Healthier Options on Your Kids Menu
More and more restaurants are getting serious about offering healthier items on the menu. As we get closer to 2016, healthier kid’s menus are becoming one of the hottest trends. This means you may want to think about revamping the kids menu within your own restaurant to ensure that kids and parents are happier with the dining choices. It may be a great way to develop loyalty as people will recognize that you are helping them to make healthier decisions.
Look at the Drinks
It is important to offer drinks other than soda for the kids. This can be anything from flavored water to juices. Being able to offer skim or 1% milk can also be advantageous as parents want to make sure the kids aren’t consuming pure sugar when they come in for lunch or dinner. If you offer kid-sized milkshakes, you may also want to replace these with fruit smoothies. It can still offer something exciting, but will certainly be a lot healthier.
Healthier Sides
The sides are where a significant number of calories you consume are found. French fries has almost always been a side that is available on the kids menu. This is not to say that you should do away with French fries, but healthier size should be offered as well. You may notice that more and more restaurants are offering fruit cups, broccoli, and more. You can get creative as to what the healthy sides are going to be. Maybe you try quinoa, garden salads, and even mashed cauliflower.
Introduce New Entrees
Everywhere you go, kids are offered corndogs, cheeseburgers, and chicken nuggets. There isn’t much healthy about any of these items. Often, kids want something that is different, just like the parents. They can get all of these items everywhere, so it is important to offer something different. It can include grilled chicken, broiled fish, or smaller versions of the healthy entrées that are already present on your menu.
Skip the Dessert
Many kids menus have come with a dessert at the end, ranging from a cookie to an ice cream sundae. These are now becoming optional and with a price tag associated with them. This means that kids will not automatically get dessert, which can make parents happier – and cut down on the calories that are being consumed.
Give the kids and parents what they want. Eating healthy is not a new concept, but many restaurants are just beginning to accept that their menus need to incorporate these healthier choices. Kids need to be given healthier choices, too. Even fast food restaurants have begun introducing the choice of healthier sides and drinks, ensuring that kids can reduce their sugar and calorie intake when parents take them out to eat.
By rolling out a kids menu with healthier items for 2016, you can attract more people, and it places emphasis on the importance of eating good quality food when they visit your restaurant. In the end, parents will thank you for offering better food for their kids.