(My daughter is four going on fourteen, she no longer just wants to share what her dad and I order at a restaurant. She wants to share ours, but have her own plate also. Therefore, we deal with children’s menus on the occasions when we do dine out.)
“Children’s menu available” the statement was in black and white and prominently displayed on our menus. We double checked the activity booklet our daughter had been given. No, we went through every page and it just was not there. So, we asked the waiter when he came back. He pointed to the small print on the bottom of the activity book cover. He said lots of people don’t see it. Well, I may have been reassured by his statement except we had been to this restaurant on several previous trips with our daughter. They had not changed the location of the children’s menu, but when I read it I knew why I may have forgotten where it was located.
It might as well not exist for us. This locally-owned, family-friendly seafood restaurant had little on it except for the normal children’s menu items. There were two seafood items, fish sticks and popcorn shrimp. My daughter loves seafood, especially crab.This particular restaurant specializes in crab. The very possibly frozen and deep fried fish and shrimp was not representative of the “adult” menu.
In fact, the children’s menu of many restaurants bear little to no resemblance to the rest of the menu. They are rarely smaller representations of the adult versions. The amount of fried and starchy food often found on these menus amaze me.
My daughter likes macaroni and cheese ( yes, I know starch and fat but I think very acceptable in moderation, especially for a active child), but I can not bring myself to pay $4.99 for a “meal” that is the very same thing that I can buy for $.60 a box and have three “meals” from it. So, I only let her order macaroni and cheese if I know it is not the kind from a box. (At home, I usually make my own which has healthier pasta, less salt, organic dairy, and fewer preservatives for much less money per serving than a restaurant, but this is about eating out.)
There are some restaurants with children’s menus that do get it right. They may have the fried chicken tenders but they also may provide choices of veggies, fruit, and non-fried meats and poultry. Here are some of my favorite chain restaurants:
- Bob Evans: offer smaller versions adult menu items including fruit plates, grilled chicken, roasted turkey, and an assortment of side dishes including fruits and veggies.
- Cracker Barrel: offer smaller versions of adult menu items including a two sides plate, home-made style macaroni and cheese, and an assortment of side dishes including veggies.
- Steak-n-Shake: offer smaller versions of adult menu items including turkey sandwich and garden salad. (Kids eat free on weekend is great also)
- P.F. Chang’s: offer smaller versions of adult menu items including Baby Buddha’s Feast steamed veggies and brown rice.
- Red Lobster: offer smaller versions of adult menu items including veggie sides and crab legs .
Many of the fast food chains have started offering fruit instead of fries as a choice for their kids meals. Family-style dining establishments like Buca di Beppo and many Chinese restaurants are also great because she gets her own plate when we order an item or items to share.
In many restaurants with children’s menus we end up doing the same thing as those without, ordering her soup or an appetizer. Occasionally, we just order her an adult menu entree or sandwich like we did at that locally-owned, family-friendly seafood restaurant. We ended up paying double the children’s menu price for her a crab cake instead of fish sticks (not a bad deal). She was happy and so was her dad who got to eat more than half of the crab cake.
