For a growing number of Americans - and to many a non professional cook's delight - home-based Thanksgiving celebrations are no longer the rule.

These days, roughly 11 percent of people nationwide forgo the turkey roasted for hours by grandma and opt instead to make this most American of holidays a dining out affair, according to information compiled last year by the National Restaurant Association.

It's unclear whether this unconventional twist on celebrating the holiday is any more or less popular in south Louisiana, where traditions - especially those based around food - run deeper than your mama's gumbo pot. But many North Shore restaurants have come to count on Thanksgiving and the winter holidays in general as major contributors to their annual profits.

However, this year in light of the dismal economic climate nationally, some restaurateurs are bracing for a decline in their holiday business.

Joel Treadwell, North Shore regional director for the Louisiana Restaurant Association, says Thanksgiving has for some time functioned as a major event for many North Shore restaurants as residents have increasingly viewed eating out for the holiday as a viable option for low-stress celebrations.

Yet Treadwell says some restaurateurs are worried that the nation's economic woes could outweigh convenience where holiday plans are concerned, and many who would otherwise make reservations at the nearest white-linen restaurant might opt instead to return to a more traditional Thanksgiving model this year and prepare their own meals at home.

"Everybody's kind of got their fingers crossed that things will fall into line," he said in early October.

Thanksgiving is typically one of the busiest times of year for the restaurant Dakota in Covington, running close behind Mother's Day and Christmas Eve, says owner Kenny LaCour.

In light of the economic realities hampering his industry nationwide, LaCour was anticipating less of a rush this Thanksgiving.

"We are preparing ourselves for that," he says. Still, he remained hopeful that his projections might be in vain.

After all, he notes, as of the first week in October, Dakota had already begun receiving phone calls from patrons inquiring about Thanksgiving reservations - a timeline he describes as "highly, highly unusual. " Typically, he says his restaurant doesn't start booking tables for the holiday until the end of October.

LaCour had also noted at least one new trend that appeared to be taking shape this year: increased interest for his restaurant's take-away service among clients looking to host smaller, home-based celebrations.

"In tough economic times, maybe it's an innate characteristic that people tend to be a little bit more home-bound," he says of the phenomenon.

But Diana Cottier, a chef living outside Abita Springs who for two decades has catered the holiday parties of an ever-expanding group of friends and acquaintances and who in years past has been flown to attend to clients as far away as Dallas, says interest in her services has slackened markedly this year.

And those interested in her services lately, she says, have strict budgetary controls in mind.

In an interview in early October, Cottier, who doesn't advertise but typically finds her holiday schedule booking up by that time, says she had received just one phone call about Thanksgiving catering, from a prospective client she had never worked for before. Many of her longtime clients appeared reluctant to host lavish catered celebrations this year, a mindset Cottier says she fully understands.

"I don't want to say it's a luxury," she says, "but it's not a necessity. "

Plus, she says she won't be upset if she gets to stay home this Thanksgiving.

Meantime, at least one North Shore restaurant isn't expecting any drop off in Thanksgiving business this year.

"On a regular basis, when everyone else is busy we're not and when they're not busy we are," says Erick Loos IV, chef de cuisine at La Provence restaurant in Lacombe, who attributes the trend in part to his restaurant's far-flung, pastoral setting.

"We've already received a bunch of calls asking if we're open or not," Loos said in early October. "I'm sure we'll be very busy that day. "

He says he expects to serve close to 400 people Nov. 26 - as many as he would normally serve in a two-week span.