Holiday side dishes have officially overtaken the turkey as the main attraction at American Thanksgiving tables, according to Campbell's fifth annual State of the Sides Report — and the numbers carry real weight for restaurant and foodservice operators planning seasonal menus.
The 2026 report, based on a survey of 5,017 U.S. adults conducted by independent research firm Reputation Leaders in August and September 2026, finds that 80% of Americans enjoy cooking sides more than the turkey — a figure that has risen 11 percentage points since 2023. Meanwhile, 86% plan to serve at least four sides this Thanksgiving, with a median of five sides per meal, which Campbell's projects totals roughly 749 million sides nationwide.
Generational Appetite for Sides
The generational data is especially relevant for operators targeting younger diners. Sixty-five percent of Gen Z respondents and 56% of Millennials say they would be satisfied with a side-only Thanksgiving meal — a signal that plant-forward, sides-centric menu formats have a growing and enthusiastic audience. Mac and cheese, in particular, has ranked as Gen Z's number-one Thanksgiving side for two consecutive years, with 57% of all respondents calling it the dish that everyone at the table can agree on. Notably, 42% report that mac and cheese never produces leftovers, suggesting strong per-cover consumption that operators could leverage through holiday catering packages.
The top five sides have held consistent for three straight years: green bean casserole, mac and cheese, yams/sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, and stuffing or dressing. For operators building prix-fixe Thanksgiving offerings or catering menus, that stability provides a reliable foundation for volume purchasing and labor planning.
Nostalgia and Convenience Drive Choices
Campbell's own products remain deeply embedded in how Americans prepare these dishes. The brand reports selling nearly 40 million cans of Cream of Mushroom soup during the holiday period, and 87% of respondents say Campbell's Soup is their go-to for green bean casserole — a dish that 67% associate with nostalgic holiday memories and that only 19% would consider changing, the lowest modification rate among the top five sides. The original recipe, created in Campbell's Test Kitchen by Dorcas Reilly more than 75 years ago, calls for just five ingredients, underscoring how convenience continues to drive its enduring popularity.
Convenience surfaces as a broader theme throughout the report. Forty-six percent of respondents cite easy preparation as a primary reason for choosing mac and cheese for the holiday. For foodservice operators, that consumer preference for low-effort, high-comfort dishes maps directly onto streamlined back-of-house execution — particularly relevant as labor pressures remain a persistent challenge across the industry. Our restaurant labor and operations coverage tracks how operators are adapting their seasonal menus to current staffing realities.
The report also notes that Americans are embracing new sources of culinary inspiration alongside cherished traditions — including AI-assisted recipe discovery — a trend consistent with broader shifts in food and beverage consumer behavior that foodservice professionals are navigating heading into 2027.
Rebecca Duke, Senior Director of Brand Marketing at The Campbell's Company, framed the five-year arc of the report as evidence of sides' growing cultural centrality. "One thing is clear: sides are more central to the celebration than ever," she said.
Full regional data and trend breakdowns from the 2026 State of the Sides Report are available at campbells.com/sidesseason-2026.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
