It’s always nice to get in the good graces of the apple of the one-with-the-money’s eye. In other words: the children. Although some restaurants are designed for adults to get away from the children, many restaurants offer a menu and a setting that is appropriate for children. If this describes your restaurant, it is important that you do not take this for granted. If you have a place that is welcoming to children, use that to your advantage.

Parents are always looking for a good place to take the entire family, but there are constantly disagreements. If you think back to your childhood, you remember the constant “I want to go here” and “but I don’t like that I like this” type of chatter in the car. Kids have a hard time agreeing with other kids, but there are ways to help ease the situation. If you make some changes that will help bring your restaurant to the front of a child’s mind, everyone will be happy (except for maybe your servers). Consider a few of the ways you can make your restaurant more child friendly:

5 Ways to Make Your Restaurant Appealing to Children

1. Offer Traditional “Kid” Food – No child is going to want to go to a restaurant that only servers fancy blue cheese burgers and lightly breaded tilapia. Make sure that you have plain, traditional choices for the kids. This would typically include dishes like mac and cheese, cheeseburger, personal pizza, and chicken fingers. Kids are usually picky eaters, so there is no need to impress them with anything “unique.” In fact, most probably won’t even notice the food when going out to eat unless there is nothing for them to choose from. Then, you’d better believe they will notice.

2. Kids Menu – A kids menu should be about more than just listing some food items that might interest children. Give them something to do on the menu such as a crossword puzzle, picture to color, or some tic tac toe squares. This will keep kids occupied which will be pleasing to the parents who are also sitting down to a meal at your restaurant. If you’re nervous about children writing over your things, consider providing placemats or a paper tablecloth.

3. Offer Desserts – Just about every child loves some kind of dessert. If you can offer a scoop of ice cream with every kid’s meal you will surly capture the hearts of every child that walks through your restaurant. If you’re concerned about health, make sure you offer alternative desserts and side items such as a fruit. This way, it’s in the parent’s control and not your restaurant’s hands.

4. Have a Kids Night – Consider having a kid’s night once a week where you really go all out with the kid friendly activities. Try giving out raffle ticks for prizes or purchasing a wheel kids can spin on their way out to win prizes. I have also seen restaurants hire a balloon maker or a magician for one night per week. After all, what kid does not like prizes and magic?

5. Establish Connections – Every adult likes a manager who really gets to know them and check up on their experience at the restaurant. What many owners do not realize is that kids feel the same way. Go around and talk with the kids and ask them about their meals. If they keep coming back and you keep chatting with them, you’re sure to have a friend for a long time to come.

What it comes down to is this: You want to be the restaurant that all the kids can agree upon. Sometimes all a parent wants is for the kids to agree, so when it happens that’s usually where the car is headed. In the end, it can actually be a lot of fun to offer options for kids.

Photo Credit: insidenorthpoint.org

Amanda DiSilvestro is a writer on topics ranging from social media to postage meters. She writes for an online resource that gives advice on topics including telemarketing to small businesses and entrepreneurs for Resource Nation.