Healthier, more creative children's menus are no longer just a trend — they're becoming a must-have. The National Restaurant Association placed both "healthful kids' meals" and "children's nutrition" in its top 10 culinary trends for 2014. Parents want dining options that are flavorful, organic, original and kid-approved. Creating menu items that kids will like and parents will purchase is a tall order, so here are some ways to get started.
1. The children's menu should look like the main menu. It's a little jarring to see a kid's cheeseburger tacked onto a menu of Southern Italian specialties. A children's menu should be a culinary continuation of the adult fare. At Boston-based chain Legal Sea Foods, the kids' menu includes not only the expected (fresh cod fish sticks) but also the fun (fish-shaped cheese ravioli) and the adventurous: wood-grilled fish of the day and even a steamed one-pound lobster.
2. Signature children's drinks. More restaurants are moving beyond the standard milk and juice to offer fun, kid-friendly drinks. Possibilities include flavored lemonade and healthy smoothies with hidden veggies (as long as the blender is up to the task of whirling spinach into oblivion). Try the frozen hot chocolate that made Serendipity famous. Or jazz up water with fruit-embedded ice cubes.
3. Creative names. Fun food names entice kids and let their parents know a restaurant embraces its smaller customers. On its children's menu, New York City noodle shop Kelley and Ping calls pad thai "Naughty Noodles" and satay skewers "Chicken Lollies." Broth with noodles and roast chicken is "Bowl of Sunshine" — who could say no to that?
4. Colorful dishes. Cheese pizza? Blah. Glitter pizza? Kids will eat it up. That's what's on the children's menu at Atlanta's Ammazza. The chefs take their famous wood-fired pizza, dress it up with edible blue and green sugar crystals, and voilá. Other colorful children's options: green eggs and ham, blueberry smoothies, rainbow fruit salads.
5. Accommodations for the picky. While foodie parents are trying to raise their little ones to appreciate subtle flavors, sometimes children's palates demand plainer fare. In addition to more ambitious dishes, a kids' menu should offer buttered noodles, grilled cheese or other crowd-pleasers.
6. Sensitivity to allergens. Gluten-free and nut-free options for kids will be well received by diners. However, if the kitchen can't ensure that potential allergens won't contaminate those dishes, it's not wise to advertise them as being safe.
7. Healthy sides instead of French fries. Parents want lower-fat, higher-quality options for sides, such as sweet potato fries, small salads, grains like quinoa or couscous, roasted veggies and steamed edamame.
8. A local-focused children's menu. Parents who appreciate a farm-to-table approach want the same for their children. Restaurants that offer free-range chicken on the regular dinner menu shouldn't switch to conventional frozen tenders on the kid's side. Silver Diner is one smaller chain that has announced a commitment to local and organic kids' options, such as organic applesauce and grass-fed bison sliders.
9. Toddler treats. Don't make the desperate parents of a hungry toddler beg for Saltines. Some restaurants offer free snacks for children too young to eat a full meal.
In addition to its extensive kids’ menu, California-based chain Claim Jumper offers a free plate of cheese, turkey and fruit to children under 2. Mimi's Cafe brings a bib along with complimentary cereal, crackers and an orange slice. These practices have landed both restaurants on Parents magazine's annual list of the Top 10 Restaurants for Families.
10. Speedy service. Vermilion, an Indian-Latin American fusion restaurant in Chicago and New York, was founded by a mother of two. Owner Rohini Dey knows time is limited for diners with young children, and so service is expedited by request. Servers also rush out complimentary sweet potato fries and a small sampler with naan, rice, kebab and a taste of the day's entrees.
Tell us how your restaurant is working to make the kids’ menu healthier.
