Catering to kids is critical for family restaurants to succeed. But that doesn’t mean every meal has to be a fry-fest. More and more parents, worried about the alarming rise in childhood obesity, are seeking alternatives to kids’ traditional greasy grub. And chefs in luxury hotel and family-resort restaurants are increasingly willing to comply, tailoring children’s menus to include attractive, nutritious dishes that appeal both to fickle parents and to finicky kids. “We put as much focus on the kids’ menu as the adult menu,” says Christoph Kessler, executive chef of Sheraton Algarve Hotel in Portugal. Kessler combines alternate methods of cooking–“away from the deep fryer”–with savvy culinary craft, cutting up chunks of grilled chicken and steamed vegetables to make them more manageable.
As many a parent has learned, appearance counts. Serve a fruit-plate funny face with strawberry eyes and a banana mouth, and the kids will gobble it up. Kessler uses noodles shaped like letters, and –offers kids small plates of cut carrots and apples. Restaurants should also make optimal use of their natural resources, says Nigel Ragg, head of marketing for the British tour company Mark Warner. Mediterranean chefs, who have plenty of access to fresh produce, regularly work it into the menu, offering kids an appealing fruit-salad bar of oranges, apples, melons and bananas.
Age matters, too. Restaurants are making more effort to distinguish 11-year-olds from toddlers; older kids may prefer adult meals served in smaller portions, while younger kids need finger foods or edibles they can easily spoon, like soup or rice. Many parents still look to the children’s menu as the key to a pleasant meal: if the kids are happy chomping chicken nuggets, then Mom and Dad can enjoy their sea bass in peace. “Kids’ menus are too oily, with too much fat,” says Kessler. “But if there’s a demand for it, you have to deliver.”
Ultimately, the best way to promote healthy eating habits is to lead by example. “We encourage kids to dine at expensive restaurants with their parents,” says Mike Lee, communications manager for Keystone Resorts in Colorado. No wonder: buffalo steak with Gorgonzola butter, roasted potatoes and shallots costs far more (about $25 a plate) than grilled cheese and french fries ($8). Healthier kids may be worth the price. And if they can learn to eat better on vacation, maybe they’ll keep it up at home, too.
