SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – More people are planning to dine out instead of cooking at home this Thanksgiving holiday due to rising food prices at the grocery store. 

Reservations at restaurants across San Francisco are filling up, such as at International Smoke, where reservations filled up a month before Turkey Day.

“We have about 500 reservations for the restaurant itself,” stated Jose Gorospe, the general manager. “We opened it up at the beginning of October and by the end of the month it was full. we have 50 people on the waitlist.”

The south of Market restaurant is offering a buffet of $105 per adult, $49 for kids. The buffet will be featuring wagyu prime rib, cedar smoked salmon, turkey, cornbread stuffing, salads, desserts, and Ayesha Curry’s famous bread pudding.

Yelp and Open Table show most restaurants staying open for the holiday have little-to-no reservations available.

Some people eating out on Thanksgiving are likely trying to avoid soaring prices at the grocery store.

According to the American Farm Bureau Foundation, turkey breast prices are 112% higher than last year. Butter is up 70%. Pies, canned vegetables and potatoes are all more expensive as well.

Turkeys at Safeway in San Francisco cost $2.99-3.99 per pound, which is over $40-50 for the bird.

Pies are also expensive, with one being $15.

Shoppers at this store told KRON4 it’s all becoming too expensive.

“I would hope they go down for the people who are less fortunate,” Bill Anastos, a grocery shopper, stated. “Or people on SNAP [the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] or EBT [Electronic Benefits Transfer]. They can’t afford these prices.”

I talked with an economist at Cal State East Bay to find out why are food prices continue to rise. 

“It’s the wage component, which is 45% of every dollar spent on food,” Filippo Rebessi said. “Then rent on property, which is another 30-35 cents. Food production is 15 cents. So my point being that the cost of food comes from retail, food processing. These have a lot of labor and rent costs.”

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Rebessi said he expects grocery prices to “remain fairly high” through the holiday season.

Restaurants are taking advantage of the times by staying open during the holidays.

With restaurants in San Francisco filling up for Thanksgiving, the general manager here at International Smoke recommends you make reservations extra early so you can get a spot for Christmas and New Year’s.