Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Steve Kaufman’s name and Butterhorn Bakery’s extended closure.

DILLON — At the Red Mountain Grill in Dillon, hosting Thanksgiving in the restaurant has been something of a tradition that started fairly small.

Owner Steve Kaufman said he originally started serving Thanksgiving meals for local workers who didn’t have any family in town. As the years have gone on, Thanksgiving at the grill has gotten big enough that the restaurant has quickly filled to capacity, often with regulars that keep coming back every year.

This year, Kaufman said “no one knows what to expect.”

Even before the newest pandemic health restrictions were announced, ending in-person dining at restaurants starting Sunday, Kaufman had planned to offer a to-go menu for Thanksgiving, and he’s not alone. Many Summit County restaurants that typically would open their doors for visitors or local workers to enjoy a holiday meal had opted to focus on to-go offerings amid the uncertainty of rising case rates.

On Thanksgiving, the Red Mountain Grill is offering its full menu as well as a Thanksgiving spread at $20 per person, which includes a choice of soup or salad, truffled mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, sausage stuffing, green bean almondine, cranberry sauce, turkey and a slice of either apple or pumpkin pie to finish it off.

The Blue River Bistro is also planning on offering its usual menu as well as a full Thanksgiving meal for takeout service, which manager Carl Schatz calls “a bistro twist on the classic meal.”

As the pandemic wears on, Schatz said he thinks the bistro’s experience with to-go orders has them very well prepared to offer an excellent meal to their customers. Blue River Bistro was voted Best Curbside or Takeout Service During COVID-19 in the 2020 Best of Summit awards.

Schatz is encouraging anyone who’s interested in ordering for Thanksgiving to sign up quickly. The restaurant has a limited amount of time slots for its Thanksgiving to-go offerings.

Like many business owners, Vinny Monarca has been doing his best to apply the lessons learned early in the pandemic to help him be ready for the upcoming holiday at Vinny’s Euro-American Cuisine and Frisco Prime.

Monarca is the owner and chef for both restaurants, which have been operating out of Frisco Prime while Vinny’s prepares to move into a new location. He originally had planned to host both dine-in and to-go service on Thanksgiving but also had been preparing to pivot to takeout only even before the new health orders were announced.

Frisco Prime’s $30 takeout Thanksgiving dinner includes turkey and pork loin roast as well as several sides, including a sausage stuffing that Monarca describes as a “savory sausage bread pudding.” The restaurant also will be offering vegetarian options, including a quinoa-stuffed squash and Tofurky.

He says desserts need to be ordered by Tuesday, Nov. 24, but that dinner can be ordered as late as Thanksgiving day, though sooner is better.

“I do like cooking Thanksgiving dinner,” he said. “I’m pretty pumped up.”

Sides and desserts to-go

For those who may still want to cook some of their Thanksgiving meal themselves, several local restaurants and shops are offering options that allow people to fill in the pieces of the meal that usually would be brought by visiting relatives.

The Bakers’ Brewery is usually closed on Thanksgiving, but Stephanie Sadler, the restaurant’s head chef and co-owner, decided she would offer her expertise to the community this year.

“I love cooking for 30-100 people, and this is the only way I can do that now,” she said.

Bakers’ is offering servings of smoked turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, chicken gravy, cranberry sauce, pineapple Hawaiian rolls and their pies (cherry, apple and pumpkin) for people to order a la carte. She said she’d also be willing to smoke some ribs if anyone was interested in a less-traditional option for the holiday.

Sadler said she wanted to make sure people were able to order what they needed to fill the gaps in their meal.

“A lot of people I know, they don’t even know how to cook anything but green bean casserole or mashed potatoes,” she said.

Bakers’ is taking orders by phone and email until 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20.

For those interested in getting a whole turkey. The Lost Cajun in Frisco is still selling 10-pound turkeys, which are seasoned with Cajun-style seasonings, injected with flavorful oil and fried. Because the turkeys are fried right before pickup, all orders need to reserved with a time slot.

While the official deadline to order is Thursday, Nov. 19, their general manager said there may be a chance to add more times or turkeys for a few people who call on Friday. A fried turkey is $60, or $99 for those who want to add gumbo, potato salad, rice, coleslaw and French bread.

Soupz On will be closed on Thanksgiving but will be offering their popular vegetarian honey roast butternut squash soup for takeout on Wednesday.

Saved By the Wine also will be closed on Thanksgiving day but is offering several sweet and savory pies, house-made breads and a charcuterie board for people to preorder. The wine bar and bakery is also offering specials on wine pairings with anything on their Thanksgiving menu. Orders must be made by Monday, Nov. 25.

The Butterhorn Bakery & Cafe had originally been scheduled to reopen for Thanksgiving orders on Friday, Nov. 20, after being closed for their annual fall break since Oct. 26. With the new virus restrictions, the popular Frisco spot has canceled its Thanksgiving plans and is now scheduled to reopen on Dec. 11.