Pizza Today - September 2024 - 44

The Kid-friendly Pizzeria
The Makings of a Great Kids Menu
By Audrey Kelly
L
et's be honest, if you have
kids under the age of 5
years old, the most important
thing when dining out
is how quickly the first plate of food
can hit the table. Yes, many restaurants
hand out crayons and coloring
paper. Yes, my Little Slices sit
and draw pictures like calm young
men...for about two minutes before
they start making laps around the
other tables and are wrestling on the
floor.
Do I love eating good food and
trying new places? It's one of my
favorite things to do. However, I've
realized that being a parent is about
finding balance in almost everything
we do - and that includes compromising
on where we eat. That's
why finding a place where everyone
is happy and actually eats the food
on their plate is so essential. While
having a kids menu isn't required,
it can definitely help sway a family's
decision to eat at a restaurant.
Especially if it's a good one.
In an era where many restaurants
are putting a lot of thought
into where their ingredients come
from and how they are grown and
processed, it's no wonder that kids
menus are also becoming more and
more elevated.
Chefs seems to go about creating
a kids' menu one of two ways. They
either get the memo that kids like
good food too, and pick a few items
that are central to their standard
menu and simplify them. This is
about taking what really makes your
44 / PIZZATODAY.COM / SEPTEMBER 2024
restaurant shine, and making a kid
friendly version. Making smaller
versions of what you already sell
saves you prep time, makes it so you
don't have to order extra ingredients
and keeps everyone (hopefully)
happy.
The other way, which I've realized
is also quite common, is to serve
very basic, cheap food for the kids
portions. Along the lines of box
Mac 'n Cheese (and yes, I do give
this to my boys but if you're serving
homemade for adults why not just
make a smaller portion size for the
kids?), frozen hamburgers or chicken
nuggets. I'm in the camp where
you don't have to overcomplicate a
kids menu as long as what you are
serving tastes and feels good.
The Makings of a Great Kids
Menu
A few things that make up a great
kids' menu:
* Smaller portions. Half the food
usually ends up on the table, floor or
finished by the parents.
* Cheaper price. Everyone wants
a deal, especially if you have an
entourage of little ones following
you around.
* Easy and fast to make. The faster
the food gets on the table, the less
chance of a complete meltdown
there is and the happier everyone in
the entire restaurant will be.
* Meat and vegetarian options.
Not everyone eats pepperoni. Some
kids live off it. If you really want to
make it special, a vegan option is
great too.
* French fries, if you have a fryer.
Always French fries. Sadly, we don't
have a deep fryer at my shop and
I'm contemplating putting one in
just so I can feed my babes fries.
* Dipping sauces. If your kids are
anything like mine, they love to dip.
Dip and make as big of mess as possible.
Please remember to tip your
servers.
* Gluten free option. Some kids
really are Celiac and it's really difficult
for them not to have something
to eat. I wish I had been more
conscious of this in the past. My
nephew is Celiac and I now realize
just how hard it is for him to eat out
anywhere or even partake in simple
things like eating birthday cake.
* Serve items that reflect your
main menu. Don't buy things that
you don't already serve on your
menu. Your customers are coming to
you for a reason.
* Simplify. Creating smaller and
more basic versions of staple menu
items is sometimes all it takes.
* Cater to both picky eaters and
more adventurous ones. Even if you
only have one item on your kids
menu, make it so it can be prepared
with a standard option like cheesy
bread or an advanced option like
garlic and bacon cheesy bread.
It's safe to say that every kids
menu will be different depending
on the cuisine you are serving.
As with any menu, it's always
fun to get creative, so don't be afraid
to give your kids menu an up level
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Pizza Today - September 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pizza Today - September 2024

Pizza Today - September 2024 - CT1
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Pizza Today - September 2024 - Cover1
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