Real menus for children - campaign?

[fuzzpig]

Following this thread it seems parents may like the idea of persuading restaurants to change their children's menus to be more in line with the adult ones.

Some places still seem to offer little more than nuggets/fish fingers etc, which only serves to encourage the idea that children don't want 'real food'.

It would be great if more places were openly willing to do a children's portion of any adult meal for a smaller price (apparently some places do this but I've never seen it advertised), for example. It was mentioned on the above thread and some posters seemed in favour of the idea, so here I am :o

Or what Sirzy said. Much more coherently than me, but that is what I meant. :)

I thought you were back tracking
Would of started this myself after the other thread, but its a good idea and I didn't want to be steeling it!
But seriously I've never seen so much food snobbery in rl as on mn, I feed dc very healthily in comparison to my own diet but my standards are not up there with a regular mn member I cook from scratch and try not to give convenience foods more than once or twice a week but there are mn members who claim they have no shit in their freezer or that the shit is for their dc's guests who don't eat as well as their own kids.
I'm shocked this has got so many people saying whats the point? I see the point and I'm not even a nice MC mner.

I like the idea. Too often (yes, even in chains, Giraffe I am particularly looking at you), the adult food is tasty and interesting and the children's food is plain and dull or even just plain nasty. I have only one child who could never eat an adult portion, and I object to paying for one when all she wants is something nice to eat which should be available at a child's price in an appropriate size. Loads of places simply won't let you order off the adult menu for a child unless you pay full adult price. As DD is 7 and likely to eat a third of an adult portion, I feel a bit hard done by when that happens. A meal out is a fairly rare treat for us. I want to order my own meal, not what DD wants and share, nor do I want to pay over the odds for something she will eat a third of. There are plenty of easily divisible things on most menus where a child could have a smaller portion. And they seem to manage it in some places. One restaurant I go to in France will do DD a half portion of any set menu and charge only 7 euros for it where the adults are paying 20 euros. I go there as often as I can and DD is v happy with jambon and melon or confit of duck and other delicious things.

Even if you stick to doing a plainer children's menu, it is perfectly possible to make it as high quality as the adult options - look at places like Carluccio's where the pasta they serve children is from a smaller range but indistinguishable in all other respects from the adult options, and where if the child doesn't like what's on offer they will happily offer an alternative at no extra cost (eg DD doesn't like ice cream so gets to choose a small cookie or cake from the shop). Then look at Giraffe where they will give you a nasty over-sweet bland pizza with a soft crust (microwaved, possibly) and think it's OK. Because it's just children.

I do vote with my feet, but I don't think that stops some restaurants from thinking children don't need to be considered or treated well as customers. Too often they think that as long as you chuck a few crayons their way, that's all that matters.

"One restaurant I go to in France will do DD a half portion of any set menu and charge only 7 euros for it where the adults are paying 20 euros."

7 euros for a child's main is at the high end for the uk, and 20 euros is also.

It's up to each restaurant how they balance their profit margins - it's easier to bump the price by including more food (even if it's a main and a drink) in a set price.

Really, a HUGE number if restaurants go out of business in their first five years, margins are tight. People are accustomed to "half price or less" kids' meals and so the quality and choice reflect that. If people would readily pay £2 less for a half portion, then the restaurant's problem would reduce (but still, difficult for many dishes eg chicken breasts, pork chop type where if the meat was halved, the other half might be wasted)

Interesting you mention France as I wanted to ask those with more travel experience what the children's menu situation is like in other countries?

Mmm, ham and melon, now there's an example of something that could surely be on any children's menu where it's offered to adults - surely all that's involved in serving a half portion is just cutting less of each.

Now I'm hungry.

What would you pay for a child's portion of ham and melon, fuzz? At Uffizi in Walthamstow (random!) a starter of prosciutto and melon cost £5.80.

About £3-3.50 maybe? If it was half the adult size.

I guess the ham is pricy but that particular starter doesn't involve much culinary skill :o

Carluccio's don't have it with melon but their prosciutto and mozzarella starter is £5.95.

Their children's menu is £6.50 and includes - breadstick, drink, tub of icecream/fruit salad and choice of pasta and sauce or lasagna/ravioli/breaded chicken and potatoes.

7 euros for a child's main is at the high end for the uk

Really? Most places near me charge around £6 or £7 for a child's menu. I do live in London, though.

I think those prices are very reasonable for three course meals, which is what I was buying. The half portion and price refer to the whole three courses - starter, main and pudding for 7 euros (or 20). The restaurant I am talking about is not especially high end. It's a nice family restaurant which serves decent food made of high quality local ingredients but nothing especially smart or unusual.

fuzzpig, there are many restaurants of the kind I mentioned in France. Equally there are plenty where they offer kids sausage and chips or ham and chips or steak and chips. Having said that, it all comes with salad and is at least cooked well and presented nicely and, as with Carluccio's, it's the same quality of food and presentation as they are offering adults.

Would that fill your DC up, fuzz?

Slicing and arranging two slices of ham rather than four and one quarter of a melon not one half would take more than half the time.

Of the list price in a restaurant, about 30-35% is cost of ingredients, 30-35% is direct labour costs (cooking, prepping etc) and the rest of the price has to cover everything else - rent, rates, cleaners, accounts, marketing, repayment of fit out costs etc etc.

That's why even good children's menus, like Carluccio's, are things that are easy to bulk cook and will be sitting there in a pan/dish having been pre-prepped.

"Most places near me charge around £6 or £7 for a child's menu. I do live in London, though."

Exactly - for a MENU, not a single main course.

Oh, I am confused now - did you get a main course for 7 euro or a starter main and pudding for 7 euro? And the main was half an adult main?

That must be a loss leader for that restaurant if so.

This is such a good idea OP.
I have always hated crappy kids menus - when DD was 2.5 we got some odd looks from the waiter in a pub asking if she could possibly have broccoli with her sausage and chips and she really did not like peas or baked beans. he said they had never been asked that before but they happily obliged!
Crap food at kids parties - soft play centre = soft mushy luke warm food, bleurgh!
Having a DD with food intolerances, I know that typical kids menus are rubbish where allergies etc are concerned too - DD is coeliac - no wheat or gluten - so cant have the burger, nuggets, fishy shapes, pizza, sausage or even the "healthier" pasta choice.
My local pub does not have a kids menu - kids are very welcome they have a lovely garden full of toys and play equipment - they just offer a small portion of anything. DC have shared salmon and new potatoes, steak and chips or an adult cottage pie or fish pie. The same pub have won numerous awards for their food.

Would be a starter so I wouldn't really consider how filling it was.

A lot of foods are loss leaders aren't they? I don't really understand it but I thought a lot of profits were made on alcohol in some places. Always feel a bit guilty just ordering an appletiser with my cheap meal :o

Phantom, DH is a coeliac too, as is DSD - very limiting at times isn't it. Thankfully more places (chains, at least) seem to be upping their game a bit.

If you'd be happy to order your DC a three course meal where starter was £3.50, main say £9 and dessert say £4 then I suspect you are in the minority given the usual "kids' menu" price. (I've knocked £2-£3off each "adult course")

Parents dining with kids probably aren't big alcohol consumers - bottle of house white, maybe?!

So random to see you mention Uffizi, BillnTed! Just round the corner from me. The Castle does childrens' portions of all it's mains for half price.

I was seen as a 'picky eater' as a kid. I didn't like burgers, chips, fizzy drinks, fish fingers, beans and so on (I do now ). My mum and dad used to get me half portions of adult things, and this was in the 80s! So it's surely possible.

Oh, I am confused now - did you get a main course for 7 euro or a starter main and pudding for 7 euro? And the main was half an adult main?

It was a three course meal for 7 euros. Roughly half the size of the adult menus (which were 20 euros). Prices have been consistent over the last six years or so, so they are obviously not making a loss overall on it.

Let them eat.... Sausages!

Sorry for confusion. I did say it was a set menu. I think they don't do half portions off the a la carte but will do a half size menu of any of the set menus (there are a few at different prices) for 7 euros. The adult menus are something like 16 euros, 20 euros and 24 euros - all are three courses, as are all the children's meals.

Yes, I'd be willing to pay more if it was decent quality. I don't mind the pizza express type menu as it's cheap and the DCs do like it, but perhaps restaurants could even keep that set menu and have 'extras' on there - I know I've seen that somewhere, eg if you want to upgrade the 'included' drink of juice/water to a smoothie, you pay a bit extra. They could do that with starters too, like the melon/ham.

The wine's half the price of the UK, too. If it wasn't for the French education system, I'd move there in a heartbeat!

Haven't read the whole thread, but whyTAF would this be a topic for a campaign? Market forces. Take your business to somewhere which does food which you and your DC are both happy with. How hard can it be ?

Fuzz, then I think you are unusual - restaurants must also charge what their customers will pay.

Fin, I think it was me misreading! But logically if the 7 euro menu is half portions of each of the 16/20/24 euro menus, profit margins on the 7 euro:half 24 euro must be non existent. That restaurant must have observed that they get sufficient adults-in- family custom to make it worth while.

Re: the alcohol - not sure really as we don't really drink at all anymore. Still get some odd looks when it's just the two of us and we only order soft drinks with our meal [confusing]

Just reminded me of when we lived opposite a pub, and we were over there for some rare child free time when mum was babysitting, DH went and ordered himself a tea. Some of the other customers were sniggering and questioning his masculinity but meh, takes balls to order what you want and ignore the drunk twats, IMO. :o