Best places for a big Thanksgiving crowd

[TShriber]

Hi, after years of travelling elsewhere for Thanksgiving, we invited our extended family to NYC this year. We'll have about 30 people in total-- maybe 20 adults and 10 kids of varying ages or so. There's no way we can cram everyone into our apartment, so we need to go the restaurant route. We probably need a private room, but not necessarily. Any ideas on good places to start thinking about?

[kathryn]

I think your biggest concern will be budget. How much are you willing to spend per adult on food? Per child?

For example, a nicer restaurant like Hearth, charged $75/adult, $35/child (ages 10 and under) last year, and that was in the main dining room. It may be even more expensive to do it in a private dining room.

For such a large group, you should also take into account any room fees or room minimums, in addition to an automatic 20% gratuity, taxes, and any wine/beer/etc.

[TShriber]

We'd like to keep it under $100 per person all in, ideally even less. We don't have a big drinking crowd, so we should be ok from that perspective. Hearth is a good option, but hoping for something closer to UWS.

[Jane A.]

Check the boards to see who has done Tday dinner in the past. You have plenty of time to go and check the space and speak to manages now in preparation.

[Phil Ogelos]

Wow! I can't offer any suggestions, alas, but I had to give you a thumbs-up (and a bump) for planning ahead.
Happy Thanksgiving.