Ridgefield Restaurant to Serve Free Dinners on Thanksgiving

RIDGEFIELD, CT — Arber Muriqi, the owner of Ridgefield restaurant The Barn Door, said he usually closes his restaurant on Thanksgiving and spends the day feeding the homeless at a nearby soup kitchen.

But this year he had an epiphany: "Wait, I have a restaurant! Why don't I do something for our guests?"

Muriqi decided to not only keep his restaurant open this Thanksgiving, but serve Thanksgiving dinner to guests free of charge.

"Thanksgiving is time to give thanks, and I wanted to give thanks to our amazing customers, who have been so faithful," he told Patch.

The restaurateur's sudden largesse proved predictably popular. The Barn Door booked to its 150-seat capacity in just 12 hours on word of mouth alone.

The menu for the free Thanksgiving dinner is "turkey with all the trimmings." At The Barn Door that means turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, cranberries, string beans, and pumpkin cheesecake for dessert.

"Since we opened, day one, we have gathered an amazing group of regulars, and I think this is the best way to say 'thank you.'"

Asked if he thought other restaurant owners in the area might follow his example, the Albanian-born Muriqi was hopeful.

"I hope so. I believe that doing good is sort of contagious," he said. "The most joy you get is when you give."

The Barn Door is located at 37 Ethan Allen Highway in Ridgefield. The restaurant is open seven days a week. Usually you will have to pay.