When families with young children are looking for a restaurant to dine at, they typically choose a kid-friendly business. Parents do research online to ensure a food operator has a kids menu, entertainment for children, and kid-friendly amenities. This allows them to quickly understand if a restaurant will cater to their children’s needs and provide them with an enjoyable dining experience. To guarantee that your foodservice establishment meets the requirements of parents, this detailed guide informs you of the seven ways you can make your restaurant family-friendly.
1. Create A Kids Menu
When crafting a kids menu, it's essential to consider children that are 12 years of age and under. This may sound challenging because a child who is five years of age doesn't typically have the same palate as someone who is 12 years of age. However, you can easily satisfy the palates of children of all ages by constructing a kids menu that includes the following menu options.
Popular Kids Food
When dining at a restaurant, younger children tend to
gravitate towards foods that are commonly found at quick-service
operations such as chicken nuggets, french fries, hot dogs, and other
simple foods. While young customers are guaranteed to find something
they like on the menu, it’s also important to keep parents in mind.
Consider including some healthy entrees or side dishes that kids enjoy
so you can also satisfy parents. Many guardians are looking to provide
their children with the proper nutrition to ensure their kids are
healthy. Below are a number of healthy food options you can add to your
kids menu:
Entrees
- Grilled Chicken
- Salmon patties
- Turkey burgers
- Whole grain pasta
- Tuna sandwich
Side Dishes
- Grilled veggie sticks
- Sliced fruits
- Steamed broccoli
- Sweet potato
- Carrot soup
Child-Sized Portions
If you believe that your foodservice establishment doesn’t need to create special dishes for the children's menu, consider offering a kid-sized portion for some of your signature dishes. The majority of kids that dine at your restaurant will be unable to finish an adult entree. Throwing away unfinished food increases your establishment's food waste and impacts your net profit.
Accommodate Allergies
One of the biggest deciding factors on whether or not a family returns to your operation is if your staff is able to accommodate for food allergies. A number of children around the world suffer from food allergies such as dairy milk, peanuts, shellfish, or wheat. To make parents feel comfortable dining at your restaurant, here are a few ways you can accommodate children with common allergies.
- Label allergy-friendly dishes
- Inform patrons of menu items with food allergies
- Offer substitutions for dishes that include food allergens
- Train staff to ask customers if there are any allergies they should be aware of
2. Train Your Staff
Many of your employees may not have experience working with children. To make them prepared for the number of situations they may encounter, provide them with training. Educate them on what to do when children spill their drinks or how to approach them when it's time to take their orders. Below are a number of tips you can provide your staff members when working with children:
- Ask children what they would like to order
- Inform children about activities you have to offer
- Smile and be positive if a child spills a drink or makes a mess
- Bring orders out as quickly as you can to satisfy hungry children
- Treat kids with the same courtesy and respect as older customers
- Ask parents if they would like an extra chair, booster seat, high chair, or bigger table
3. Purchase Kid-Friendly Equipment
Creating a child-friendly restaurant is all about providing families with the necessary equipment they need to have an enjoyable dining experience. For instance, families with small children will likely need a booster seat or high chair to allow kids to comfortably dine. Children will be elevated so their parents can easily keep an eye on them and it helps kids sit still.
There will also be situations when parents will need to change their baby’s diaper. Equipping restrooms with a baby changing station provides guardians with a clean and convenient area to change diapers. Parents will have a safe and secure area to change diapers while not needing to worry about making other patrons uncomfortable. You can install a changing table in the handicap stall or a section in the restroom that has ample space.
4. Serve Orders Using Kid-Proof Supplies
Kids are prone to accidentally spilling drinks and dropping plates while enjoying their meals. To help prevent messy accidents at your foodservice establishment, it’s essential to use the proper drinkware and tableware to serve children’s orders. Below are a variety of ways you can avoid messes while allowing young patrons to comfortably enjoy their meals.
- Pair drinks with lids: One of the most frequent accidents at foodservice establishments is children tipping over their beverages. Coordinating drinking cups with lids helps prevent spills and eliminates the need for staff members to constantly clean messes.
- Serve meals using break-resistant plates: Glass and ceramic plates can shatter if they’re dropped which can cause injuries. To keep children safe, serve their meals using durable melamine or bamboo plates to ensure they don’t break when dropped.
-
Provide kid-friendly utensils: Children have little
hands which makes it difficult for them to handle dinner forks or
spoons. Providing them with kid-proof silverware allows them to easily
enjoy meals while keeping them safe.
5. Provide Entertainment
Children tend to get bored at restaurants while waiting for their meals. Providing kids with entertainment ensures they stay occupied and are enjoying their experience at your foodservice establishment. To keep kids entertained, feel free to get creative and use any of the following sources of entertainment that best suit your operation.
Games At The Table
Restaurants are beginning to get more innovative and implementing tabletop game systems to each table. These systems are typically touchscreen and offer children games and activities they can complete while waiting for their meal. Many children today grow up using tablets which are known as an effective way to keep them entertained.
A number of restaurants like to go the traditional route and offer placemats or menus that kids can color on. These coloring pages allow children to get creative and stay entertained while removing themselves from the digital world. Many operators also like to provide kids with crossword puzzles, word searches, or coloring books that relate to the theme of their business.
Entertainers
Foodservice establishments that serve a lot of children like to hire entertainers during peak times. Food tends not to be served as quickly and balloon animal experts or magicians keep children engaged. Entertainers provide kids with a memorable experience and are an excellent way to build a loyal customer base.
6. Offer Family Deals
Creating family deals and promoting them across your social media platforms and website encourages families to grab a bite at your operation. Plan unique promotions and offer them on days and times business is usually slow. These promotions attract families due to the money they’ll be saving and increases foot traffic at your restaurant. Here are some promotions commonly found in foodservice establishments to encourage families with young children to visit:
- Kids eat free provides kids with a free entree.
- Family night allows families to grab a bite at discounted prices.
- Birthday specials offer children a free dessert on their birthday.
- Happy hour for kids allows children to enjoy a free or half-priced dish at certain times.
- Great grades reward program encourages kids to bring their report cards to enjoy a free meal.
7. Take Extra Precautions
Similar to how families child-proof their homes when they have children, restaurants should do the same if they expect toddlers to dine at their business. Parents will take notice of the extra measures food operations take to ensure the safety of their children and will be able to enjoy their meals without any stress. Below are a few ways you can child-proof your foodservice establishment to guarantee it’s safe for young patrons:
- Cover open sockets
- Remove candles from tables
- Keep sharp objects out of reach
- Cover sharp corners of chairs, tables, and counters
- Use wet floor signs to alert families of slippery floors
