Thanksgiving Week Rental Delivery and Pickup: When to Book

Thanksgiving is the one dinner where the table is the whole event. If you are hosting 16 or 30 in a Chicago two-flat, bungalow or suburban split-level, you probably need extra tables, chairs and linens. The trouble is timing. Everyone wants the same Wednesday, and the day after the holiday is slow for everyone who handles a truck. This guide shows how to pick days that work, what to do with rentals before the dinner, and how to plan for the pickup that does not go as scheduled.

The week at a glance

The days around Thanksgiving are not like a normal event week. Delivery crews are in short supply on Thursday, and many rental companies are closed or have limited hours. Rules vary by company, so confirm each date when you book.

Why Tuesday or Wednesday for delivery

Delivery the Monday before is often too early. You would live with stacks of chairs in the dining room for three days, and linens are easier to keep clean when they arrive close to the dinner. Wednesday is the most popular day, so it fills first. Tuesday is the safer ask. A Tuesday delivery gives you time to count items, set the tables the night before and find out that a cloth is the wrong size while there is still time to fix it.

If you can only get Wednesday, ask for a delivery window and have a plan for the pot of cranberries on the stove, because a window can be 2 to 4 hours long.

Friday or Monday for pickup

Most hosts want pickup the next morning. That is the day the companies are least able to do it. Friday is a real option at some companies and a closed day at others. Many will offer Monday instead, and some charge extra for a holiday or weekend pickup. Ask before you book, not after. See late-night and early pickup fees for how those charges usually work.

If you have a long weekend of family visiting, Monday pickup may suit you fine. The tables can stay set, covered, in a spare room. Just be sure the rental period is in writing so nobody is surprised by an extra-day charge.

Keeping rentals safe before and after

A cold November can be hard on rented items you keep outside. Linens left in a car trunk or a damp garage can pick up smells and moisture. Chairs left in an unheated garage are fine, but wet or frozen floors can warp the cardboard cartons and the plastic crates that hold dinnerware.

• Keep linens and dinnerware indoors, off the floor and out of the way of the oven.
• Chairs and tables can wait in a cold garage if it is dry and the door is closed.
• Do not stack rental plates in the oven drawer or near a heat vent.
• Count each item at delivery and again before pickup.
• Rinse and scrape plates, and put dirty linens into a bag, not a pile. Follow your rental company's rules on pre-washing and stains. See returning rentals.

What most hosts find out too late

Order early, then lock the numbers

Thanksgiving week is one of the busiest of the year for tables and chairs, because homes cannot seat 20 people on their own. Order as early as you can, ideally in the first week of November. The final headcount can wait, but the date and the main items should not. See when to book chair rentals in Chicago and final headcount deadlines.

A rough, adjustable plan: seat adults at tables of 8 to 10 where you can, and use a separate kids table. For the table math, see Thanksgiving dinner for a crowd and Friendsgiving for 20. Linens are your biggest decision. A 6-foot banquet table takes a 90 x 132-inch cloth to the floor. Check the tablecloth size chart.

If the pickup gets pushed

Sometimes the crew cannot make it on Friday. You are not stuck, but you do need a plan.

1. Ask for the new pickup window in writing, and ask whether the extra day has a charge.
2. Move the tables and chairs into the corner of the room or the garage, so the house is usable.
3. Bag and label dirty linens and keep them out of the cold, not on a porch.
4. Tell everyone at home who the pickup contact is, so a driver is not turned away.
5. Keep the packing crates and boxes. The company will want the same ones back.

When you book through us, one person on our team keeps track of the date and the pickup with the rental companies, so you do not have to chase several calls. You can book a call when you are ready.

Get Thanksgiving week on the calendar

Tell us your date, headcount and address, and we will check the dates with the rental companies and put it all on one quote. Book a free 15-minute planning call or get a quote. One call covers the whole rental list.