GARNER, N.C. — The Butterball Turkey-Talk Line is now officially open for the holiday season, marking 40 years as an authority on all things Thanksgiving. Since 1981, the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line experts have offered advice and tried and true tips for cooking a perfect turkey to millions of holiday hosts, initially by phone, and now including text, online chat, social media, and Alexa.
“The Butterball Turkey Talk-Line has become a Thanksgiving institution, and we’re back in our 40th year to help new and seasoned hosts take the guesswork out of cooking turkey. This year we are focused on helping new and returning hosts, so they have more time to spend enjoying special moments with friends and family,” said Nicole Johnson, director and 21-year veteran of the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line. “From phone calls to text messages to social media and Tik Tok, we continue to evolve to be there for hosts however they want to reach us and give them the confidence they need to pull off a successful Thanksgiving.”
This year Butterball launched the Turkey Talk-Line Taste Kitchen – developed to inspire hosts by testing the latest social media cooking trends – as part of its continued evolution to support home cooks. Since 1981 the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line has offered Thanksgiving inspiration in the most culturally relevant ways:
- 1981 Experts Emerge: Butterball Turkey Talk-Line debuts with 6 operators and fields 11,000 calls that season
- 1984 Tasty Tips Get a Boost from Technology: Turkey Talk-line tosses their paper script and tally system and goes electronic with computerized resource information
- 1985 ‘Wave It: In response to microwave mania, Turkey Talk-Line experts offer a turkey microwave recipe, complete with browning sauce for a golden finish
- 1995 Online Access: Turkey Talk-Line provides instant answers 24/7 with Butterball.com
- 2008 Butterball Goes Social: Butterball provides turkey information on-demand and on-the-go through new social media pages like Facebook and Twitter and mobile offerings
- 2013 Butterball Adds First Male to the Talk-Line: Knowing roles in the kitchen are shifting, Butterball introduces the first men to the Talk-Line staff to represent all holiday cooks
- 2016 Text Me: To meet the need for under-the-radar turkey assistance and quick help when multitasking, Butterball lets cooks text an expert
- 2018 Alexa, Ask Butterball: Butterball ensures you don’t have to lift a finger to get tips for your Thanksgiving meal by adding Butterball Alexa Skill to hear from a Talk-Line expert
- 2020 Celebrating Together from Afar: The Butterball Turkey Talk-Line operated remotely from their own homes for the first time in history to help hosts counting on their expert advice even during a pandemic
- 2021 Recipes to Dance to: To reach today’s first-time hosts and those hoping to try out the latest food trends, Butterball launches the Talk-Line Taste Kitchen on TikTok
The Taste Kitchen arrived at the right time, considering a recent survey conducted on behalf of Butterball uncovered that no matter what Thanksgiving 2021 looks like, people are still planning to find a way to celebrate with turkey at the center of their table. According to the survey:
- Celebrations are top of mind: 99% of consumers are planning to celebrate with a Thanksgiving meal, with 85% planning to do so with turkey at the center of their table.
- Smaller gatherings will return: Nine in ten Americans planning to host Thanksgiving this year are looking forward to a traditional dinner, but one-third of consumers are, again, planning for smaller gatherings.
- Millennials are stepping up to host: 50% of millennials intend to host this year (traditionally 42%), with 77% of millennials who hosted in 2020 intending to host again this year.
- Hosts are willing to upgrade turkey size: Nearly two-thirds (61%) of consumers are willing to upgrade to a larger turkey in order to have a turkey on their table.
- Shoppers are planning ahead: Consumers are looking for ways to make their celebrations special, and ways to make the day easier – 84% of hosts are planning the amount of food they will serve a week or more in advance of Thanksgiving.
Whether hosting Thanksgiving for the first or fortieth time, the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line experts are standing by to help now through Dec. 24 (with extended hours the week of Thanksgiving) via:
- Call 1-800-BUTTERBALL (1-800-288-8372) or Text 844-877-3456: Turkey Talk-Line experts will be available to answer questions and assist all holiday cooks.
- Social Media: Help and inspiration is available through the Butterball TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Pinterest channels.
- Butterball Skill for Amazon Alexa: Users can simply say, “Alexa, ask Butterball…” to enable the skill and hear trusted Talk-Line experts share answers to pressing turkey questions.
- Website: Chat live with the experts on Butterball.com to receive real-time suggestions and advice, plus find trusted recipes, ideas for leftovers, step-by-step how-to videos, and key tips for success.
- Email: Email Butterball using this form and receive helpful tips right to your inbox.
For more information, visit Butterball.com.
Survey Methodology: Butterball commissioned an omnibus online survey among a nationally representative sample of 1,005 U.S. adults. The survey was fielded by Ipsos between September 9-10, 2021.
About the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line
One of the first national, toll-free consumer help lines, the Turkey Talk-Line has helped almost 50 million consumers since its first season in November 1981. Each November and December, professionally trained turkey experts assist more than 4 million cooks through the Turkey Talk-Line, Butterball.com, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Butterball Skill for Alexa, live chat and emails in the United States and Canada. With more than 50 staff members, the Turkey Talk-Line has the resources to answer questions from both English- and Spanish-speaking callers and respond to questions via email.
About Butterball
Headquartered in Garner, N.C., Butterball is the largest producer of turkey products in the U.S. – producing more than 1 billion pounds of turkey each year. For more than 65 years, the company has provided food service and retail products to customers and consumers around the world. As an industry leader in quality, food safety and animal well-being, the company employs numerous processes to ensure the health of flocks and implements recognized prevention measures to exceed food safety standards. Butterball products are currently distributed throughout the U.S. and in more than 45 countries. Butterball operates six processing plants located in North Carolina, Arkansas and Missouri.
For consumer questions or information, please visit Butterball.com or call 1-800-BUTTERBALL (1-800-288-8372).
