OK so, I finally have some time to update some info here. For the last two years we have been shorthanded and I have been busy doing multiple jobs. So writing posts were one of the first things to drop away when someone takes time off for whatever reason. I am gearing up for Thanksgiving. Some may remember last year I was worried about getting enough turkeys, turned out there were more than enough to go around and there was no issue. This year seems worse. There is a bird flu ripping through the farms on top of the fact that many farms intentionally were growing fewer large birds due to covid issues. I already can't find large turkeys and the prices are through the roof, more than double the price they were in 2020. Restaurants run on slim profits if any, and this one is always in the negative. Please thank our owner for keeping Tommy's open. That said, I am going to work my butt off to keep Thanksgiving prices reasonable and still offer great service and food. In the mean time I finally got buffalo stew back on the menu and brought back the turkey sloppy joe. Thank our cook Antonio for never complaining, he used to have multiple helpers but is now doing it all by himself working very hard, so adding another item just gives him more to do. We used to have 6 people working each day in the kitchen and now we have two. We increased our beer options to almost 30 imported beers, BTW- imported beers are still nearly impossible to get, between lack of glass, lack of CO2, cost of transportation and other covid issues, getting beer is tough. Luckily the prices have not soared like food costs, but I wonder how long that will last. I am working on multiple issues trying to get ready for turkey day. Credit cards, staffing, food supply, large catering orders, online sales, answering the phone, responding to messages, and a lot more. I will do my best and I thank you for your kindness. Now back to work.
Thanksgiving is almost here 2021
Hello,
I am working around the clock getting ready for Thanksgiving. We start planning in September, it takes a lot of extra steps to get the day right. Looking back at last year, I had one month to get the place open and ready for Thanksgiving, that was crazy.
This year I have more time, but because we are still slow, we have a much smaller staff on hand. Which means we all are doing more. We will open 7 days a week and are bringing back more staff to help. Can’t wait to see more of our staff coming back.
We hope to have another big crowd at Tommy’s this year. We will take all the Covid precautions to stay safe. All our staff is fully vaccinated and I will be doing temperature checks of our staff on Thanksgiving day.
This year we will sell our Thanksgiving Dinners on Wednesday for pick-up and we will have them for pick-up earlier on Thursday.
You can now pre-order for pick-up, go to our Thanksgiving ordering page and order there.
If you only want an individual dinner or 2 for to-go you can get that on Thanksgiving day through the to-go window. You can order single dinners and sides. Orders will be taken only on Thanksgiving day for these. You will have 2 ways to order: 1 you can order online and then we will text you when your order is ready, 2 you can wait in line and order at our to go window and we will package it up for you right there. In years past this was not a long wait, thirty minutes for the process of waiting in line ordering and receiving your order was the longest wait.
I am ordering product now, at the moment I hope to have enough food for all our guests on Thanksgiving day. I will update this post here if supplies of something becomes limited. Prices are higher for me, but I am looking all over for the best deals so we can keep costs down for you.
For our new friends and family, this is how it works, there are also a couple updates for the regulars: (2020)
We will open our dine-in doors at 11am. Our to go window and our restaurant entrance are at the rear of the restaurant on Thanksgiving day, located on the Geary Blvd. side of the building. Our guests in years past have lined up at 10am. I believe if you get here at 11am you will not have much of a wait. The standard longest wait on Thanksgiving is 1 hour, that is from the time you arrive to the time your are eating is 1 hour. That is a lot faster than most restaurants on a normal day, for them you arrive, you wait 30 minutes to sit, 20 minutes for the server to take your order and another 20 minutes for your food to arrive. We are proud of how fast we serve our guests. Most of the day the wait will be under an hour.
When you enter we will check your covid vaccination proof and ID. The line winds itself around along the bar. When you cross from the stairs to the bar we will take your food order there and process payment, we will take credit cards on Thanksgiving day. (If I can get it up and running, I will update this post if I have an issue.)
What’s on the menu:
We only sell one thing on Thanksgiving day. Thanksgiving dinner of either turkey or ham for $30. The dinner comes with stuffing and you choose 2 more sides. The dinner also comes with bread and butter and pumpkin pie. You get 8oz cooked weight portion of meat, dark meat is very limited and not always available. You can add sides or extra 3oz of meat for $5 per order.
Choices are as follows: Turkey or Ham? extra meat? Do you want Stuffing? Gravy on the meat and stuffing? Au jus on the ham? What sides would you like, Extra Stuffing, Mashed Potato, Candied Sweet Potato, Green Beans, Green Salad with ranch or red wine Italian dressing? Gravy on the Mashed potato or stuffing? You can get 2 different sides or double up on one side. Do you want to add any side or a turkey leg? Do you want cranberry sauce? Do you want Bread and Butter? Do you want Pumpkin Pie with whipped cream? . No substitutions for any of the items. No slim dinners or child portions this day.
For vegetarians we can do a all sides plate, you will get mashed potato, candied sweet potato, green beans, and green salad. You can do any combination of those 4 sides, ie double mash, green beans and green salad. The only vegan option is green salad.
After we take your order and process payment you will continue along the bar where you can order cocktails. That payment will be separate. The line will continue along toward the counter where they will make your order by hand, you can leave them a cash tip there. Then you will pick up your order at the counter. You will take your tray to an available table. All seating is community tables, first come first served, no saving seats please. We always have room, so there is no need to worry about being able to sit together.
We will have a server coming around to bring more drinks if you need them, Cash is best for ordering more drinks.
After you are done eating you can get up and make your way out the exit at the usual front door on the Van Ness side of the building. You can leave a cash tip on the table for the bussers coming around cleaning up.
If you have any questions please email at info@tommysjoynt.com
Pre-order dinners hot and ready to go for your dinner party:
4 - PACK Dinner includes:
Carved Turkey
Stuffing
Mashed potatoes
plus choice of: Sweet potato, Steamed Vegetables, or Green salad
Cranberry sauce
Side of Gravy
4 dinner rolls
4 slices pumpkin pie
A La Cart items available:
Carved Turkey or Ham in Gravy 2#s 4 person container
4 person container sides
SIDES:
Stuffing and Gravy
Mashed potatoes and Gravy
Sweet potato yams
Steamed vegetables
Green salad with dressing
additions:
8 oz.’s Cranberry sauce
8 oz.’s of Gravy or au jus
4 dinner rolls
4 slices pumpkin pie
turkey legs