Birthday parties - what would you prefer?

[Summerishere123]

I run a play centre and do several parties a day. They are done in a traditional manner where the children play for 90 minutes and then eat in the party room before going home.
I find that the kids aren't interested in the food and just want to play so it gets a bit chaotic in the room. We are considering changing things up and doing a snack table that they can access the whole time, with no formal meal and 2 hours play. They cannot have a sit down meal halfway through (a 2 hour play) unless we put the price up.
As a parent, which would you prefer?
1.5 hours then food
2 hours with snacks
Pay more for 2 hours with a sit down meal

Snacks would have t be cheap and cheerful like popcorn, crisps, slush. Any suggestions on snacks appreciated.

Wouldn’t the clean up be harder with snacks? Popcorn everywhere etc.

It would perhaps depend on the time of day.
If it's after school then the kids might need something resembling a meal. If it's at 2 or 3 on a weekend afternoon then some snacks would make more sense.

If you just have snacks, how would you do the cake cutting/singing happy birthday or would you not bother? The birthday child might not like missing that part.

Yes I agree it depends on time of day. I went to a similar party last year where absolutely shit loads of food was served at 4pm which was a bit early for dinner.

Are you able to offer different options depending on time of day? What would you be thinking if the party was around lunchtime?

I run a play centre and do several parties a day. They are done in a traditional manner where the children play for 90 minutes and then eat in the party room before going home.

You have several parties a day so I assume the current set up is popular and works well. If so then I wouldn't change it.

I can't imagine many parents would be happy with a help yourself snack table as it would require monitoring throughout the entire party, and you would need to ensure children don't take the food back into the soft play. Not to mention the food at the end provides a natural break point which helps to show the party is coming to an end, and means you can sing and cut the cake.

I would keep to the current format but perhaps change up the food that's offered. I've been to many parties like this and even outside usual meal time hours, the food gets eaten. Is what you're serving just not appealing? Not very nice? Too much fried whatever after running around?

I think the problem with the snacking idea is that some will sit and snack and some will not unless forced to sit with everyone else, so even if hungry, they'll miss out on eating as they just won't stop playing or leave friends. The nice thing about the meal at the end is that it signals that it's time to go soon, no more playing, then cake and party bags.

My dc had a party at a play centre like this recently and I did find that the food served was 'too much' - huge portions, all beige fried food, and then there were two rounds of dessert, biscuity things plus ice cream and toppings, and then we did cake (which went in party bags). It was a huge meal for 5 year olds. Smaller portions would have been better. Even 'snacking food' but at the end would be better.

If you reduced portions and cost, there may still be waste, but overall cost to you will go down.

I'd keep the format the same as you have currently. As a PP said if you have multiple parties a day then it's obviously popular.

I would think a snack table would be absolute chaos. How would it be monitored, how would you prevent food being taken into the play area or by children not part of the party and when would the cake be done ?

Thanks guys. It isn't the food that is the problem. They eat it and we get great feedback. The problem is that after they have eaten, they get fed up.
I think I will move to 2 hours, including food and put the price up.

Why don't you do 1 hour play, 30 mins food and then 30 mins play afterwards. That way they see it as an extra playtime sort of thing. I would pay extra for that. Snacks wouldn't work for me.

This is what our local (and hugely successful one does).

Food after an hour, cake and singing soon after sitting down. Kids shove the food down their necks and scarper to play for another half hour or so.

Definitely not grazing on snacks all party - because then someone has to police them not taking it on the equipment, they don’t wash their hands and I don’t think they’d be particularly focused on eating a lot of that either. And the allergy issues would make me very nervous too.

My local play center does 1.5 hour play then 30 minutes of food and has had similar timing issues - having been to several of these parties which descended into anarchy my strategy when my child had their party there was to bring a simple non messy activity (they stuck stickers and “gems” on paper bags which became their party bags) for when they’d finished eating, and to be militant about finishing on time. By the time they’d eaten, sung happy birthday, done their bag, put their shoes and coat on, been given their cupcake to put in the bag and said goodbye it was 1 hour and 59 minutes and I had them lined up to go as parents showed up.

In general though a half hour sit down meal is excessive for young children and soft play party type food, I wish they’d just make it fifteen or twenty minutes instead and that’s probably what I’ll ask for if I ever do another soft play party!

3 of our local ones do 1 hr play. 30 min food. 30 min games like hide and seek etc. Works well always booked months in advance.
I had to book August for February.

Small children with 2 hours of access to a snack table......are you insane?? A nightmare for allergies and dietary requirements, a health hazard cos they'll have been picking their nose and sticking their hands down their pants, and dangerous to be running around and eating at the same time!!
What about just offering a drink and snack option instead of a full party meal?

This is what I meant when I said push it to 2 hours play. Food will be about half way through. We cannot do it the way you suggested as they would be in the venue almost 2.5 hours which lets face it, is way too much for the parents!

Our target audience is older primary so not too difficult to organise. We have done it a few times when parents have requested it this way for various reasons. It is the reason we were looking at it but I think I will scrap it unless parents request it.

The whole soft play is a health hazard... Kids in small spaces coughing, touching each other running to a from toilets etc.

Food being available for 2 hours is an issue purely because it will inevitably end up in the play equipment.

Much easier to have them play... Herd them to another space...eat in 20 minutes.... Send them on their way by 2hrs max.

All the local soft plays by us do food after an hour or so, the children sit down for 20 minutes or so eating and then they do the cake. Then they all drift back off to play as they finish up their food. Around 5-10 minutes before the end, they gather the children back together to give them an ice lolly or ice cream or similar, party bags are handed out once shoes are on!

e.g.
10am party
11am food and cake, children drift back to play around 11:20ish
11:50 children gather again, shoes on, ice lollies and party bags handed out.
12pm finish

Put stuff on the table for the kids to play with to keep them seated e.g. kid gets a colouring sheet as a placemat and put out a few tubs of pencils? Maybe a few tubs of lego if the kids are old enough not to drop it everywhere?

Is there any option for a member of staff to lead some party games for 15 mins? So they get 90min soft play, 15 mins of pass the parcel/musical statues with some stickers or whatever as a small prize, then food is served, then they cut the cake, get party bags and leave?

Would it be possible to be flexible and offer parents the option? They will know their party guests the best. One of my DCs and friends weren't interested in food at all, saw this at several of their parties, whereas another DC and pals would have sat and eaten all day given the choice

Keep the food contained. Once they leave the play area for food they should not be allowed back in as you risk exposing people with allergies to food they might be allergic to. Also, if they go back in after eating, doesn’t it make the play area all dirty?

I’d keep the play to 1.5 hours, then assemble them, get them into the party room, feed them for 15 minutes, get them to play a party game or put some balloons out as they’ll bounce them around for 5 minutes. Cake cut at 10 minutes before leaving. Coats on, party bags, then out the door.