In most parts of mainland Europe, there is really no such thing as a “family-friendly restaurant”; they just call them “restaurants”. In France, Spain, Italy and other countries, eating out with children is perfectly normal. Tables will be rearranged to accommodate families without a second thought. Waiters will be kind and patient with their younger customers. There might be space outside for little ones to run around. Other customers will not be fazed by the presence of small children. Food will come in smaller portions. There will be no tut-tutting. The children themselves will be well-behaved; for them, going out to eat is perfectly normal.
Here in the UK we have, historically, had a different attitude. A survey in 2011 found that one in three young mothers reported being turned away from restaurants simply because they had a baby or a small child with them. But attitudes are changing: after decades in the dark ages, it seems that we are finally coming round to the idea that going out for a meal with the family, including young children, can be a relaxed and enjoyable experience, rather than something to be anxiously endured, surrounded by disapproving glares from other diners and impatient huffing from staff. Restaurants and cafés are finally coming round to the idea that children are not just something to be tolerated, but should be actively encouraged. In short, family-friendly dining is a growing business.
In the catering trade, family dining tends to come under the heading “casual” dining – ie, the kind of informal dining offered by chains such as Pizza Express, Nandos and suchlike. This sector of the market is growing rapidly so it makes good business sense to ensure that your restaurant or café is more attractive to families. Here’s how.
Be friendly
Let’s begin at the beginning: with your staff. The catering trade employs many young people, especially in customer-facing roles such as waiting and reception, and it’s likely that many of them will not have children of their own. So they may need some gentle reminders, or even training, in the importance of treating families with children as welcome guests. They may need to be reminded that if you talk directly to children you’ll get a good response. Smile. Be helpful and accommodating.
Be flexible
As a customer, there’s nothing more off putting than the feeling that you’re a nuisance, or that you are being squeezed into an awkward space in the corner out of the way of other diners. But a restaurant or café that’s properly geared up for families will be truly flexible: it will have furniture that can be rearranged, tables that can be shunted together, as well as high chairs, cushions, booster chairs, and larger tables for families to sit around. If you’re prepared to be flexible, your guests will appreciate it.
Feeding and changing
Then there’s the delicate business of breastfeeding. There have been infamous cases of restaurants and cafés turning breastfeeding mothers away, or asking them to go somewhere more private, and these cases have caused great offence: breastfeeding is normal and natural, so mothers who wish to do so should feel totally comfortable. Alternatively, if a mother is bottle-feeding a baby, you could offer to warm up the bottle in your kitchen.
Nappy-changing facilities are, of course, essential. Parents are sharing more responsibility for every aspect of childcare so it’s important to offer these facilities in both the men’s and women’s lavatories.
Be fast
Small children will often arrive at a restaurant feeling hungry and thirsty. They might not be used to waiting long for their food to arrive. They might be restless or fractious. Your service should be prompt: make sure everyone on the table is offered drinks as soon as they have been seated. And serve them as quickly as possible. Parents will also appreciate a menu that offers fruit juices and smoothies alongside the fizzy stuff.
The same goes for food: without hurrying things along, or making your customers feel rushed, you can keep your smaller diners happy by getting food on the table quickly, even if it’s just something small such as crunchy raw carrots and baby tomatoes with dips, or breadsticks, to keep the proverbial wolf from the door.
Be entertaining
Another way to keep your young customers amused is by ensuring that they have something to keep them occupied. The colouring-in book is of course a familiar part of children’s dining. But there are also paper tablecloths available which can be coloured in, and disposed of afterwards; a popular brand is Eggnog. These are not cheap, but you could give customers the option and add a small surcharge to the bill. Children will love being able to do something which is normally absolutely forbidden: drawing on the tablecloth!
Toys, too, can help: you could keep a stock of small toy cars and Barbie dolls, puzzles, and even Lego or Duplo, as well as books and comics. Toy cars and dolls could be displayed on shelves; they’ll look attractive, and children can be encouraged to go over to the shelves to choose what they want to borrow during the meal. If you have space, you could create a special kids’ corner with child-sized furniture and beanbags. If you have an outside area or a garden, slides and seesaws will create a children’s area, while picnic benches will enable parents to sit and keep an eye on their offspring. Some child-friendly restaurants will hire in magicians at weekends to go from table to table doing their magic tricks; a publicity campaign could make this part of your family-friendly package. Face-painting, too, is usually a hit with children.
Free Wi-Fi is always a great option with many young people having their own tablet devices and games that need the internet.
Now for the main attraction, the food, and this one can sometimes get a bit tricky. Food can cause a great deal of conflict between adults and children: the youngsters are often picky and afraid of new foods, while the parents might be reluctant to fob them off with chicken nuggets and fish fingers. So you might offer smaller versions of the dishes on your main menu, as well as children’s specials. Children might find the arrival of a large plate of unfamiliar food daunting and off-putting, so keep portions modest.
Get creative with your ideas; many people eat out to try something they might not get at home. Something simple yet out of the ordinary encourages kids to try something new and expands what they are willing to try. Children like things such as; small colourful plates of food that they can pick at, sliced veggies, smaller burgers or pasta dishes. Chunky potato wedges are usually a big hit. A “children’s platter” would go down well with many families: an assortment of small items served attractively. Remember that children can be vegetarians, too, and will appreciate a range of options to suit them.
Desserts are clearly a big deal for children, but again, parents might appreciate some fresh fruit alongside the ice creams and brownies that will be staples in any family-friendly restaurant.
Taking inspiration from restaurants who already offer similar services is a good way to get an idea of the things that you could and should be offering. Popular family-friendly chains such as Giraffe offer a good children’s menu, also Jamie Oliver’s restaurants, Jamie’s Italian, offer a children’s menu that offer both children, as well as adults, a great and varied menu, just to name a few.