays, and Tuesday sales were 69.8% higher than the average of the previous four Tuesdays, excluding Election Day, which had also seen a bump in orders over Drizly’s baseline for Tuesdays.
Wine took the top spot on Drizly, as the category stole about 2% of share from spirits, which typically lead Drizly orders. The beer category’s share remained flat.
Drizly users were feeling generous over the Thanksgiving holiday week: gift orders sent through the platform increased 44.4% over the same time last year.