People partaking of Big Ed’s BBQ’s annual free Thanksgiving dinner have a choice this year. They can get in the drive-through lane, as most of them have over the past 15 years, or they can come inside and be served the same meal at a long table with other community members.
Since Ed Nero moved his restaurant from its original spot on Lakehurst Road to a former banquet hall a few hundred yards south, he has more than five times the space. Now he wants to give people a chance to sit at a table and be served a Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings.
Serving 150 people at a time, Nero said the sit-down meal provides something more than eating the food. Some may come with their families, and others may come by themselves. At this time of year, particularly now, being with others is important.
“No one should feel alone,” Nero said. “They’ll sit together, eat and have conversations. They can enjoy the meal and each other. They will be served together, can eat together and talk together.”
Big Ed’s BBQ in Waukegan will offer a free Thanksgiving meal between noon and 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving Thursday to those who sit at a table and others who get in the drive-through lane to thank the community for its support the rest of the year.
With three restaurants in Waukegan and North Chicago serving free Thanksgiving meals, Juan’s Chuck Wagon in Waukegan and Eleven19 Kitchen & Cocktails in North Chicago will join Big Ed’s with their own efforts.
Juan Retana, whose father opened the restaurant in 1996, said free Thanksgiving dinners of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, peach pie, apple pie and pumpkin pie will be available to anyone who comes into the eatery on Thursday between 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Michael Coleman of Eleven19 said a free Thanksgiving meal will be served to homeless people between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Thursday. Between 1 and 8 p.m., members of the military and other community servants like police, fire and municipal workers, will receive 50% off their bill.
Both Nero and Retana said business started to slow when the U.S. Department of Homeland Security increased its local efforts. It became more acute in September when Operation Midway Blitz began. They hope the free Thanksgiving meal will help the community recover.
Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham said in an email he is “grateful” for the local restaurants and community organizations that are offering free Thanksgiving meals to members of the community at a time when there was and still is widespread stress.
“Their generosity reminds us what the holiday season is all about,” he said. “It has been a difficult year for so many, so it is more important now than ever for us to come together to support one another. That is the Waukegan way.”
North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham Jr. agrees with Cunningham about the trying times for the community because of the presence of federal immigration enforcement officers. Approximately 200 departed when DHS closed its Naval Station Great Lakes command center.
“The holiday season is always a special time for people to gather together,” Rockingham said. “With things quieting down, I hope we can have the kind of Thanksgiving everyone has come to expect. It is something we need right now.”
Helping Nero and his staff are more than 150 volunteers. He said the menu is the same whether dining inside or getting the food and taking it home. There will be turkey, ham, cornbread and dressing. Sides include macaroni and cheese, collard greens, green beans, candied sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce.
For those eating indoors, Nero said guests can walk in and be seated. People who want to take the meal home should follow the volunteers’ directions as they circle the restaurant. The food will be brought to them while they wait in their car.
At Eleven19, Coleman said the earlier meal has a one-plate limit. It consists of chicken, catfish, cornbread and two sides. Available sides will be macaroni and cheese, green beans, and sweet potatoes.
For those who come for the 50% off dinner, Coleman said diners can order off the menu, which includes lamb chops, catfish, salmon and a variety of other dishes.
Nero stresses that the meal — whether eating at the restaurant or taking the food home — is about the community and is open to everyone. It is the 10th year he and his family have done it as a way of thanking customers and others.
“This is our way of giving back to the community, which has supported us for the past 18 years,” Nero said. “It’s a chance for everyone to enjoy a good, hot meal.”
Nero said he got the idea from Juan’s Chuckwagon. Retana said his father started it the first year they were open 29 years ago. Retana said the Thanksgiving meal has always been for the community as a thank you for the rest of the year, and 2025 is particularly significant.
“This year has been a rough year with everything that’s happened,” Retana said. “A lot of people are scared. We want to help the community get back to normal.”