Hart's Turkey Farm is a restaurant in

Meredith, New Hampshire Meredith is a New England town, town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,662 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Meredith is situated in the state's Lakes Region (New Hamp ...

in the United States. The restaurant opened in 1954 and has a large menu showcasing turkey dishes.

History

In 1946, brothers Larry and Russ Hart, and wives Helen and Gerda, moved to the Lakes Region of

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

from the

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

suburbs. The Hart family vacationed in the Lakes Region since the 1920s. They started a farm. They sold produce and meat out of a truck, including chicken, turkey, fruit and vegetables. By 1953, the Hart family started only raising turkeys. In 1954, they opened a small restaurant that seated twelve in

. The restaurant served turkey sandwiches and dinners with Hart's Turkey Farm turkey. Larry died in 1960, and Russ became the sole owner of the farm and restaurant. By 1965, Russ Hart quit farming to expand and operate the restaurant full-time. He decided to source turkeys from other farms using strict standards. Lynn, Dale, Russell T., and Glenn Hart - the children of Russ and Helen - purchased the restaurant in 1986. Today, the restaurant Hart family member Sam Wiley. The restaurant opened a second location in

Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous city in New Hampshire. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 115,644. Manchester is, along with Nashua, one of two seats of New Hamp ...

in 2008. The second location was temporarily closed for renovations in 2011.

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusetts f ...

visited the Meredith location during the 2012 presidential election. As of 2021, the second location is permanently closed. In 2014, Hart's hosted a tourism industry open house for its 60th anniversary. Over 600 people attended. In 2018, a tanker truck rolled over in front of the restaurant, causing minor damage to the building. During the summer, the restaurant has 230 employees. Due to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant was approximately 100 employees short in 2021. Willey owns two apartment buildings to support workers and provides reduced rent to employees. Hart's sponsors an annual Thanksgiving dinner providing complimentary meals for families and individuals in need or celebrating the holiday alone. They also operate a catering company.

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...

and

Caroline Kennedy Caroline Bouvier Kennedy (born November 27, 1957) is an American author, attorney, and diplomat serving in the Biden administration as the United States Ambassador to Australia since 2022. She previously served in the Obama administration as the ...

have dined at the original Hart's Turkey Farm.

Restaurant design and style

Hart's Turkey Farm is a large white building surrounded by parking lots. The entrance has a gift shop. In 2011,

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...

' Larry Olmstead described the restaurant as having "a bit of a

truck stop A truck stop, known as a service station in the United Kingdom, and a travel center by major chains in the United States, is a commercial facility which provides refueling, rest (parking), and often ready-made food and other services to motori ...

feel" and a "practical New England feel." The restaurant is divided into multiple dining rooms, which can seat over 500 individuals combined. The rooms have wood-paneled walls, and each room has a collection of plates and dishes with turkey motifs on display. There are over 1,000 platters in the collection, which was started by Mae Hart. The restaurant also includes a bar and bakery.

Cuisine

The restaurant used to sell dishes made with Hart's Turkey Farm turkeys. Today, they source turkeys from other farms, with their biggest supplier being from Utah. The extensive menu has numerous turkey-centric dishes on it. Hart's most popular meal is a Thanksgiving-style meal offered daily. The meal includes roasted

turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

served in three portion sizes, with over a pound being the largest portion. The price, as of 2014, was $22.95, including sides. A turkey drumstick dinner is also available. As of 2011, it was $10.99. They also sell turkey sandwiches, including turkey meatball sandwiches, a "Turkey Gobbler" sandwich topped with stuffing, cranberry sauce, and mayo, and a turkey Rueben. They also serve turkey variations on chicken divan, chicken alfredo, and

cheesesteak A cheesesteak (also known as a Philadelphia cheesesteak, Philly cheesesteak, cheesesteak sandwich, cheese steak, or steak and cheese) is a sandwich made from thinly sliced pieces of beefsteak and melted cheese in a long hoagie roll. A popular r ...

s. The restaurant also sells appetizers including

croquette A croquette is a deep-fried roll consisting of a thick binder combined with a filling, which is breaded and deep-fried; it is served as a side dish, a snack, or fast food worldwide. The binder is typically a thick béchamel or brown sauce, m ...

made of turkey, turkey nuggets,

potstickers ''Jiaozi'' (; ; pinyin: jiǎozi) are Chinese dumplings commonly eaten in China and other parts of East Asia. ''Jiaozi'' are folded to resemble Chinese sycee and have great cultural significance attached to them within China. ''Jiaozi'' a ...

filled with turkey, turkey quesadillas, turkey soup,

tempura is a typical Japanese dish usually consisting of seafood, meat and vegetables that have been battered and deep fried. The dish was introduced by the Portuguese in Nagasaki through fritter-cooking techniques in the 16th century. The word ''tem ...

turkey, and sauteed turkey liver with onion, cranberry relish, and mushrooms. Non-turkey dishes include hamburgers and pasta. They also sell fried clams and

lobster roll A lobster roll is a dish native to New England. It is made of lobster meat served on a grilled hot dog-style bun. The filling may also contain butter, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper, with variants made in some parts of New England replacin ...

s during the summer. Hart's makes their own

salad dressing A salad dressing is a sauce for salads. Used on virtually all '' leafy salads'', dressings may also be used in making salads of beans (such as three bean salad), noodle or pasta salads and antipasti, and forms of potato salad. Salad dressings ...

mashed potatoes Mashed potato or mashed potatoes (American and Canadian English), colloquially known as mash (British English), is a dish made by mashing boiled or steamed potatoes, usually with added milk, butter, salt and pepper. It is generally served as a ...

chowder Chowder is a thick soup prepared with milk or cream, a roux, and seafood or vegetables. Oyster crackers or saltines may accompany chowders as a side item, and cracker pieces may be dropped atop the dish. New England clam chowder is typically ...

s, and

relish A relish is a cooked and pickled product made of chopped vegetables, fruits or herbs and is a food item typically used as a condiment to enhance a staple. Examples are chutneys and the North American relish, a pickled cucumber jam eaten with ho ...

made with carrot. They also make their own

ice cream Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as str ...

. The

cranberry sauce Cranberry sauce or cranberry jam is a sauce or relish made out of cranberries, commonly served as a condiment or a side dish with Thanksgiving dinner in North America and Christmas dinner in the United Kingdom and Canada. There are differences in ...

is from a can. As of 2011, the restaurant sold over a ton of turkey, 1,000 pounds of potatoes, 4,000 bread rolls, 40 gallons of gravy, and 1,000 pies daily. In 2021, the restaurant sold an average of 100 40-pound turkeys daily. On Thanksgiving Day, the restaurant sells 1,600 turkey dinners onsite and 180 dinners for takeout.

Reception

In 2011, ABC News' Larry Olmstead described Hart's Turkey Farm as having "attentive, friendly small-town service and the unique atmosphere" and having a "novelty." He called the food "quite good." He called the stuffing "very good", the mashed potatoes "rich and decadent" and the desserts "excellent." Local

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College (; ) is a private research university in Hanover, New Hampshire. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, it is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Although founded to educate Native A ...

administrator, Gregg Cerveny, called the restaurant "a New Hampshire institution." The restaurant has been featured on the ''

Phantom Gourmet The ''Phantom Gourmet'' is a food-related television program featuring profiles of New England area restaurants. The show airs on WSBK-TV in Boston, Massachusetts, WNAC-DT2 in Providence, Rhode Island, and WPXT in Portland, Maine each Saturda ...

'' and the Travel Channel. The

Michelin Guide The Michelin Guides ( ) are a series of guide books that have been published by the French tyre company Michelin since 1900. The Guide awards up to three Michelin star (classification), stars for excellence to a select few establishments. The ac ...

has also profiled the restaurant.

References

External links

*
"Hart's Turkey Farm's Vintage Turkey Plate Collection"
from ''New Hampshire'' magazine {{Authority control Restaurants established in 1954 American companies established in 1953 1953 establishments in New Hampshire 1954 establishments in New Hampshire Restaurants in New Hampshire Poultry restaurants Thanksgiving