Creating Kids Menus that Appeal to Kids and Parents

Kid's menus have been a hot topic in the news lately, with San Francisco's Board of Supervisors recently approving a law that bans fast food kid's meals from containing toys, if they are not "healthy".  With ethnic foods becoming more mainstream, just having a kid's menu of macaroni and cheese, pizza, chicken nuggets and peanut butter sandwiches isn't acceptable anymore.  Traditional "kids" items should still be an option because not all kids will eat unique items, but expanding your kids menu should be about more than adding another pizza.

Keep it Healthy - Parents are much more aware of what they're feeding their children than they were 10 or 20 years ago.  With childhood obesity linked to fast food and unhealthy meals, parents are looking for options that they can feel good about.  Try macaroni and cheese with whole grain pasta or pizza with all-natural dough and cheese.

Add Ethnic Options - Ethnic restaurants shouldn't have to have an entire different type of cuisine on their kid's menus just because they think children won't eat food that's "different".  Try introducing smaller size portions of main menu items in kid-friendly ways.  Or, if your menu features a variety of cuisine options, try making some of the more approachable meals kid-friendly.  Try empanadas or other items kids can eat with their hands to make it fun and appealing.

Improving the quality of the items on your kid's menu can help increase your business as parents will see your establishment as being in tune with their needs and keeping up with the trends.

For more on how to improve your kids menu, check out this article from QSR magazine.