KID-FRIENDLY MEALS: CATERING TO FAMILIES ON THE GO
By Susan Evans
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Parents are busier than ever and are increasingly turning to restaurants for family mealtime. Recent studies show the average Canadian household visits a restaurant for a meal or snack more than 500 times a year, spending more than 30 per cent of its food dollar on food service. Savvy food service operators recognize the value of this growing market segment and are catering to time-crunched parents to boost their bottom line.
As parents are always on the lookout for family-friendly restaurants, creating a kid-friendly environment and menu is important. However, it doesn’t mean filling a restaurant with balloons and streamers and only offering finger foods. Rather, many of today’s kids are looking for a more “grown-up” atmosphere. And like adults, they are interested in wider choices, ethnic offerings and bolder flavours – though not too spicy and smaller portions.
Here are six things to keep in mind when developing a kid’s menu.
1. IT’S ABOUT QUALITY
Macaroni and cheese, chicken fingers, pizza, grilled cheese sandwiches, pasta dishes and, of course, hamburgers are still the most common foods found on a kid’s menu. And while kids will certainly order them, they – or their parents– won’t pay a return visit if these dishes are made with second-rate ingredients. With so many restaurants offering kids similar fare it’s important to serve children quality food as they (and their parents) will love the restaurant for it and become loyal customers.
2. DARE TO DEVIATE
Don’t dumb down food for kids. Many have become sophisticated with their palates and often want to dine on what their parents are eating, whether it’s seafood, an Asian-style noodle bowl or juicy steak. To accommodate them, include items on the kid’s menu that appear on the regular menu but reduce the portion size and serve side dishes that appeal to young people, such as a junior-sized steak with caesar salad.
Kids also like to help make their meal, so include menu items such as “build a burger” or “construct a taco platter” to allow them to do just that.
3. OFFER HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES
Not only have many parents and children become more knowledgeable about food, they’ve become more aware of the importance of good nutrition. Be sure to offer healthy alternatives, such as wholegrain bread and buns, grilled instead of deep-fried chicken, meat and fish, real fruit juices and colourful side salads instead of French fries.
4. QUICK AND EASY
When kids arrive at a restaurant they are typically hungry and can become restless if they have to wait too long for their meal. For this reason, it is important menu items contain components that can be readied in advance, so the dish can be quickly pulled together even when the restaurant is busy. For example, the mini meatballs and tomato sauce in ‘spaghetti and meatballs’ can be prepared ahead of time, cooled, then quickly reheated and served over freshly made pasta when ordered.
To keep kids – and their parents – happy before the meal arrives, serve a complimentary snack just after the food is ordered, such as celery and carrot sticks or apple slices with dip. This is a small price to pay to keep the tears of hungry kids at bay.
5. HAVE FUN WITH PRESENTATION
Kids will think a restaurant’s food is “cool” if the presentation isn’t pedestrian. Dish up menu items on colourful plates or even in bento boxes. Serve soups or stews in their own little pot, fresh-cut French fries in a paper cone and desserts in edible bowls.
6. PRICE IT RIGHT
A number of food service establishments have been successful in attracting families back to their establishments because they gave careful consideration to how they priced their kid’s menu. Don’t give the food away but find price points that parents paying the bill can live with week after week.
Susan Evans is the trade communications manager for the Beef Information Centre. The Beef Information Centre is the market development division of the Canadian Cattlemen's Association, representing Canada’s 90,000 beef producers. For more information, contact Susan at sevans@beefinfo.org.
