Becoming a kid-friendly restaurant: what parents really look for

A family going out to eat rarely chooses based on the menu. They choose based on one question: can we sit here for two hours without it turning into a battle. Whoever answers yes to that question gets the table.

That's good news, because the answer only depends on your kitchen to a small extent.

What parents actually judge

• Is there something to do while waiting, and does it still work after ten minutes?
• Can the kids' food arrive before the parents'?
• Is there room for a pram without half the venue having to move?
• Is the reaction relaxed if something gets knocked over?
• Are there other families around, or are you the only ones among couples clearly looking for a quiet night?

The most important question a parent asks isn't 'is it tasty' but 'will this be relaxed or not'.

The kids' menu is the least important part

Almost every venue has one, and it's pretty much the same everywhere. So it doesn't set you apart. What does stand out: a smaller portion of something from the regular menu, or the option to share. Parents appreciate it when their child doesn't automatically end up with the chicken nuggets.

Entertainment that keeps working

Colouring sheets keep a child occupied for five to ten minutes. After that, they either start over or get bored. What works longer is something with variety built in.

Tabletop games via a QR code have two advantages here. Nothing gets lost or needs tidying up, and a child can play several rounds in a row without it feeling repetitive. Games like memory, spot the difference and puzzles are short enough for the waiting time. See the overview.

What's needed per age group

Kid-friendly isn't one category but a range. What works for a three-year-old bores a nine-year-old within a minute.

• Up to around four: a parent's attention is the only thing that really works. What you can offer is a decent highchair and food that comes quickly.
• Four to seven: colouring, sticking, and short games that don't involve reading. Memory and spot the difference fall into this category.
• Seven to eleven: this is the age where a child can start entertaining themselves. Puzzles, quizzes and games against a sibling hold their attention the longest.
• Eleven and older: they want to be treated like the rest of the table. A game the whole family joins in on works better than something specifically for kids.

The age group most venues target is four to seven, while it's actually the group above that stays longest and stands out most when things go wrong.

Timing in the kitchen

This is the adjustment that makes the biggest difference and costs nothing. Have the kids' food come out ten minutes before the parents'. Kids eat faster and finish sooner; if everyone starts at the same time, the kids are done while the parents are only halfway through, and that's when the restlessness starts.

What you don't need to do

A play corner is the solution people think of most often and the one that pays off least often. It takes up space you need on a busy night, it needs to be kept clean, and it pulls kids away from the table right when the food arrives. Only do it if you genuinely have the space to spare.

What your staff need to know

This is the part that gets skipped most often, and it matters more than the layout. Three things that make the difference between a relaxed family table and a tense one:

• Address the child, not just the parent. A child who gets to order for themselves sits differently at the table than a child who's being talked about.
• Respond to spilled food before the parent apologises. Turning up with a cloth yourself removes the awkwardness. Waiting to be asked confirms it.
• Don't ask if everything's to their liking the moment a child is crying. Come back two minutes later.

None of these three cost money or time. They only cost someone saying it once.

The moments where it goes wrong

When a family visit goes wrong, it almost always happens at one of these three points:

1. On arrival, when it turns out there's no highchair or the table is too cramped. That sets the tone straight away.
2. Twenty minutes after ordering, when the food still hasn't arrived and the kids have nothing to do. This is the longest and heaviest moment.
3. After the main course, when the parents still want coffee and the kids are done. This is where a venue loses the extra order that would otherwise have happened.

Points two and three are both waiting time, and both can be solved with something a child can do on their own.

Show it before they walk in

Parents check your Google profile before booking. Make sure there's a photo showing a family at the table, and state in the description that kids are welcome and what's on offer for them. That brings in more bookings than any change to the venue itself.

More on how this plays out for a restaurant can be found on the restaurant page; costs are listed at the pricing page.