2,000 Diners, 120 Turkeys, One Day: Inside This Michigan Restaurant’s Thanksgiving Rush
For some people, Thanksgiving gets squeezed between Halloween decorations that are still up and Christmas displays already taking over the stores. In Kawkawlin, one restaurant keeps Thanksgiving on the table all year. The Turkey Roost serves the holiday meal every day, which raises a pretty good question: When Thanksgiving is your specialty, how do you make the big day feel special?
You treat it like the Super Bowl of Thanksgiving, and the coach of this turkey-serving team is owner Austin Ballor. He and dozens of workers spend the year practicing, preparing, and perfecting the art of a homemade Thanksgiving meal served fast and friendly.
We spoke to Ballor about how he prepared for and manages the long line of cars waiting while serving about 2,000 people on Thanksgiving.
A Long Line of Turkey Lovers
The Turkey Roost has been serving turkey on M-13 since 1955, when its first owner, Clayton Kitchen, bought an abandoned hamburger stand and decided to build a restaurant around one main dish.
Kitchen believed a focused menu could mean better-tasting food, lower prices, and faster service for travelers. The restaurant changed hands in 1968, then Todd Ballor, who had worked there as a high school busboy, bought it in 1995. His son Austin took over around 2022.
“Every Thanksgiving, my mom would bring my sister and me up here, and then I started working here too on Thanksgiving, right? I’ve spent every Thanksgiving here. My dad has spent every Thanksgiving working for about the last 30 years as well. This is kind of like our celebration,” Ballor said.
Getting Ready for Thanksgiving at the Turkey Roost
Thanksgiving is the Turkey Roost’s busiest day, but the preparation starts long before the first car pulls into line. Ballor says the team spends the year training employees to take orders, prepare meals, and keep service moving when the restaurant is packed.
On an average day, the Turkey Roost serves about 500 people. Thanksgiving Day? That number jumps as high as 2,000.
“I always tell my crew that this is our Super Bowl. This is what we work on all year, developing people, training people so they do things properly, efficiently, and quickly. All of that combined, and it really culminates on one day for us,” Ballor told us, adding, “We’re just trying to make sure everyone gets a good meal because it’s Thanksgiving.”
Ballor says it uses more than 120 turkeys during Thanksgiving week, though the exact amount can vary.
Thanksgiving Day at the Turkey Roost
While the week leading up to Thanksgiving is busy, Turkey Day means all hands on deck. Around 40 employees are expected to work, nearly the entire staff.
“They are the real heroes,” Ballor boasts. “We’re constantly going through and doing as many orders as fast as possible.”
You can hear the genuine enthusiasm in Ballor’s voice as he walks through the Thanksgiving Day game plan. Doors open at 7 am, but the line starts forming down the road about 10 am. The drive-through line can stretch half a mile down the road, but Ballor estimates the average wait at about 25 to 30 minutes.
“The ordering was organized, the line went quickly, and food was delicious!” Turkey Roost fan Candy Krunzell commented in 2025.
Inside, the orders keep coming, and the staff works to get each meal out quickly without losing the homemade feel that brings people back. In fact, the fast homemade meal culture here is legendary.
John Skidmore joked, “You look down at that menu, then you say what you want. By the time you look up, they had it on the table ready for you to eat.”
“We get people who are retired, whose kids are celebrating with their own families, or who don’t have much family in town. Sometimes it’s just two people; sometimes it’s groups of 10 or 15. It’s a nice option for anyone who wants to skip the stress of cooking Thanksgiving dinner,” Ballor added.
Some customers grab dinner to take home, while others settle in and let the Turkey Roost handle the cooking and dishes.
More Than a Meal. It’s a Tradition.
While Ballor knows Thanksgiving is spent at the Turkey Roost, one of the things he’s most thankful for is the number of people who keep coming back.
“The stories that I get such as, ‘I used to go there all the time with my grandpa and grandma. Now we take our kids or grandkids.’ It’s constant. I hear it once a week. That’s what I love to see. It’s not even so much about the food as it is about getting to experience those times with family, right? And that’s something that we try to replicate over and over,” Ballor said, a tinge of pride in his voice.
And if you’re new to the Turkey Roost, there’s room for you at the table, too. Just look for the big pink building along M-13. The color wasn’t part of a grand branding plan. The original owner chose pink because people couldn’t remember the restaurant’s name. They could remember “that big pink place,” and the color stuck.
Happy Thanksgiving Happens Every Day of the Year
The holiday business isn’t limited to Thanksgiving Day. The week before gets busy as people pick up sides and food for gatherings. Maybe you’re bringing dinner to a Friendsgiving, adding a few Turkey Roost sides to the family spread, or looking for a homemade meal after a day of Black Friday shopping.
There’s no need to save the restaurant for one day of the year. Thanksgiving dinner is on the menu all year, and the Turkey Roost will be there when the holiday rolls around, too.
After the rush, the staff gets a break. The restaurant closes for the last two weeks of the year so employees can rest and spend time with their families. It’s a chance to thank the crew for carrying the Turkey Roost through its busiest day, along with a little time for cleaning and renovations.
Baylor added, “Thanksgiving can often be overlooked. It’s nice to celebrate it when you can, and however you want with people.”
If we can offer a local tip? Try the strawberry shortcake for dessert. You’ll be (even more) thankful.
The Turkey Roost is located at 2273 S Huron Road in Kawkawlin. It’s open from 7am to 7pm on Thanksgiving Day.