Taking children out for food

[mumtoone91]

Hello, i work in a restaurant and we'd like to make it more appealing for family's. A little stuck for ideas how to do this so would like some mummy or daddy advice on how to , we have a soft play area and serve childrens meals. Thanks

Also clearly mark allergens and if possible have a gluten free option and a dairy free option. Both my sons have cows milk protein allergy and eating out can be a minefield on children's menus. It is very common in very small children and would be very appreciate.

Interesting how we are all coming out with the same basic things that make eating out easier for parents yet they are pretty hard to find. We, as another person mentioned, often go for the harvester as we can get salad immediately and placate a hungry toddler.

Let kids have a small portion of the adults menu if they want.

Love the drawing on tablecloth idea!

Clean toilets with space to get you and a child in the cubicle.

Kids menu with lots of fees ingredients, veg, fruit, soup, pasta, pizza, small roast dinner, that sort of thing. Nothing worse than finding a burger and chips menu for kids.
Our fave place to eat here has a gorgeous garlicky tomato creamy pasta on the menu for kids. Dd (2) used to wolf it down. Chef used to come out after the order was taken and ask if the children would like the meal garlicky or plain or would they like X instead of y. It was clear children were not an afterthought.

No dressing on salads.

Pots of crudités, cherry tomatoes etc are fab - for bigger kids too. My lot range from 8 - 14, two like plain food, two give anything a go.

Love the idea of family Friday. I would go every week!

I'm sure I'm not the only one with a fussy eater for whom nuggets and chips is a godsend! (I also have a child who will happily eat 'adult' food so in all honesty I think you need a bit of both).
I agree with what others have said about activities (with consideration to different age ranges).
Thinking about it though, the most child-friendly places are those where the staff are at ease with children and make them feel welcome. I remember a lovely afternoon tea in a relatively posh establishment where the staff made a big fuss of DD and chatted to her about her toys etc.

I hate when my child gets he's meal so much earlier than me that he is bored by the time mine comes. Don't assume kids won't wait for food, ask.
Little cutlery is a must.
If you have space then multiple safe pottering stations away from walking waiting staff would be fab, so that more people can safely watch their dc playing, it's lovely to have soft play in an eatery, but often only a few tables around the edge of it can half supervise dc in them and they get taken quickly. Maybe a chalk board painted wall with a row of tables slightly pulled out from the wall could make a whole line of family tables with dc up from seats but not tripping up your waiters. I have a local desert restaurant that has Disney films on a big screen that you can see from a lot of tables.
I would even choose somewhere the food isn't that special if any dc with us would have a nice time and we don't feel the need to rush off for the sake of them being bored.

Not sure if it's been mentioned already but it never ceases to amaze me that places (hi Wetherspoons!!) serve kids' food on plates hotter than the surface of the sun. Without fail I ask them to bring an extra cold plate and they look at me baffled. On the other hand, their kids' menu isn't bad, they have crayons and things to colour in, they give you a fruit bag so the child can start on that if they're really hungry, and they always have loads of highchairs. Plus they serve veg as an option with the kids' meals, which seems to be an increasing rarity.

Also Wagamama does well with kids - crayons, free babycinos, stickers when you leave etc.

half portions of anything instead of a beige children's menu
pens and colouring in tablemats
speedy service to minimise waiting

Low sinks

Low sinks

Low sinks

Proper food, not just nuggets and chips

Clean highchairs

My favourite place (with 2-year-old) has a fenced- in play area in the cafe with a good range of decent toys and books in it ). Kids can safely play, and parents don't need to watch them all the time due to the area being fenced and next to seating where adults are eating.

Big sign saying 'children welcome - please ask for anything you need and we will try to help'. Seriously, if you actually do try to help, you will be besieged. Your actual target customers will make their wishes known soon enough!

Two sizes of children's meals would be nice - 0-7 and 8-12 seem like sensible demarcations to me but small and medium (or tiny and small) might give parents a pointer.

Be aware that with smaller children, you have to go with them to the toilet. It is unbelievably infuriating to take your small child to the loo and return to find that your plates have been cleared.