What Kids Want
The youngest diners cast big votes when deciding where families eat
By Laura Yee, Special to R&I -- Restaurants & Institutions, 8/1/2004
When a server at a Boston unit of Dallas-based Romano’s Macaroni Grill asks a table filled with giggling 4-year-olds what they want for dessert, all but one opts for a bowl of seasonal strawberries instead of an ice cream sundae. In the Cherry Hill, N.J., school district, salad in a cup is a hit among the ’tween set. Young diners at L. Woods Pine Lodge, a Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises restaurant in Chicago, regularly choose fresh green beans or broccoli rather than the french fries that often accompany children’s options.
“These young customers are far more complex than people realize,” says Steve Cooney, national executive chef for the school services division of Gaithersburg, Md.-based Sodexho USA. “Kids today have been exposed to more flavors than we were at their age so their taste preferences are much more sophisticated. They have different expectations.”
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Menus aimed at younger diners are undergoing massive revision, driven in large measure by a convergence of grown-up trends. As are their parents, children are eating more meals outside the home, where the range of food choices is ethnically diverse, seasonally driven and anything but bland. And because adults gravitate toward more-healthful options for themselves, the demand trickles down to children.
Although many kids menus continue to list infallible favorites—burgers, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, pizza and grilled cheese—some operators are daring to deviate. Updated classics, grilled instead of fried options, and more choices are signs of changing appetites. Packaging and presentation considerations are also essential to entice the 12-and-under set.
When Denny’s test-marketed its revamped kids menu, which rolled out nationally earlier this summer, the Spartanburg, S.C.-based family-dining chain found that nearly half the children gravitated toward the new items. Its “D-Zone” features more-healthful side dishes such as grapes, salads and vegetables.
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Maryville, Tenn.-based Ruby Tuesday also found that kids are willing to step up their comfort level. Enlisting 7- to 10-year-olds to help develop and test items, the chain introduced overhauled kid classics in June. These include whole-grain tortillas for wrapping cheeseburgers or turkey and cheese. Pasta marinara, grilled chicken, roasted turkey and fresh broccoli are other kid choices at the chain’s more than 700 restaurants.
“Our research showed that there is a lot more dimension to what children will eat,” says Julie Reid, director of culinary research and development.
While family-dining restaurants have tapped kids for ideas, chefs also heed the advice of accompanying adults. After some parents complained that its options weren’t kid-friendly enough, Yarrow Bay Grill in Kirkland, Wash., began offering a prix fixe for children to accompany the $35 three-course adult menu. Children receive a drink, salad and dessert with choice of cheese noodles ($10); roast chicken with vegetables and mashed potatoes ($12); or shrimp risotto ($12). There’s also Kobe beef tenderloin with vegetables and mashed potatoes ($18).
“The three-course dinners are popular with adults. Now, kids can be a part of the experience,” says Vicky McCaffree, chef at Yarrow Bay Grill. “We’re talking about our future guests.”
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The restaurant’s casual offshoot, the Yarrow Bay Beach Cafe, also makes an effort to be more kid friendly. The lakeside cafe serves fried chicken strips, burgers and cheesy noodles but has added low-fat chicken corn dogs, grilled chicken breasts with salad and grilled tilapia with tempura vegetables.
Choice for children, however, doesn’t always mean something designed just for them. To encourage parents to frequent neighborhood restaurants, operators may simply welcome them to dine with children, especially on less busy weekday evenings. Chefs may offer smaller portions of adult menu items or accommodate special requests such as spaghetti with butter and cheese.
At Danny Meyer’s New York City restaurants, including Union Square Cafe and Eleven Madison Park, “chefs are very accommodating to kids’ requests,” says Michelle Lehmann, director of public relations, marketing and community outreach for Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group.
Packaged Fit
Like adults, children aren’t drawn to menu choices that
are labeled healthful and nutritious. Packaging, presentation
and interaction are as essential to kids as flavor and freshness
are for adults. Troy Thompson, executive chef at Jer-ne in The
Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey (Calif.), came up with bento box
meals aimed at enticing the eyes and appetites of youngsters.
The box’s compartments include ants on logs (celery stuffed
with peanut butter and dotted with raisins), chicken or vegetable
kebab and air-popped popcorn.
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“Kids will always be interested in fried chicken strips and pizza but we can integrate other options by making them interesting and fun to eat,” says Carolina Lobo, vice president of marketing for school support services at Philadelphia-based Aramark. “No one wants just an apple but if you slice it and pair it with peanut butter for dipping, they’ll go for it.”
When Aramark put salads in shaker cups for some of its school accounts, officials were surprised at their popularity. “It’s a question of engaging the child and legitimizing [foods] with proper branding. These kids expect more and have much more sophisticated palates than their parents did at this age.”
Parental Hook
Restaurateurs are trying to win over the hearts of parents through
their children’s appetites. To entice families to dine
at its casual-Italian concept, Romano’s Macaroni Grill
embraces the kiddie set. Servers write their names on paper-lined
tables with crayons and invite youngsters to follow suit. Distractions
such as noise and young guests unwilling to sit still go unnoticed
by staff, and children’s meals are priced at a lower profit
margin to entice regular visits. Choices such as ravioli, meatballs
with spaghetti or grilled chicken with broccoli include drink
and dessert (ice cream sundae or seasonal fruit) for $3.99.
Darden’s Red Lobster also has taken steps to accommodate families by rolling out more-healthful kid options and greater choices. Introduced last year, the menu includes snow crab legs, grilled mahi mahi and chicken—all accompanied by steamed vegetables. Kids also get a beverage and an appetizer of applesauce or carrots and cucumbers with ranch dip.
Officials at the Orlando-based concept say the changes were made to appeal to today’s generation of youngsters with more sophisticated palates and to parents who want to instill healthier dining in their children. “The menu has been a big hit with kids, especially the crab legs,” says Wendy Spirduso, communications director for Red Lobster. “Parents are excited to have more choices and they feel the meals are a good value.”
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store began answering calls for more kid choices several years ago. Chicken tenderloins are fried or grilled and come with a side of corn, green beans or carrots. “We review our menu regularly to make sure it reflects what people want,” says Chris Tomasso, vice president of marketing for the concept, headquartered in Lebanon, Tenn. “As it stands now, healthful choices and lifestyles for children and adults is coming through loud and clear.”
Childhood Favorites
Few children are likely to snub macaroni and cheese, pizza or
fried chicken tenders—the staples of kid menus. But given
greater selection, most young diners will pick more-healthful
choices and try other offerings. The new classics?
Carrots and celery with ranch dressing, steamed
broccoli
Applebee’s, multiple locations
Chicken Cobb salad with blue cheese, vegetable
lo mein
Aramark-contracted school districts, multiple locations
Cooked cinnamon apple slices, black beans, rice,
steamed broccoli
Chili’s, multiple locations
Grilled cheese sandwich with fontina, havarti
or Cheddar
Grand Lux Cafe, multiple locations
Bento box (right) including ants on logs (celery
stuffed with peanut butter and dotted with raisins), chicken
or vegetable kebab and air-popped popcorn
Jer-ne, The Ritz-Carlton
Marina del Rey (Calif.)
Oven-roasted chicken with pasta
Paolo’s, multiple locations
Tacos, chicken quesadillas, cheese quesadillas
Qdoba Mexican Grill, multiple locations
Exhibition cooking, made-to-order salads, maki
rolls, fresh fruit
Sodexho USA-contracted school
districts, multiple locations
Winning Big With Small Customers
To score with kids, certain strategies should figure into the
game, operators say.
Encouraging Tomorrow's Guests
Welcoming young diners has many benefits, operators say, from repeat
visits to planting the seeds for loyal customers.
Laura Yee is a Chicago-based freelance writer.
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