Becoming a family-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 that question with yes gets the table.

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

What parents really judge

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

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

The children's menu is the least important part

Almost every venue has one, and it's 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 again or get bored. What works longer is something with variety built in.

Table games via a QR code have two advantages here. There's nothing to lose or tidy up, and a child can play several rounds in a row without it staying the same. Games like memory, spot the difference and puzzles are short enough for the waiting time. See the overview.

What's needed per age group

Family-friendly isn't a single 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 high chair and food that arrives 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 brother or sister last the longest.
• Eleven and older: they want to be treated like the rest of the table. A game the whole family joins in with works better than something specially for children.

Most venues aim at the four-to-seven age group, while it's the group above that stays seated the longest and stands out most when things go wrong.

Timing in the kitchen

This is the adjustment that makes the most difference and costs nothing. Let the children's food go out ten minutes before the parents'. Children eat faster and finish sooner; if everyone starts at the same time, the children are finished while the parents are halfway through, and that's when the restlessness begins.

What you don't need to do

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

What your staff need to know

This is the part most often skipped, 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 only the parent. A child who's allowed to order for themselves sits differently at the table than a child being talked about.
• React 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 alright the moment a child starts crying. Come back two minutes later.

None of these three cost money or time. They just require someone to have said it once.

The moments where it goes wrong

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

1. On arrival, when it turns out there's no high chair or the table's too cramped. The tone is set right away.
2. Twenty minutes after ordering, when the food still hasn't arrived and the children have nothing to do. This is the longest and heaviest moment.
3. After the main course, when the parents still want coffee and the children are finished. This is where a venue loses the follow-up 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 independently.

Show it before they're inside

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

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