Kid's Menus Growing Up

By James Scarpa

In a growing number of restaurants today, children's menus are showcasing the same dishes that their parents enjoy, such as grilled salmon, broccoli, green salad and steak.

The kids are eating it up, according to operators who offer their younger diners sophisticated flavor profiles, fresh, healthy ingredients and prix-fixe menus similar to what big people have.

“It is amazing how many kids order a grilled chicken breast and broccoli,” said Jason McLeod, executive chef of the Elysian Hotel in Chicago. “A lot of what we serve is basically the same food as our main menu, just in smaller portions.”

Grilled salmon, Memphis baby-back ribs, seasonal vegetables and mixed green salad are kids’ menu favorites at Blue Smoke, one of the Union Square Hospitality Group restaurants in New York City.

“Parents think it’s great because this is real food from our kitchen, not from a freezer or a box,” said Mark Maynard-Parisi, managing partner of the barbecue restaurant. “We now average about 700 kids’ meals a month.”

“There are absolutely some kids who just order [pasta] with butter and French fries,” he added. “But there are just as many, or actually more, who order the other items.”

When the Chicago-based market research firm Technomic Inc. studied the attitudes of children between the ages of 6 and 12 and their mothers, it found that the kids at the older end of the age range were much more likely to order salads, steaks and seafood in restaurants than customary kiddie fare.

“The chains are creating a more adult-focused menu for kids, and a lot of the items are healthier,” said Sara Monnette, Technomic's senior manager of consumer and market research. “Chicken fingers and spaghetti are really not meeting their needs, and operators have recognized that.”

Technomic's report found such flavor profiles as pepper, Mexican, garlic, barbecue, dill and Asian to be among the most prevalent in kids’ lunch and dinner entrees.

In September, IHOP will launch a revamped kids’ menu under a “simple and fit” banner, said Carolyn O’Keefe, chief marketing officer of DineEquity Inc.’s Glendale, Calif.-based family-dining chain. Each kids’ item will be in the 400-to-600 calorie range, including current favorites like the Rooty Jr. breakfast combo and the Create-a-Face Pancake, which kids decorate with yogurt and fresh fruit slices. Kids also will be allowed to substitute turkey bacon and egg substitute in the new menu items.

“There is a false notion that kids only like hot dogs, chicken tenders and mac and cheese,” said Manuela Seitz-Hipkins, founder of KidsHealthyChoices, an organization in Half Moon Bay, Calif., that promotes better meals for children. “Actually, it is learned behavior. My mission is show people that kids eat what we eat.”

At Prairie Grass Cafe in Northbrook, Ill., pint-sized patrons often begin a meal with a combo plate of bite-sized apples, carrots, cheese cubes, cucumbers and bananas, priced at $4.

“That’s better than having them eat bread or have their entree while the rest of the family has their appetizers,” said co-chef and owner Sarah Stegner.

Finger foods are also in play at Foreign Cinema, a California-Mediterranean restaurant in San Francisco. The three-course, $11.50 children’s dinner menu begins with cooked and raw organic vegetables served with house-made vinaigrette, Roquefort or Green Goddess dressing for dipping. “We encourage them to use their fingers,” said co-owner Gayle Pirie.

After that, a number of kids choose “a great, lovely steak, cooked to their desire, with some simple potatoes,” she said. The kitchen grills a small portion of naturally raised or organic beef and serves it without sauce.