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Here’s the One Thing You Should Do As a Thanksgiving Guest, Butterball Says
Your host will probably never let you know.
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Sure, Halloween is still weeks away, but that doesn’t mean it’s too early to talk turkey about Thanksgiving. Perhaps predictably, Butterball is ready to do just that. The turkey brand has just released the 2026 results of its annual Butterball Togetherness Report.
The 2026 Thanksgiving Outlook, which relies on data from a survey of 1,374 U.S. adults across the country, conduced in July of this year, reveals the plans both hosts and guests have for shopping, cooking and celebrating this Thanksgiving.
Among the report’s many interesting findings is the one thing guests should definitely do this Thanksgiving — and, by extension, one thing hosts should do as well.
What is the most important thing for Thanksgiving guests to do?
Offer to help clean up — and then do it.
According to the report, the vast majority of hosts (85%) would like guests to pitch in on the big day. However, a far lower number (38%) ask for the help they need. And nearly half of hosts (49%) say they most need help with the final cleanup after the meal.
“Hosts juggle a lot and most are happy to accept help, especially when they don’t have to ask for it,” the report concludes.
What's the most important thing for Thanksgiving hosts to remember?
Given those stats, it’s not a big leap to then conclude that the most important thing a host can do this Thanksgiving is ask guests for the help they need.
How reluctant are they to do so? Sixty-five percent of hosts say they would love cleanup at the push of a button. We guess this means they’re looking for a short-cut to help that doesn’t mean asking for it. But no such shortcut exists. So, hosts: Ask.
Also, Butterball’s survey found that the average Thanksgiving guest list has 10 people on it. That’s 20 hands that can pitch in on tasks — especially cleanup — to ease the host’s burden.
“There's so much care that goes into the big day, and we heard from hosts that a little support can go a long way,” Rebecca Welch, director of retail and international brand management at Butterball, says in a statement.
What is Butterball doing to help?
The turkey brand is again, for the 45th year, offering free nationwide Thanksgiving support via the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line. As it has done every November and December since 1981, Butterball staffs its toll-free Turkey Talk-Line (1-800-BUTTERBALL) as well as, more recently, offering help through Butterball.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, live chat and email in the United States and Canada — with more than 50 “professionally trained turkey experts” who can help answer turkey questions in English and Spanish.
“From trusted advice from our Butterball Turkey Talk-Line experts to an extensive seasonal product portfolio, Butterball continues to support Thanksgiving hosts when it matters most,” Welch says.
OK, it’s not clearing the table and doing the dishes after the meal, but it’s something. And for the rest of it, guests, you know what to do.
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