?? food from other restaurants, in your space??

wow
this has turned into a nice little thread

no venting here, just curious about the responses from other "foodies"

first, everything we have is baked, not fried - so the healthy option goes up a few points
second, we offer great salads & vegetable sandwiches (with or with out cheese)

healthy options for dining out with kids should never include McDonalds

and most restaurants will glady split entrees between two guests (regardless of age) to accomadate smaller appetites
and most creative parents can read a menu well enough to order what their child will enjoy - perhaps a baked potato, salad, and a piece of salmon instead of the pizza, chicken nugget diet

on a side note
what does it cost to feed an average kid at mcdonalds - $5 or more


***
special diets are always an issue, but that really isn't a matter of choice
and most restaurants will and can work with guests who have special dietary needs (within limitations - for instance, i can not offer a glueten free pizza crust at this time, but we do have great salads)

-i enjoy a challenge and can usually rise up to the occaision given the opportunity
my real issue with this type of behavior in restaurants is that the owner/chef/cook is not given the opportunity to provide the discerning guests with an option - the guest simply assumes that it can't/won't be done


--
hope everyone has enjoyed this thread and we're not labled as being ANTI-CHILD

stop by the CPC and enjoy some kid friendly options like an 8" cheese pizza for only $3
or request something
for instance here are some of my favorite special requests from some of our favorite regular customers

- well done - darn near burnt pizza
spaghetti with no sauce and no cheese - just plain noodles
pizza with no cheese and/or no sauce
pizza cut in slices - ours are cut in squares

thanks

I'm curious. Why do you cut in squares instead of slices?

Tha rant about children's menus is well taken. We offer the same kind of fatty crap on our kiddie menu as most, but that is exactly what the parent is ordering for their child. Our children's menu offers both breakfast & lunch/dinner. Breakfast includes bacon or sausage; lunch/dinner includes fries. Once in awhile, but not as often as one would think, the parent will ask to sub breakfast meat for applesauce or green beans instead of fries. Absolutely not a problem.
What pets my peeve are groups of 4 adults with 8 to 10 children in tow that bring in a HUGE box of Krispy Kremes for the kids and order less than $10 of our food between the 4 adults. Our biggest booth will only seat 6; the rest are 4 tops. And this particular party would come in at 9:00am on Sat. Plus these kids were absolutely out of control; running & screaming thru the dining room and the parents totaly ignored what was going on. This particular party has been asked not to come back.
(My rant)
People walking into my restaurant bring their own beverages.
I'm taking a poll, how many of you have ever walked into a full-service restaurant toting your own refreshing beverage? This is at best rude; in my opinion. But we have people doing it all the time. They've got their Heine Bros. Choco-latte-frufru-mocha-sludge in hand or their own Mountain Dew; AND WE SELL MOUNTAIN DEW!!!
I have NEVER gone to any restaurant; chain or independant, and thought "I'll stop at Thorton's or Starbucks and buy me a quaff & bring into Red Lobster." How would that go over at the door?

This observation comes from a beat-up member of the hospitality industry with 37 years in the BIZ. Any replies, I ask be delicate.

Steve Shade Bonnie wants to have your love child.

Once in awhile, but not as often as one would think, the parent will ask to sub breakfast meat for applesauce or green beans instead of fries. Absolutely not a problem.

For a kids menu, I would not think to ask for a substitution for something healthier unless it's specially mentioned in the menu. Those meals are cheap and I wouldn't expect a place to sub. So if that's a option, please tell me with a simple one-liner in your menu: I may become a regular 'cause I know I have more kids option than just the standard unheathy, greasy stuff...

Deb

We've done the applesauce for fries substitution many, many times. Never questioned, as far as I remember.

squares
because we're old school fans of pizza king / arni's pizza
and
everyone else cuts in slices in our town

I love children if they're cooked properly.

W C Fields

The tread seems to have gone a couple of different directions. As for the outside food at Charlestown Pizza company, Shawn you know what to do. Those people are just testing the water with you. If you cut them some slack they will try to hang you with it. No outside food or drink!

Now the "kid" thing is something completely different. I am not saying a restaurant should allow McDonald's. I am opposed to fast food in general. Depending on the age of the child obviosly some type of snack may be appropriate.

As for the "anti kid" or not. I would not say that Charlestown Pizza is anti kid. I woud say that some restaurants are, even if it is unintentional. I posted about kid friendly restaurants a month or so ago and sadly we don't have many other than the chains. Those that don't have kids assume they want the fried crap that everyone else has. As Deb Hall posted, they chose to become regulars at Macaroni Grill because they embrace kids. Kids are the future customers. Why don't some restaurants step "out of the box" and create some special kids menus? If you are scared, how about offering a kids special each night in addition to your other specials? You could then still post the kid "me too" menu.

Those without kids don't understand and assume all kids are just like the most irritating child they just served. Some kids eat real food! The very same chefs that are offended by adult special requests expect that a parent would request a smaller portion for a child? There are a group of restaurants in Kansas City that serve carrot sticks, celery and ranch dressing as a complimentary appetizer for kids. They also provide crackers and cheerio's for toddlers. There kids menu has a tossed salad with grilled chicken and ranch dressing, Asian chicken (Tempura) with Soba noodles tossed with a brown butter sauce and braised steak tips with mashed potatoes as a few of the offerings. Of course both of the owners have kids.

As a dad with kids that respect restaurants and food, my first choice is to go to a restaurant like I mentioned above rather than the restaurant that offers the "me too" kid menu or expect you to request to alter the menu to serve a child. If you want to truely change what kids WANT to eat. Make them want to eat your food. Who is it going to hurt to give it a shot? Kids are not only our future customers, but they are the future chefs and restaurant owners. I'm willing to bet that the restaurant(s) that make some bold moves would get some good press.

Just one dad's opinion.

"Steve Shade Bonnie wants to have your love child."

Great idea. .. Tell her I still love her.

We were both taught at an early age to appreciate going out to a nice dinner and to behave as if it wasn't our very first time out in a public place.

Since when is being a picky eater considered misbehaving?

Children are picky. Period. They're kids, what do you expect? It doesn't matter how much their parents attempt to get them to try new things - some kids just won't take the bait. It isn't the parent's fault. It isn't anyone's fault - it's just the nature of things. I didn't like ice cream as a kid - how messed up is that?

Bringing McDonalds into another restaurant - unacceptable. Bringing cheerios, grapes, raisins, whatever from home - who cares? McDonalds raises the attention of other diners, whereas foods brought from home seems normal. If you don't allow parents to bring things for their children (of course, omitting food from another establishment), you can basically kiss their business good-bye.

Unless the kids are running around the restaurant screaming and knocking over tables, playing in the toilet or eating off a stranger's table (my point is: basically being unattended) then how can anyone be angry at them for being...well...kids? (We were all there once!)

And for the record, I haven't noticed this board being cold, hard, anti-kid.
And also for the record - no, I don't have children.

Bravo Beth!

thanks everyone
great responses from evereyone

shawn

Unless the kids are running around the restaurant screaming and knocking over tables, playing in the toilet or eating off a stranger's table (my point is: basically being unattended) then how can anyone be angry at them for being...well...kids? (We were all there once!)

The real root of the "Kid's in Public" issue has come to light...

My feeling on this(And once again it's just my opinion), Is that the well behaved, properly supervised child is now the exception rather than the rule..

I do understand that even the most well mannered child will act up on occasion. However, it seems that most parents today are content to let thier little darlings terrorize an establishment. No, I don't think it's cute when your child runs through the dining room screaming at the top of his or her's little lungs!

I don't understand how as a parent you can accept behaviour like that in public. It makes it hard to enjoy a meal...I purposely stay away from any place that is considered "kid-friendly" for that very reason.
The one and only time my wife and I went to Red Robin I was appalled at the number of running and screaming kids...It's supposed to be a restaurant not a playground isn't it?

I may be percevied as "anti-kid" but I have no problem with children as long as they know how to act in public. If you take your child to a nice restaurant, I see nothing wrong with trying to adhere to the old "seen but not heard" addage.

Unfortunely, I feel there are more parents trying to be "buddies" with thier kids rather than being a parent. I could never imagine, when I was growing up getting away with some of the behaviour I see out of kids these days!

Unless the kids are running around the restaurant screaming and knocking over tables, playing in the toilet or eating off a stranger's table (my point is: basically being unattended) then how can anyone be angry at them for being...well...kids? (We were all there once!)

The real root of the "Kid's in Public" issue has come to light...

My feeling on this(And once again it's just my opinion), Is that the well behaved, properly supervised child is now the exception rather than the rule..

I do understand that even the most well mannered child will act up on occasion. However, it seems that most parents today are content to let thier little darlings terrorize an establishment. No, I don't think it's cute when your child runs through the dining room screaming at the top of his or her's little lungs!

I don't understand how as a parent you can accept behaviour like that in public. It makes it hard to enjoy a meal...I purposely stay away from any place that is considered "kid-friendly" for that very reason.
The one and only time my wife and I went to Red Robin I was appalled at the number of running and screaming kids...It's supposed to be a restaurant not a playground isn't it?

I may be percevied as "anti-kid" but I have no problem with children as long as they know how to act in public. If you take your child to a nice restaurant, I see nothing wrong with trying to adhere to the old "seen but not heard" addage.

Unfortunely, I feel there are more parents trying to be "buddies" with thier kids rather than being a parent. I could never imagine, when I was growing up getting away with some of the behaviour I see out of kids these days!

I agree 100%.

In that respect, you can't be mad at the kid, no matter how outrageously they behave. That's the parents' doing. My mom and dad taught my brother and I what was and was not acceptable in a public setting.

I would never have dreamed of running screaming at the top of my lungs through a restaurant. My parents would have snatched us up, and out of there before you could blink, then we'd have been sent to our respective rooms, with no TV, no toys, no NOTHING. We'd have been punished.

It's the same with unruly kids on airplanes. ALL kids, no matter how great they are, WILL act up. They're kids. The problem comes when mommy and/or daddy look at the problem behaviors as cute, or funny, and do nothing to stop it.

For the record, I don't think anyone on this board is anti-kid.

OUCH, Dan!

I agree that parents need to manage their kids, but all kids act up from time to time. We adults need to hold ourselves to the same level of accoutability. As was brought out previously, the loud "blue tooth" talker, the cell phone (in general has no place in a restaurant), loud obnoxious behavior, cussing, you get the picture. All of these things should cause the same level of irritation. I am a parent and I don't appreciate when kids in restaurants don't act properly. On the flip side, kids need to have an opportunity to go out in order to learn how to act properly. Most parents that are taking their kids out to someplace nice aren't dining during the dinner rush anyway.

Some places that my kids enjoy are Bistro 301 on Market, Cheddar's, Seviche, The Bristol, Cafe Lou Lou, Lynn's paradise cafe, Come Back Inn, North End Cafe.

Annoying people are annoying whatever the age.

Dan have you ever thought about hosting a cooking class for kids? Might be enlightening. I wouldn't suggest any younger than 5th grade. You might find they enjoy food, learning to cook, don't need entertainment just engaging conversation and opportunity. As a coach I have learned that you will get respect if you give it.
Food for thought.