Eating out with children can be a great pleasure, but it can also be an awful pain.

Dining out together is an opportunity to share some special family time, enjoy new food experiences and catch up on what is going on in each other’s lives. It’s also a great opportunity to give mum and dad a night off from the cooking.  Recent studies conclude that a new kind of family decision-making dynamic is emerging. There is an on-going dialogue across generations. Parents place more importance on their kids’ tastes and opinions. Eighty-three per cent indicate that their child’s preference is important/somewhat important in selecting a quick-service restaurant location and seventy-six percent report the same is true for a full-service restaurant.

Most restaurant operators need a plan to attract families and build loyalty. For many restaurants, attracting kids and their parents is vital.

BISTRO spoke with Executive Chef Angelo Velante of the Mean Fiddler Hotel at Rouse Hill in suburban Sydney.

The Royal Oak Grill of Mean Fiddler is a casual but tasty affair. “The history and the location give the food the identity. The location pretty much determines the items on the plate. Fortunately we are in by the borders of the Hawkesbury region where most of our seasonal vegetables are locally sourced. To sum it up, we have a good quality, value for money, rural modern Australian, touch of Anglo-Irish feel to it,” says Angelo.

Rest assured the kids are well catered for too.

Leading Foods on Kids’ Menus

When kids under twelve do visit restaurants, pizza is far and away the most popular fast food for children, according to NPD CREST data. On the flip side, hot chips and chicken nuggets are also popular, but beginning to fall out of favour. Up-and-coming items include hamburgers, nachos and pasta for older kids, with fruit and ice cream gaining in popularity for younger kids. While pizza dominates for kids at dinner in a quick-service restaurant, pasta takes over that spot at full-service restaurants.

“The most popular food with younger kids in our kids’ menu would be ‘hands down’ chicken nuggets. Older kids tend to order from the main menu. They would order a pizza or pasta,” agrees Angelo.

“Kids under eight are fussy customer, they see eating as a chore. They like to eat easy pliable food, something to distract them. Unfortunately, deep-fried processed foods are tasty and easy to eat, that’s why we have to get nuggets shaped in dinosaurs to make it fun for them. We consciously try to help parents, disguise vegetables into purees just to make kids eat them.” As kids get older, their perception of the world and themselves changes, so changes their food preferences. Multiple research shows that eight to twelve-year-olds are concentrating on being adults. Terms like “kids”, “child’s portion” and “kiddy cocktails” drive them up the wall. Kids today want to be empowered. Eating out can provide an occasion to be as such.

Children’s portions are practical for very young children, but as they reach the tender ages of seven or eight, a child’s menu/portion is usually a real turn-off for kids. “As kids approach double digits, they want to explore, textures become a factor, their teeth get stronger, hence small steaks and harder vegetables become their preference. As their taste buds develop, they would incline to order more ‘grown up’ food dishes. They still want their fatty and salty items but in a different way; such as cheeses on pizzas, buttery mash on Shepherd’s Pie.”- says Angelo.

What are the parent expectations of kids’ menu? BISTRO asked Angelo.

“There are certain parents that expect wholesome home-cooked kids’ meal, i.e. Shepherd’s Pie, maybe Spaghetti Bolognaise, a healthier option as opposed to some parents that see kids nuggets and battered fish as a treat for their kids when they go out for a family outing.

“At the Fiddler, we have to cater for both, even though the good old nuggets sell the most, there is a growing demand for the healthier option for their kids. We serve salad on every kids meal, we even ask them if they would like some steamed vegetables instead of chips.”

Pricing Kids Menus

When it comes to the pricing items of the kids’ menus, unfortunately margins are very low. The main ‘profit’ there is in building the customer’s loyalty.

“Some items in the kids’ menu have a very low margin and some items we don’t make money at all.  Parents will always go eat out where the kids are looked after.  Inexpensive kids meals where there are healthy options, kids playground on-site all play a part in the destination.  Ironically it is more expensive for us to put salad and fresh veggies with our Sheppard’s pie on a plate than just nuggets and chips,” says Angelo.

“Just as adults have moved to greater use of deals and value menus, there continues to be a shift in the way kids are ordering at restaurants or, in many cases, how their parents are ordering for them,” says Bonnie Riggs, restaurant industry analyst at NPD, a leading market research company. “What has gained in popularity is the use of value menus for kids meals and snacks.”

At the Mean Fiddler from Monday to Friday, there are selected specials designed for the family for $30. “These days, people are looking for value for their money. We know it can be really costly for a family of two adults and two kids with their meals, drinks etc.  With our $15 special, each of the adults can get their big main course (pasta, pizza, beef or chicken schnitzel) plus free beer or wine or drink. The two kids eat for free with anything they choose from the kids’ menu.  It just stretches their dollar more and make mum, dad and the kids happy,” says Angelo.

Dessert

When it comes to desserts, ice cream is essential. Eight of ten kids’ menu desserts use ice cream in a sundae, single scoop dish, shake or frozen novelty. “Kids love ice cream, cream and chocolate,” says Angelo.

“With that we also try to include some healthier options: banana split dessert; fruit & jelly cup.”

And at last, any item on kids’ menu needs to offer a beneficial health and taste experience. A parent may suggest it, but the child is the real decision-maker. If kids won’t eat it, it’s off the menu!

Healthy eating is the world’s fastest growing food market trend, according to surveys around the world.  A global survey by ACNielsen in 2008 examined product categories across 66 countries and identified a number of drivers behind the healthy eating trend.

Eating “better for you” foods rather than dieting appears to be the trend for people fighting the battle of the bulge.

While dieting for both women and men remain huge markets, they are not growing markets. Instead, as interest in food and the culinary arts grows, consumers are becoming more knowledgeable about the food they eat.

Even with concerns about the economic downturn, eating healthy ranks top-of-mind with consumers. According to a recent NPD Fast Check Survey on economic conditions, adults who identify themselves as financially worse off compared to last year, said that eating healthy still had the greatest impact on their household food and beverage choices. Saving money ranked a close second.

With healthy food and saving money customers’ top two priorities, restaurants can expect to face tough times in the coming months. A recent Food Marketing Institute study in the US found that 91% of consumers believe they eat healthier food at home than when dining out. As the average restaurant meal is approximately 2.5 times more expensive than home-cooked meals, it is imperative that the restaurant industry improves consumers’ perception of the healthy food content of their meals or risk losing customers.

Karl Faux is head of the consulting division at Perth based HospitalityBiz management consulting and executive recruitment firm. “Australia has established itself as a most likely frontrunner in new and healthy eating trends and we should make use of that reputation and trend,”  he said in 2007.New food ideas are coming on the market almost daily. The words ‘nutritious’ and ‘healthy meals for the entire family’ become ingredients for great dining experiences. And with the babyboomers trying to avoid aging while younger generations have new demands for lighter, fresher tastes, changes in lifestyle and eating habits should be reflected in changes to our menus.

BISTRO interviewed two restaurants to see the effect of healthy eating trends on restaurants and bistros in Australia. The places BISTRO reviewed feature salads, vegetables, seafood, and gluten-free dishes.

The Imperial Hotel in Melbourne is located a stone’s throw from the historic Parliament House in the heart of the theatre precinct at the ‘Paris end’ of  the CBD. It attracts corporate business clientele, the pre- and post-theatre crowd and tourists. Its big screens also attract sporting enthusiasts.

Senior Duty Manager Mark Smith told BISTRO the area dictates the Imperial’s menu. “There is a high demand for helthier dishes, gluten-free and vegetarian eating in the area and we wanted to be able to provide meals for everybody’s dietary and special needs.” He pointed out that customers are getting savvy – doing their research by ringing up or Googling various places to find out which restaurants serves the food they like and cater for their dietary needs before going out.

The chef and the owner of Assaggio Restaurant, 2008  Restaurant & Catering South Australia Winner, Best Italian Restaurant, made his choice before it was trendy.

“I’ve been cooking as a chef for 26 years and three years ago I made a choice to really help customers in their need for these special menus,” Camillo Crugnale said. Assaggio Restaurant at Hyde Park, Adelaide, provides for coeliacs as well as those wanting to reduce their wheat intake. “Our products are formulated from selected vegetables and naturally gluten-free ingredients. Variety is the spice of life, and our collection of dishes gives you plenty of that!

“When you have a medical problem it is easy to think you are the only person in the world suffering. Many restaurants have only one or two choices of both gluten-free and vegetarian options. So, to enjoy a night out and share that special occasion with family and friends you get disappointed when you get a bowl of vegetables, maybe a mushroom dish or that simple salad for dinner,” he said.

“Dining out is about experience and also about sharing a meal with your friends and family. So having different options on the menu is not about keeping this one customer – it is about all the family and a group of friends dining together.” Mark Smith from the Imperial agrees. “It’s not just the gluten-free or vegetarian customer who comes in to eat in our restaurant, it’s their friends and family they bring with them because we have something on the menu for everybody.”

Choosing a vegetarian dish doesn’t necessarily mean the customers are vegetarians. There could be other reasons – wanting something lighter, or simply that it’s too hot to eat red meat. “Probably one in every five dishes on our menu would be a vegetarian meal. We get a lot of requests for our roasted vegetarian risotto and our Mediterranean vegetable pizza,”  Mark said.

Camillo gave us some insight of the effect of healthy food on profit margins.

“We all need to keep a eye on meat dishes. The hardest bit is to keep the produce cost to 25-30% of the retail price. A lot of time the produce will contribute as much as 35-40% of the cost of a meat dish.

On other the hand vegetarian dishes are much more manageable: only 21-23% of the retail price is a cost of produce.”

What about seafood? It is a known ‘light’ alternative on the menu and has clear health benefits. Seafood is the second fastest growing global food category, with over 12% growth each year. Almost every dining place now offers seafood dishes.

Camillo said the seafood industry in South Australia has some of the finest produce in the world.  His problem is that restaurants and fishmongers from the eastern states buy much of the first grade fish, shellfish and crustaceans before they go to market. “Often the best produce bypasses the markets as fishermen go for a greater dollar, because restaurants and shops over there have the customers that will pay $38-45 for a simple salad and fillet of garfish dish, in a restaurant looking over the water. In South Australia customers expect to get value for money. We’re trying on a day-to-day basis to give them the very best and be more creative than fish and chips.”

The highest proportion being in the middle to older age bracket (peaking at 65 to 74 years for men and 55 to 64 years for women). For children, there was a significant increase in those considered obese – from 5.2 per cent in 1995 to 7.8 per cent in 2007/8. Obesity among boys, particularly, had doubled.
With such startling statistics, it’s no wonder that many Australians have felt encouraged to review their own dining habits. Eating healthier foods – rather than strict dieting – seems to be the trend for people wanting to battle the bulge.
Interestingly, the younger generation is a leading force in this trend. A recent survey showed that Gen-Y diners would more likely eat lunch at a restaurant on weekdays if there was a wider choice of healthy menu options available.
All this, of course, is having some impact on restaurants, with chefs listening to customers and tweaking their menus to suit. More than would have been the case even three years ago, there is now often a variety of salads and grilled options on pub bistro menus.
BISTRO spoke to Nathan Thompson, the head chef at Zedbar in NSW’s Albury, about serving up nutritious – and tasty – fare. (The venue won ‘Best Bar Presentation and Service – Country’ at the national AHA Awards for Excellence last year.)
Keeping it simple
Thompson, who has been in the industry for nine years, says, firstly, it’s important to have pub food staples on the menu. “As long as you have Parmis and steaks, you can’t go wrong. Simple as they are, people want to come to a pub for food that they understand and recognise – not to have to bring an encyclopedia just to read the menu!”
At the same time though, Zedbar also has a wide range of healthy dishes, including six salads (comprising protein-rich items like chicken, beef, lamb and cheese, meaning these can also work as lighter-style mains), as well as grilled and vegetarian options.
Zedbar’s salads have great value as they incorporate different types of lettuces, plus yummy and vitamins and nutrient-rich avocadoes, sun-dried tomatoes, capsicum and eggplant.
Many of the dishes on the varied menu also come with creative dressings to add zest, like Japanese dipping mayonnaise, orange and cumin vinaigrette, lime and capsicum dressing, and chardonnay cream sauce.

Why it’s important
Thompson says having healthy fare on the menu reflects customer desires. “These days, people are a lot more aware of food and want to know more about it. They are becoming more health-focused, and so, the food that we do is aimed at enticing those people.”
The chef says the popularity of healthy items tends to change with the seasons, such as salads being favoured in summer. “We try to go with the seasons with our menus, so that it gives our customers something new to look forward to and also to ‘mix it up’ in the kitchen, so that the chefs don’t get stuck in a repetitive rut,” Thompson enthuses.

Healthy on the pocket
BISTRO had one burning question to put to Thompson – does having a wide choice of healthy options on the menu cost any extra in the kitchen?
Fortunately, Thompson shook his head. “No, it doesn’t. You actually save money. By using fresh, healthy ingredients, we save money on pre-done items. It is better for our customers as they appreciate things like home-made sauces. And, it also saves on prep-time (with fresh meals made quickly and grilling an easy method), which means more time to ‘prep’ for other things – or cleaning the kitchen!”
So, as you can see, providing healthy options really does make sense – for a venue’s budget, in attracting diverse clientele, and contributing to overall health in society. And, as Thompson has shown, thinking healthy is not just about throwing a bunch of leaves on the side of a plate, like an afterthought. Customers are yearning for nutritious dishes, which are tasty and show flair. So, why not deliver?

BISTRO, May 2010