Every Thanksgiving Day, Harry's Cafe takes its normal menu off and serves a free turkey dinner. Anyone can come. There is no charge and there are no conditions, and that includes people who have nowhere else to be that day.
How long it has run
Longer than most people realise, it traces back to the mid nineties, roughly 30 years running and still going every year.
A December 2019 article covered the tradition at twenty three years by that point.
What gets served
The whole menu changes for the day. Carved oven-roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, rice, dinner rolls, green salad, cranberry sauce, and unlimited soda and water. People go back for seconds and thirds, and nobody is counting.
Who makes it happen
Volunteers from nearby churches work the floor alongside the regular staff, and the Mayor of Stanton comes down to help run the day, not just to make an appearance. In 2019 CBS Los Angeles and KCAL News sent reporter Luzdelia Caballero to film it, and the segment showed the line running along the sidewalk on Katella Avenue, the same two stations whose logos are on our own press badges.
The full segment is also up on YouTube as Stanton restaurant, charities gives out free meals for Thanksgiving.
Who makes it possible
The dinner has run on community sponsorship over the years, not just Harry's Cafe's own kitchen. Local businesses and organizations have put their own name behind it, the same names that show up on the 2021 flyer below. These are past sponsorships, not a current, year-to-year list.
That flyer photo comes straight from Harry's Cafe's own Facebook post announcing the sponsors.
Why people keep bringing it up
Four separate Google reviewers have thanked us for it without being asked. One wrote: “So kind that you guys give free Thanksgiving dinner to people. More businesses should do the same.” Another thanked us for opening the doors to people who had nowhere to go.
Planning to come? Find the address and parking on the location page.
Read more about the family behind Harry's Cafe on the About page.
See what the kitchen serves the rest of the year on the full menu.