<< Previous :: Next >> By Date :: Top Recent :: Top 30 days :: Top 365 days :: Back

Food & Beverage - Avoid Bad PR with a Smarter Kids Menu Strategy - By Ken Burgin

2009-09-01

Send

Text Size:

Profitable Hospitality The Drums are Beating: it's the sounds of parents and legislators who can no-longer ignore childhood obesity. This issue is NOT going away.

You don't have to be parent for your customers' children. But you do need menu items they approve of. Large chains are taking this very seriously, constantly trialling new menus to find the winning combination: food that is profitable, healthy and cravable. Food that children want to eat. That's not usually broccoli.

Building a Positive Reputation:

Your Menu is now the 'Healthy Kids Menu'. Not a separate list - it's all good food. Is prohibition an option eg no fries? Sort of - Disney have taken an aggressive stance on this, serving a healthy side as the default choice, and if you want fries with it, you have to ask. Fruit and water are offered as the snacks of choice, and yes, some things may have to go!

Add Fun and Action: Don't make healthy = boring. Try food that can be dipped, topped or 'played with' to add variety. Colourful plates and eating utensils; food on skewers or items to be assembled. Small toys are inexpensive, or novelties like wikkisticks. If you're a more formal establishment, you can still serve child food in a way that's lively, not sombre.

Draw the Kids Menu from your main ingredients. If the grilled chicken strips don't sell (replacing nuggets), that chicken is used in the Chicken Caesar Salad. Pasta is served large or child-size. Some parents want children to learn about real 'adult' food, so smaller serves could be offered.

Add Fruit: Apples are the easy addition to many kids menus - at Ikea's in-store restaurants, the Kids Menu says 'all meals include a piece of fruit'. Make sure it's easy to eat, like the apple chips on many fast food menus.

Don't let 'Kids Eat Free' Undo Your Good Work: free food for children is a popular recession tactic. But the free items are usually cheap and not the healthiest. However you handle this, use price as an incentive to eat well, not a penalty. And always offer a 'free serve of extra vegetables'.

Promote Staff Understanding: not just about the menu but why you've taken fries off centre stage. Find relevant articles and share them on the noticeboard. And what are they eating -- is it health or junk? Staff meals are usually heavy on starch and cheap ingredients -- do they need an upgrade too?

Promote your Positive Actions. The stories that arouse real interest show a demonstratable shift in kid's eating habits. Share some simple POS numbers eg 12 months ago 72% of our children's meals had fries with them, not it's only 24%. Our most popular dish used to be Nuggets & Chips, but now 2 out of 3 children choose the Kid's Grilled Chicken Burger. We are giving away more than 500 apples a week to children who dine with us. The media love real numbers and comparisons, and the story can be told over and over on your website and newsletter.

Keep up to Date: the internet is full of discussion on trends for healthy food, and most school canteens and cafeterias are making significant changes. Two books of interest on the food industry and 'kids food politics' - see Chew on This and Fatland. To find menu examples, do a Google search for "healthy kids menu" or "healthy children's menu". Note double quotes around the terms to make it an exact search. Plus more Resources in our Menu Marketing and Restaurant Management Departments.

Experiment and Make 'Smart Mistakes': some menu items will work well, others will not. Innovation keeps you ahead of your slow-footed competitors, and a few misses just mean variety for the staff dinner. Keep customers in the conversation - they will guide you and applaud the commitment.

Profitable Hospitality offers management and cost-control systems (Manuals & CD-ROMs) for restaurants, cafes, hotels, bars and clubs. The systems are based on the extensive consulting and operating experience of CEO Ken Burgin, and enable busy owners and managers to set up complete operating and cost-control systems in minutes, not months. Profitable Hospitality also runs regular management training workshops in the areas of kitchen profit & efficiency, restaurant marketing and functions management. A free monthly e-newsletter keeps you up to date on the latest industry management issues. www.profitablehospitality.com.

Logos, product and company names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.