And let's face it; some restaurants, and the clientele they cater to, aren't going to tolerate such dastardly family carry-ons. Fine dining establishments are fine dining establishments and any attempts to merge in customers aged 1 to 12 are likely to see older customers merge out the other way. They don't mix. However, if your restaurant falls somewhere beneath the high end ambience expectations of such places you may be able to tap into the lucrative family market. Here are some tips to get your restaurant ready for the Brady Bunch.
Screen your servers
Kids are kids; they're not trained in menu etiquette or even table manners in a lot of cases. If any of your servers struggle to deal with the randomness kids bring to table service, you might want to get another server. All wait staff need to be tuned into the family dynamic at each table and understand that those having tantrums or distributing most of their meal to the floor are paying customers too.
Modify your menu
If you're marketing to parents with kids, you have to have a kids menu and that doesn't just mean junk food full of additives. Kids have allergies and diet issues and your menu has to be flexible enough to cope. It's also a good idea to offer a separate menu sheet with complete ingredients breakdowns so parents with sensitive kids can pre-empt any dramas.
Make it affordable
Any mum and dad embarking on a night out with two, three, four or more kids can face a hefty food bill. So have plenty of simple, cheap, but tasty dishes and you'll build a base of regular, loyal customers.
Go healthy
With obesity now such an issue in families, be it kids or parents, you could do families a real favour by offering tasty dishes that aren't fried fat and cholesterol. Burgers can still be healthy with the right ingredients, but offer a good mix of greens and fruit as well.
Update your furniture
Tables and chairs are fine for anyone over 5 feet tall, but you're now going to be catering to anything from babies to infants. So keep a healthy stock of booster seats and high chairs. Try to keep more than you need. No high chair means no business.
Provide family entertainment
Garnish your family dining experience with a little music and fun. Children's entertainers – clowns, magicians and puppet shows – are sure to get the younger members of your demographic pushing the paying members for a return visit.
Promote free kids days
A great way to attract new customers is to offer a free kids meal with every adult meal. As a rule kids meals are small and inexpensive to prepare, so while your profits will take a small hit, your restaurant will be a hit with families looking for ways to dine out on a budget.
