by Peter Flom

Created on: October 23, 2010

Many couples like to eat out.  Then kids come along, and the eating out is over.  But it need not be.  Kids can eat in restaurants, and not just fast food restaurants and they can do so comfortably.  Of course, eating out with kids is a little different from eating out as a couple.  You won’t want to go to super fancy restaurants, and you will probably not get to linger as long over the meal, but still, it can be done.  Here are some hints to make it happen.

1)      Choose a good restaurant for kids.  Scout the place.  Look in on the restaurant and see if there are kids there, and if the kids are roughly the same age as yours.  Be sure to scout at about the same time as you will go with your kids.  If there are kids there, do they look happy?  What about the other patrons?  What about the staff?  You can also ask friends who have kids where they like to eat.  Maybe you can get your child to try something new, but if you have a kid that will only eat hamburgers, make sure they have them at the restaurant.

2)      Make sure the restaurant has some foods that your children like to eat.  Look at the menu.  You may be able to download the menu at home (sites like www.menupages.com have menus from many restaurants).  If your kids are old enough, you might even discuss with them what they will eat at that restaurant.

3)      Bring stuff for your kids to do.  If your children are artistic, one great device is the Magnadoodle.  This is like a magnetic sketch pad.  You can really draw, and then erase, and then draw again.  And, unlike pads of paper and crayons, there’s nothing that can roll off the table, get squished into the seat, or make a mess.  Older kids might want to bring a portable game player, or even (gasp!) a book!

4)      Don’t go during the busiest period.  When restaurants are crowded, service is usually slower.  Very few kids like waiting for their food.  And when restaurants are crowded, the table space is valuable.  Kids eat less, and they don’t drink wine (they better not!) so taking up a table may cause resentment on the part of the staff.

5)      Have all the food brought at once.  Some restaurants will offer to bring the kids’ food first.  This is usually a mistake.  If they do this, then the kids are eating while you wait, which is OK, but then, when your food comes, they are done.  That’s not so good.

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