What items would you like to see on a child friendly cafe menu?

[EatingCalamari]

Asking for a friend who is revamping the menu for her child friendly cafe.

What items would you like to see on offer for your children?

TIA

Our local pub only ever sold childs portions of the adult menu. The children loved it

Agreed, I think it needs to be both (that's what I meant in my PP), parents can restrict if they wish. Definitely some healthy options but there needs to be some easy crowd pleasers too (assuming dinner style food).

Mine like a bit of choice. So for example fish fingers or nuggets. Beans or peas. Chips or salad. That makes it a bit adaptive which helps!

I do love the idea above of a select your own picky bits.
My kids would love that. Especially if you gave them a little tick list to do themselves.

When they were younger my kids liked the lunchbox option when it was available. Little sandwich (ham/jam/cheese) crisps, cucumber sticks, piece of fruit.

Now at 6 and 9 they generally choose a toastie or jacket potato. Cheese + beans or cheese + tuna.

^ this

Fish Fingers and Chips.
But also available in an adult size portion please.
Heinz tomato sauce - in bottles. None of those stupid tiny sachets.

Half and quarter portions of adult meals.
Lots of veggie and vegan options, that if wanted you could add a meat or fish option.
Noodles with veggies.
Decent quality homemade food.
Quesadillas.
Home made mini pizzas.
Veggies and salads in child portions.

Depends on the rest of the cafe menu. If there are no adult meals like a burger and chips then I wouldn't expect things with chips for children. If it's mostly sandwiches and wraps then I'd expect similar for children. If it's all day breakfast then I'd expect things like beans on toast, scrambled egg on toast, and small versions of the adult breakfasts.

I like the picky bits/ toddler tapas ideas, kids love making choices and building their own little combinations, and it will please parents too to have a lunch that isn't fried beige. You could offer a choice of mini flapjack/brownie/cookie for dessert with berries or chopped banana etc.

We used to go to a lovely cafe that did a kids ploughmans or picnic plate. You could choose from ham, chicken or cheese and it had a slice of buttered bread, a little cupcake and some crisps, crudités and fruit.

Another vote for half portion adult meals, although I probably would offer this in addition to standard kiddie stuff as there will always be kids who want nuggets etc. I've also often wished for a sizing up of a starter menu by adding rice, salad etc to starters. DS is well into adult portions now but often would have liked a starter as his main if it was bigger.

Only if the children only ever eat that type of food normally.

There are far too many cafes and pubs that offer only beige food for children. They can go there.
Some families have children that like a variety of foods. Beige food is a cop out.

Our local cafe basically offers build your own sandwich options
So choose from Sandwich, toastie, pita, wrap or baguette
Lots of different protein based fillings (including warm options like fish fingers and bacon)
Lots of veg add ons
Lots of sauces and condiments and spreads like marmite, hummus and cream cheese
Children have the option of a half portion of any of them.
So all tastes catered for.

The same fillings can be added to an omelette, jacket or served as a salad. Jackets can also have beans or the hot topping of the day which is normally either a curry or chilli. The omelettes come in small or large and there is an option for half a jacket.

They have a daily soup of the day, a ploughman's and then each day a couple specials such as a pasta dish, a tart or quiche or a haloumi skewer with a couple of salads. All have an option for a half option.

So basically I'd say simple food, cooked well, with quality ingredients and lots of flexibility!

Only if the children only ever eat that type of food normally.

It's very normal for children to prefer safe and predictable foods when out, and also normal for parents to pick their battles and be happy to allow the odd beige meal when out and about even if it doesn't feature at home.

The cafe is a business and so needs to appeal to as many families as possible, not take a stance on healthy eating for children if the bottom line will suffer.

It's possible to offer a bit of both and if parents don't want to allow nuggets and chips then the children can pick something else.

Yes to family platters, maybe even they could come in different sizes so suitable for 1adult + 1 child or 1 adult + 2 children. I'd easily be able to share picky bits or small plates with my DD if there were things like garlic bread/chicken bites/fish goujons if the sauces were kept separate and could add a veg sticks/corn on the cob for kids who tolerate sweetcorn.

Also smaller cakes for kids! Some of the cakes are massive! Just fairy cake size, small brownies, flapjacks or muffins.

What’s the issue if they serve it alongside the stuff you’d like? Why limit others, it’s no odds to you if your kids don’t want it?

Yes! The children's desserts are always ice-cream, which mine are so excited by and then eat three bites. A little bun or slice of cake or a fancy biscuit would go down very well.

Half portions of the normal menu.

Kids tapas or lunch box type thing but you get to choose a certain number of items from a list. I have a very fussy eater and this would be amazing as there is always something he doesn't like on set meals (breadsticks, houmous, veg sticks, fruit, toast, crackers, pitta, crumpet, cheese portion etc). Also I went to a hotel recently and they actually had jam sandwich and crisps on the kids menu. I'd have thought it was a crap choice before I had my fussy eater, but it was refreshing to see something rubbish he'd eat 😂.

Vegan options! At so many places it’s a choice of ham or cheese sandwich, or burger or chicken nuggets for hot options. Sometimes you can get jacket potato and beans with no butter/cheese or tomato pasta with no cheese but I’d love to see more places with vegan kids sandwich options like hummus, or vegan sausage and mash/veggie fingers/vegan nuggets. Kids’ menus are lagging so far behind standard menus when it comes to vegan options IME. Offering small portions of the main menu as others have suggested would probably also help this.

And making sure everything comes with a portion of veg. I think things have improved since the soil association started the out to lunch campaign but still a lot of kids’ meals aren’t particularly balanced.

LOVE the idea of the picky bits/toddler tapas where you pick 4 or 5 things out of a selection.
My kids would love that.

For my toddler this would be absolutely ideal! I finds stuff like tomato pasta or anything with beans to be a massive pain in the ass with a very little one so what you’ve listed here would definitely draw me in, probably weekly.

Toddler cutlery, plates & cups would be great too as an option for people with younger kids.

Cheese, ham wrap pinwheels. Essentially, just a wrap with some ham and cheese rolled up and cut into slices. Easy as pie but some protein and carbs for a fussy eater. Can have with some fruit and veg bits and it's great. Might be a bit too much like home but SO handy if you have a fussy one.