Why are Kid's Menu's in restaurants always the same?

[stef1301]

Hello mums, I am on a mission!! I've started a petition to get restaurants & cafes to have healthier options available on kids menu's. Kids menus haven't changed since I was a child, a good 20 years ago. I think they need to put a little more effort into creating healthy balanced meals, even if it's secretly blitzing veggies into a pasta sauce. I spent many months breastfeeding and BLW, trying to give Fred the best possible start and then get offered chicken nuggets, chips and beans in restaurants. Am I the only one who gets annoyed by this?

www.change.org/p/restaurants-nutritional-meal-choices-for-children-in-restaurants-and-cafes?recruiter=931359741&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition&utm_term=share_petition

No you aren't. Bland, beige junk.

I order an adult main and ask for an extra plate and my two split it.

because kids eat that type of food most days...

plus going out for meal is is a bit of a treat - so why not have chips?

I just avoid places like that. Unfortunately they cater to demand. That's what a lot of children want and what their parents want for them.

Leave the nuggets alone. When I want to get my kids to eat healthily, I do it at home. When I go to the restaurant, I want a children's meal that hasn't been fussed around with, that is instantly familiar and that will facilitate an easy life.

I completely agree; I often say to DH I can guess what’s going to be on a kids menu as they’re all the same.
DSD10 can’t manage an adult portion but we often end up getting her something from there as she doesn’t want chicken nuggets/fish fingers/spaghetti bolognaise.

I get annoyed too.

It's ok when they are small as you can just order your meal and an extra plate.

When they get older they want their own meal . If there's 2 kids it's a bit easier in that you can share but it does mean they have to have the same thing which means their choices. Either that or you throw half the meal away.

It's always utter cheap crap too. Wouldn't he so bad if they made their own chicken nuggets or pizza but it's cheap frozen poor quality crap and kids deserve better. Who goes out for fish fingers ffs we have thise at home

I really expect at least some sort of vegetable with a kid's meal. I can cope with beige but at least stick some carrot sticks on the side!

Well I agree with you. My younger DC, though, is very fussy.....I'm not sure why..... and will only eat bland food such as what is found on the kids menu. So in restaurants, she normally eats pasta with tomato sauce and cheese or pizza. She does like an adult-sized portion though!

I swore I would never let my DCs become like this, too! She is improving - slowly.

YANBU, it’s shit.

I order a main for me and get an extra plate.

I don't understand who you are petitioning.

Do you think the UK government should pass legislation enforcing "interesting" options on kids menu? Otherwise surely it's up to cafes and restaurants what they offer.

If you don't like it, vote with your feet or engage directly with the relevant restauranteurs to let them know what, as a customer, you would like to see.

Otherwise it's shouting into the void a bit isn't it.

No you aren't. I got annoyed too (especially since one DC doesn't like chips) but mine are a bit older now.

In the past I've ordered either a starter from the main menu for my DC or asked for a small portion of a main course. Alternatively they'd eat a portion of my meal along with a side dish.

Not desperate for healthier meals just more variety. From 4 ish one of mine would have far preferred the option of salmon or quiche and was bored to death of the only options being nuggets or sausages again.

He's still a big fan of food and is an adventurous eater, but rarely wants the kids option. The other one loves boring food though like mum

Yanbu. Some places will do you a half portion of an adult main course. Not the ones that get their food out of tin trays though obviously.

Our restaurant doesn't offer a children's menu at all although that's in part because we have had a couple of awful experiences with appalling behaviour from some children we would rather kids didn't come in at all but that's a whole other story However we will do a children's size portion of just about anything on our main menu, and that seems to work fine. We have a lot of regular customers with kids and they will happily order a kids size chicken Milanese, or kids size spaghetti carbonara/arrabiata/bolognese. In fact what better way to get kids to experience new foods than to encourage them to eat whatever adults eat rather than the bland, beige shit that kids menus offer. I say do away with kids menus altogether

And I should add those regular families who come in have impeccably behaved kids so they are welcomed with open arms!

Thunderpunt your restaurant sounds great. Why shouldn't children be able to eat nice food when they go out? Fish fingers and chips is what I cook on days I can't be arsed to do anything else. I don't really like paying other people to not be arsed.

Because it's what children will eat. If we are out for a meal with DD (already rare), it's usually because we're out for a whole day. The most important thing for us is that she eats a reasonable amount so that she can continue enjoying the day. She's very very fussy, and in any case, a day when she's already had lots of new experiences and when we'd all benefit from her coping well is not the time to try to get her to eat something new. We pretty much never simply go out for a meal (did I mention a fussy child?!); we aim to try new things at home, when it matters less if she enjoys it.

I think you need balance with some healthy options but some "treat tea" choices provided it's not nuggets made from the arse end of the chicken - agree with a previous poster who said our kids deserve better. I really like places that offer to do a smaller cheaper version of adults food as generally we eat the same thing anyway.

Places we've loved for good options over the years (DD age 10 now) have been Carluccios, Wagamama (she would drink the sauce her chicken and noodles come with by the cup if she could) and I'm not too snobby to say Mcdonalds every now and then (plus it's a good cup of coffee).

Not sure petitioning is necessary though.

I like the sound of your restaurant!!! :)

I'm not sure what you expect the government to do about it?

The two restaurants I have eaten out in recently are Zizis and TGI Fridays and they seem to have a decent selection (although mine only want pasta and tomato sauce and hot dogs). A lot of places have those mix and match menus now as well (choose a main, a side and a pudding etc). I imagine it's supply and demand. I bet more children will choose burger or chicken nuggets than healthier options. Personally don't eat out often so I don't mind if they choose the unhealthier options but if we'd had a lot of meals out we'd just go somewhere with more choice.

Drives me mad. Deep fried rubbish. I’m not sure if it’s the same in the UK but the Jamie Oliver Italian restaurants are the best for kids menus where I live. Unfortunately I hate the adult menu there!

For me it's not so much that it's unhealthy as I agree that every now and again isn't an issue. It's more that it's boring and shit quality. Just because you're under 12 doesn't mean that you have to eat stuff that isn't nice.

RChole - I started this petition to make sure I am not the only one who feels this way, and I know the UK Government will not listen to a moaning mother and her hatred of beige foods haha, they have a lot of other stuff to argue about. I do plan on going to local restaurants and show them the support I have had on the subject to see if they are willing to add to their menus.

So ladies, please sign the petition and share :)

But the healthier options could be as simple as homemade if that makes sense.

Instead of cheap nuggets full of filler they could make fresh ones

Instead of frozen pizza why not make their own bases, sauce and use decent cheese rather than the stingy sprinkling of crappy plastic cheese

Sausages could be the better higher meat ones similar to the adult menu rather than the shitty ones.

Proper mash potato instead of pellet/powder nonsense

Homemade burger or meatballs witg a tomato and veg sauce.

I like them because DD is quite fussy and so if me and DH want to eat out I like to be confident that they're be something plain that she'll like (she's also veggie).

I hate places that 'fancy' up plain food for kids!