In addition to these record sales, more than 22,000 Family Meals serving 136,000 people were delivered to Lowe’s. The world’s second-largest home improvement retailer placed the order the week prior to Thanksgiving, making it the single largest order the restaurant chain has ever fulfilled. The meals were distributed by Lowe’s employees the day before Thanksgiving free of charge to families, employees and customers in New York and New Jersey who were impacted by Hurricane Sandy.

 

Boston Market also revealed a few statistics regarding the number of specific menu items sold from November 19 through November 23:

 

-1.5 million pounds of mashed potatoes

-860,000 pounds of turkey

-486,000 pounds of stuffing

 

Leadership credits the performance to aggressive local sales efforts and preparations made well ahead of the holiday, which is historically the busiest time of the year for Boston Market in terms of traffic and sales. Though the latest results take into account sales from all 470 restaurants, Boston Market locations in Miami; Daly City, California; Brooklyn, New York; and San Jose, California, were top performers.

 

“We begin planning Thanksgiving at least a year in advance,” says George Michel, CEO, aka The Big Chicken, Boston Market. “But the hard work demonstrated by our staff on the ground in the days and weeks leading up to the holiday is what ultimately makes the difference for our guests.”

 

On November 21 and 22, Michel spent the day serving and working behind the counter at two Miami-area Boston Market restaurants. The chain is currently exploring options to open five new restaurants in South Florida and in the New York metro area in 2013.

 

This most recent achievement comes on the heels of more than 26 months of positive same-store sales, another Boston Market record. With December holidays just weeks away, Boston Market locations are already preparing for a second round of traffic and an influx of catering orders that will continue through the end of the year.