Tell McDonald’s what’s important to you when eating out with your family - £300 voucher to be won! NOW CLOSED!

[EmmaMumsnet]

Whilst eating out with the family can provide a much-needed treat and opportunity to reconnect, it can also entail much compromise in order to ensure that all members are satisfied with the outing. McDonald’s UK is keen to find out what is running through your mind when it comes to making that often tricky dining decision whilst keeping smiles on everyone’s faces.

Here what McDonald’s has to say: “We’re looking at new options for our Happy Meal and invited Mumsnet behind the scenes as we started the food development journey! Our restaurants have changed, options like kiosk ordering and table service make it easier for families to enjoy our food but we want to know what you look for when eating out as a family.”

Whether you are celebrating a special occasion, visiting your favourite family restaurant or simply popping into a local take away, we want to know on what basis you make such decisions. Is it the provision of colouring sheets for the kids, or haute cuisine for the more mature members of the family? Maybe you find it difficult to identify a restaurant with menus capable of pleasing all parties and resort to visiting several locations? Is making sure your children’s meals are well balanced or that the location is family friendly important to you?

Whatever your main considerations are when choosing somewhere to eat out with your family, please share them below and you will be entered into a prize draw for the chance to win a £300 voucher of your choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

Good value - the bill soon adds up when we all go out. Also patient, understanding staff.

Somewhere with a good range of food to suit us all, family friendly and relaxed and somwehere fun

My DCs are a bit older now (15 and 8), so our needs are a bit different now than they used to be. Now that the DTs are into their teens and eat like adults (DS has the appetite of a sumo wrestler and the physique of a racing snake. There's no justice!), cost is a big issue. DD is vegetarian which means we have to find somewhere that caters for her, and little DS is a picky wee so-and-so, which makes it difficult to find somewhere everyone is happy with. And that's before we've taken into account DP's preferences, let alone mine. It's a minefield. TBH, McDonald's is one of the places we visit most as it ticks a lot of boxes!

I've found that my nearly 5 month old has a tendency to wake up as soon as we are about to eat, wether it's at home or out for a meal. So opting for somewhere that is family friendly is crucial for us, as there's nothing worse than being made to feel uncomfortable by other diners while your trying to stop your baby crying!

well balanced menu to cater for all. not processed food, and a friendly but professional service

has to be clean, family friendly and have vegetarian options

Being able to get a seat and clean toilets.

Vegetarian optionSssss

Clean tables and plenty of normal seating is important to us when eating out as a family.

I can't do with he tables that are high up with stools. Our local mcdonalds has been recently changed and most of the seating is like this and they are usually the ones thats free so its not good when i take my 87 year old nana with me and my three year old who cannot sit at one of them without me standing behind. These also are no good for when i take the pushchair with me.

Id love there to be a wider range of still drinks available. My daughter wont drink fresh fruit juices or fruit shoots so often opts for water. The option of vimto/ribena would be a huge help to us.

good variety of choice, clear tables and clean highchairs :)

When eating out as a family I look for great value for money....that isto say I don't expect steak at braising beef prices but I do expect good quality! I love the fact that Mcdonalds now do some healthy options as well so that the kids can have chips and burgers while I can have a healthy wrap and smoothie. Also, the new app for pre-ordering is fabulous!

Dietary requirements catered for - dairy free milks available for coffees is a standard thing in most places both big and small now but it's something McDonald's are miles behind on

Good enjoyable food and also a place with a comfortable atmosphere

We always look for 'real' meals - kids don't just eat beans and spaghetti with chips! Also look for cleanliness and prefer to go to somewhere that has a designated child friendly area so as not to disturb peeps (or us if we are child free)

Price is also a big factor. I don't want to pay over the odds when the whole family is out as even the older kids tend to choose something cheaper on the menu rather than something they would like.

Good value, child friendly staff, facilities for children (seats, toilets etc) and enough to keep them entertained

Free tap water is a must, and if the restaurant offers a family seating area, even better!

Most important thing to us is making sure that the food is nut free and is a generally nut free environment as DD1 is anaphylactic to all nuts. McDonalds is fab for this as it is one of the few places we feel safe in.

One of our grandchildren has a number of allergies so we always choose restaurants that have details of their allergy menus on line. And I do have to say, I'm quite impressed by Prezzo, as they tick all the right boxes.

Child friendly serving staff and colouring sheets / similar for the kids is essential. A bustling environment so I don’t panic if kids are being a bit louder! I like a kids’ menu to include smaller portions of the adult food, as well as the typical ‘kiddie fare’ that is usually on offer.

Quality and value! We never go out to eat anywhere without taking the children, so it's usually not too expensive. We also look for offers. We once took them to a cordon bleu restaurant in the Wye Valley, for a two-course meal with wine included for £10.00 each. As there was wine included, I asked when I made the booking, if it was alright to bring children. "Oh no," she replied, "We don't do children's meals." I was happy to tell her that my children would have rioted if they'd been given burgers and fish fingers. The nouvelle cuisine went down very well, as did the wine!

Lots of room for getting prams in and around tables! Good quality high chairs that sit right at the table and easy car parking

I dislike the iPad screens in MacDonalds. I’ve never seen them being wiped clean and they must get do disgustingly dirty with all those grubby fingers on them.
I wish there were more vegetarian options too. Really poor choice of dishes for non-meat eaters and stops me going back.
Clean high chairs are a must and some fresh beer food option that isn’t just fruit and is somewhat healthy.

having a choice

When we eat out as a family we look for somewhere fun and exciting for the kids. Lots of colours, balloons and art packs/fun packs are always great for keeping kids occupied. Clean tables and chairs are a must especially with young babies. However i also look for places with more choices of healthy food options but still have some fun factor. Maybe a way of the child putting together their own lunch/burger. Sometimes in your restaurants they are so busy i feel i walk around with a tray full of heavy food and drinks and a child and toddler by my side running for a table where people are leaving. So more seating areas in the more popular locations and maybe a family area and a non family area as there has been many times young people crowd the tables swearing and throwing paper from their straws.

I want somewhere clean and tidy and with plenty of healthy options for all the family.