Kids & Company Blog

Say No to the Kids’ Menu

Nowhere else but in North America do you see chicken fingers, cheeseburgers, and hot dogs beneath a heading “kids' menu.” The invention of the kids' menu was initiated by a fast food restaurant that wanted to lure parents to their restaurant. This “kids' menu” included most of the regular items on the menu just in a smaller portion and with the added toy. Because profits increased with the increased family traffic to the restaurant, other restaurants began to feature kids' menus.

The majority of foods provided on these kids’ menus usually have minimum nutritional value. They have the usual burger, hot dog, mac & cheese and French fries. Not only are these foods bad for your child, but there are greater long term effects. The lumping of junk food into a category for kids invites them to become less adventurous with what they eat, and consequently initiates picky eating.

Here at Kids & Company we don’t believe in a separate category of foods being specifically for children, which is why we serve your kiddies Chana Masala, Sweetie Pie Salmon and Super Swedish Meatballs. It’s important that your children are exposed to as many different tastes and textures at a young age so that it becomes habitual to eat healthy, rather than be conditioned to eat only “kids' menu” offerings.

So the next time you take your child to a restaurant and the waiter asks if you’d like a kids' menu, we hope that you’ll decline. Your kiddies should be eating what we eat, just less of it!  It is time for the new normal of bland, white and processed food to be removed from restaurant meals.  It’s time to return to bright, crunchy, flavourful fresh food at your table. By encouraging your kiddies to order from the regular menu they will become more comfortable with trying new food offerings, build a diverse palate, and instill a sense of self-confidence and even independence! Enjoy your next restaurant family experience and dig into your healthy delicious meals together!

From our kitchen to yours…… Enjoy!

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @kidcochildcare and on Instagram @cheflisaruscica!

Cheers,

Chef Lisa Ruscica

Chief Food Ambassador

 

 

Posted on: Wednesday June 1st, 2016

Posted by: Lisa Ruscica