The Business Case for Kids’ Menus

Having a family-friendly restaurant can make your restaurant or food establishment considerably more attractive in the eyes of customers. In the last several years, kids’ menu orders have increased by as much as 40%. Also, kids can become some of your most loyal customers once they know they’re getting their favorite junior burger or pizza from you. They’ll want to convince Mom and Dad to come back to you at every opportunity, bringing some healthy numbers on your receipts with every service transaction.

The restaurant industry is incredibly competitive and kids are very picky about what they want to eat. Adding kids’ menus to your range of food options can be very beneficial for your restaurant’s finances and image. Here’s a good business case for why you should add these menus.

It Caters To Kids’ Needs

How many times has it happened? You take your son/daughter to the restaurant, you order a robust family meal to eat and he or she doesn’t even bother to touch half of the plate. It’s frustrating for a parent because money was wasted and the child is upset because he/she didn’t get the type of food they wanted. Kids are incredibly fussy eaters. They cry, argue or make noise because they’re sensitive to certain tastes and smells. Furthermore, they rebel when parents tell them they can’t eat something nice that attracts them on the regular menu.

The introduction of a kids’ menu eliminates these problems. They are specifically designed to meet kids’ tastes and interests. It offers the junk food options that kids love as well as healthy, nutritious alternatives that are equally kid-friendly.

In recent years, more restaurants have been aided by Healthy Dining and the National Restaurant Association through their Kids LiveWell initiative . Restaurants have received benefits for creating kid-friendly meals as well as icons to point out nutritious foods. Finding nutritious items for kids at restaurants can be challenging. Being upfront and ahead of the pace in this regard with a kids’ menu will ease some of that burden for parents.

More Business Opportunities

More kids equal more parents/caregivers coming through your front door. It’s that simple. They can’t come alone and if the customer has multiple kids, that’s even more reason to have kids’ menus in handy. Pleased parents and children will become brand loyalists if they know you’ll provide added convenience to their dining experience.

Yes, kids can be a lot of work as their tastes can drastically change and they can make it hard for staff if they’re adamant they don’t want something. However, the more alternatives you provide and being collaborative with parents to help cater to their children help to make their experiences more wholesome.

Differentiation and Convenience Improves A Restaurant’s Stock

The highly competitive restaurant industry demands that you create offerings, promotions and all sorts of things to keep your brand in front. You have to be innovative, especially when you’re dealing with kids and millennials. Today’s generation is very straightforward and just as demanding. They also will switch from one restaurant to the next and don’t care how fancy your presentation is or what you claim in your company ethos. Customer experience is something younger people value more than anything else; where they know you’re going above and beyond to make them feel valued and appreciated each time they visit your restaurant.

Parents will choose restaurants based on affordability and convenience. If the meals aren’t expensive and there is an array of options to choose from for each family member, young and old, they will look to come back to your restaurant at every opportunity. This is the case for families who do in-person dining as well as those who specialize in online ordering.

Kids’ Menus Offer Smaller Portions

Kids eat all different types of foods. But, they don’t necessarily eat a lot of food. Smaller portions are necessary for kids, especially when you consider that the average healthy meal for children is around 600 calories at most.

Parents don’t want to have to order more food than necessary for their children. They want to reduce the possibility of waste or keeping extra leftovers. Kids’ menus give children smaller serving sizes for appetites which aren’t nearly as big as their parents are. These portions also take less time for restaurants to prepare, meaning more savings for you and more savings for parents as kids’ menus are very inexpensive.

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