Winning Kids (and Parents) Over with Your Menu

The formula to a successful Kid’s Menu is making it visually appealing including photographs showing how the food will be served and what other perks you can offer for your younger guests. Keep the menu simple, dishes should be recognizable, include good quality, keep prices reasonable and portions manageable so that the perceived and actual value for parents is clear.

Packaged and Presented to Play and Eat.

Aim at enticing the eyes and appetites of youngsters. Kids will think your food is “awesome” if you have some fun with presentation. Keep it fresh and interesting by serving menu items on colourful plates and bowls or even in a bento box. Kids like to help make their meal, so include menu items such as a construct your own taco platter, or build your own burger and offer hand-held menu choices like mini burgers and beef burritos.

Children may not finish their whole meal, so ensure it can be a meal-to-go by making the meal convenient and portable.

Serve a Social Ingredient and Make it Quick!

Children love to interact with family and friends when dining out but usually when kids arrive at your restaurant they are hungry and can become restless if they have to wait too long for their meal to arrive. On your menu offer food samplers with mini versions of favourite foods – like mini burgers, meatballs and make it quick! This will keep the younger guests happy until their meal arrives and parents can begin to relax.

Kids Menus Priced Right

Consider the value these young guests bring to your establishment by filling seats at usually slower times and how often they will visit if they are satisfied. Find a price point that the parents paying the bill can live with week after week while offering better food quality and choices for their kids.

Healthful Food Means Happy Families

It is important to provide choices that will appeal to youngsters, but it is essential to provide some healthier choices, like beef, so parents can feel good about ordering from your menu for the kids. Undoubtedly the most significant element driving changes in children’s menus is health. Research has shown that food with a good source of nutrients including protein and iron affects food decisions made my parents as well as children. When surveyed parents agree healthier choices are considered an important factor when choosing a meal for their children in a restaurant.

Here are some handy tips for treating kids like guests that they are.

The Menu - Keep it Simple

• keep it familiar; children will not eat anything that is not recognizable.
• smaller portion sizes is preferable 4 oz burger as opposed to a 6 or 8 oz burger. It's easier to manage with smaller hands.
• keep prices reasonable and portions manageable so that the perceived and actual value for parents is clear.

Packaged to Fit

• Packaging, presentation and interaction are essential. Keep it fresh and interesting (Bento Box idea, Taco Construction, dipping sauces, hand held meals)
• Aim at enticing the eyes and appetites of youngsters.

Healthy Choices

• Important to provide choices that will appeal to youngsters but it is essential to provide some healthy choices so parents can feel good about ordering food for their kids. (Beef Caesar Salad, Beef Kebabs, Steak and Steamed Vegetables)

Train You Wait Staff

• Provide a few pointers on how to serve families with kids for your wait staff.
• Educate wait staff on kids' beef menu choices and how to present them.
• Provide staff with an incentive to serve families or identify servers who are particularly good with families.

Serve It Up Quickly

• Kids like instant gratification. Try and get the kids food to the table first, even if the adult meals will not be ready for some time.

Keep them Entertained

• Good stand-by, menu printed on placemats that doubles as a colouring pad.
• Provide games to play at the table while waiting

Don't Forget the Treat

• A small token or gesture will help parents and children remember the great food and experience they had at your restaurant and choose to return in the future.

Promote, Promote, Promote

• Try tying promotions around children, especially slower periods. This can help boost traffic and create a buzz about your restaurant. Offer a kids “steak promotion” on a slower night. Provide a donation to a local children's charity for every child's beef menu ordered.

Other Promotional Ideas:

1. Send emails with Beef Menu items and photos to regular customers before dinner hours.
2. Host a kids' event, eg: highlight kids artwork, like a gallery show.
3. Partner with a non competing local business, like a children's clothing store and offer coupons.
4. Establish a free family lunch or dinner draw and put on a show when delivering the meal to the table.
5. Offer gift certificates for parties with children
6. Create a family beef loyalty card program
7. Offer free samples of your new beef childrens' menu offerings to families. Then invite them to try out a full kids meal.
8. Offer a discount at slower times of the day to families to come in and order from the childrens menu.

What’s Changing – Kids Menu Choices Are!

Savvy restaurateurs are beginning to understand that children are asking for more appealing menu choices, like steak and other proteins. They want bold flavours, more ethnic offerings, additional courses, wider choices and a growing eye for health – changes aimed at children and driven by grownup food trends. They want to eat like the adults, only smaller portions and not too spicy. Children are actively involved when choosing from a menu and restaurants that provide a menu that is visually appealing and communicates to kids and families will be a winner with Mom and Dad as well as the kids every time!