Diner Demographics: The Changing Family

Whatever the makeup of contemporary families, service-oriented restaurateurs find ways to welcome them.

By Allison Perlik, Senior Editor -- Restaurants & Institutions, 8/1/2007

The contemporary definition of family is all-encompassing, from single-person households to same-sex couples.

Earning a family-friendly reputation is smart business for restaurateurs looking to drive traffic, but before operators can successfully execute such a strategy, they might do well to revisit the definition of "family" in the modern lexicon.

The familiar equation of mother plus father plus kids no longer is the assumed formula for American households—in fact, it’s not even the most common. In 2006, married couples with children ages 18 or younger accounted for about two in 10 U.S. households, a sharp decline from four in 10 in 1970, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Meanwhile, single parents now account for 9.1% of households, while single-person households have grown to 26.6%.

Though the most recent U.S. Census data does not track same-sex living arrangements, 594,391 same-sex-couple households were reported in 2000; among these, one-third of female same-sex householders and one-fifth of male couples had children under 18 years old living with them.

The increasing market share represented by such evolving family structures can translate to bottom-line growth for operators who know how to build their appeal among these groups.

That’s what Executive Chef and Co-owner Daniel Angerer realized after opening Klee Brasserie in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood, an affluent area with a large gay population. In celebration of the city’s Pride Week in June, he offered free peach sangria in a show of support for the local clientele.

"Being the new kids on the block, we wanted to give something back to the community," says Angerer. "We got very positive feedback."

Showing support and respect for issues important to a particular group makes a good strategy for reaching any market, whether it’s gay male and lesbian consumers, single parents or two-parent families, says Andrew Freeman, a San Francisco-based hospitality-industry consultant who advises clients including San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants and Washington, D.C.-based The Palm Restaurant Group on marketing to the gay male and lesbian communities as well as other target markets.

One effective strategy, Freeman says, is publicly supporting causes—such as AIDS research or children’s charities—that are important to various family groups. Another is training employees to be sensitive to the different family structures they may encounter. Servers waiting on a child with a single parent or two gay parents, for example, should avoid questions about where Mom or Dad is and take care not to register surprise at any family situation.

The Greatest of Ease

Newport Beach, Calif.-based Roy’s Restaurants prides itself on creating a family-friendly environment that begins with treating every group the same regardless of its dynamic. Most important, says Vice President of Training and Development Leiala Whattoff, is making the children within any party feel special.

"In our view, children are the future of our business as well as the future of who we are," she says.

Kids (Roy’s calls them Keiki - Hawaiian for kids) who visit the upscale chain can order from a three-course, prix-fixe menu that begins with crudités and quesadillas delivered as soon as possible after they’re seated. The meals also include a choice of five entrées and a sundae for dessert.

With the children immediately engaged in snacking—as well as working on mazes, word games and other activities inside their special menu—couples and single parents can relax and enjoy their own dining experiences. Roy’s also offers handheld video-game consoles and portable DVD players with Disney movies for kids who need something extra to keep busy.

As Roy’s and other concepts are learning, a big part of appealing to families with kids is making it as easy as possible for them to patronize restaurants, especially when it comes to single parents. Menu prices can prove a big factor in determining where families dine out. Tampa, Fla.-based family sports-pub chain Beef ‘O’ Brady’s has "kids eat free" nights every Tuesday (with the purchase of a regular-priced adult meal), while Golden, Colo.-based fast-casual chain Boston Market offers a rotisserie chicken, three large sides and cornbread, plus salad or dessert, for $19.99.

Take It on the Run

Because households with kids are more likely than others to use takeout options when buying dinner from restaurants—24.2% of consumers with children say they always or often use takeout/carryout compared with 16.8% of those without kids, according to Restaurants & Institutions’ New American Diner Study—restaurants that offer user-friendly carryout solutions are at an advantage when it comes to attracting families with kids.

Having to get out of the car and spend several minutes unloading children and toys can be a deterrent for parents, so alternatives to typical drive-thru fare provide an appealing option. Sales data from O’Charley’s illustrate how much of a factor convenience can be: Walk-in takeout orders account for 6.4% of sales at the family-dining chain, but at restaurants with curbside delivery (to be rolled out nationwide in the next year or so) that figure jumps to nearly 10%.

"Often only one parent picks up the meal, and they don’t want to unbuckle all the children, bring them in and get the food," says President Jeff D. Warne. "We bring the order out to their car, close out the transaction and they’re on their way."

Chains such as O’Charley’s, Calabasas Hills, Calif.-based The Cheesecake Factory and Dallas-based Chili’s aren’t the only operators embracing curbside delivery. To help draw more families from within her neighborhood, Chef-owner Carol Wallack offers curbside carryout at lunch and dinner at Sola in Chicago. Customers can select choices such as heirloom tomato salad or braised short ribs and pay by phone with a credit card or with cash from their car.