The Fine Art of Dining Out With Kids

You are barely midway through your dinner when your child grows bored of her toys. Within minutes, her outstretched hands have sent silverware and water glasses crashing to the floor. As a wait staff hurries over, you grip your child’s hands, which instantly results in a meltdown. By now you are painfully aware of the stares around you. Ten minutes later, you are all on your way home.
Almost everyone who has dined out with kids has gone through this baptism of fire, and the outcomes have been varied. Some now dine out sans kids, others put it on hold for years and the rest have learnt the art of eating out with kids minus the tears.
As it turns out, the secrets to a fuss-free meal with children is determined by two factors – choosing the right venue and being prepared for just about anything.
Choose The Right Venue
Jane Wardle, the founder and editor of Eat Out With Kids, has spent the last five years putting together a rich resource of child-friendly cafes, pubs and restaurants across Australia. Here are her top three criteria when selecting a venue:
Welcoming staff. This is the most important feature of a venue. It can be quite daunting just leaving the house with toddlers, much less taking them somewhere to eat. If staff can make parents feel more relaxed, it will rub off on the kids and everyone will have a wonderful experience.
Spaciousness. Another crucial feature. It is not comfortable being at a table with kids and having another table very close by. A little pram room between tables will give toddlers and parents some breathing room in case something flies off the table!
A creative kid’s menu. Many places have fairly stereotypical kid’s meals like chicken nuggets and pizza. Favourites are those that offer kids a smaller serving of adult meals. It is great to see a restaurant think outside the box and give its youngest diners a new culinary experience.
Be Prepared
You have packed the toys and snacks, chosen an appropriate venue and made sure your child is well rested. But you can never be too prepared. Here are four tips to a great dining experience.
Dine early. Tell the restaurant that you will be bringing children and ask for the earliest possible reservation to lessen the chance of your child getting tired close to nap or bedtime. The other benefit of arriving early is your order will be among the first to be prepared.
Eat Together. Do not ask for your child’s meal to be served first. If your child is done eating as you are just beginning your salad, he or she will become restless very quickly. Instead, order an appetizer and serve your child a small portion to soothe any hunger pangs before the main course arrives.
Behave like a family. It is easy to have a conversation with the adults and ignore your child. Treat him or her like any other dinner guest by engaging him or her in a conversation about the experience and food.
Improvise. If the experience is not unfolding as planned, there is nothing wrong in bringing it to an early end. This applies even – and especially – if you are only in the parking lot.
Where To Dine With Your Kids
Melbourne: Cecconis and Scugnizzo
Sydney: Quay and Catalina Rose Bay
Canberra: Banana Leaf Restaurant and Waters Edge Canberra
Adelaide: Lenzerheide and Gauchos
Perth: Monterey’s Brasserie and 150 East Riverside Bar
Brisbane: Bistro Alegria and The Shore Restaurant
Hobart: Point Revolving and Tynwald
Darwin: Pavonia Place and Pee Wee’s at the Point
What are your tips for dining out with kids? Share them with us in the comments below!
(Image credit: Cecconis)


You may also like
Do I Need a Business Mentor?
According to Luisa Ryan, Director of the Business Register Unit at the Australian Bureau of...
Noosa Food & Wine Festival
What better way to get your last hit of summer than by heading to Noosa...
Top 20 Gifts for Mother’s Day
woman with drive has curated a selection of gifts for your mum on Mother’s Day...
New global partnership between Porsche and the WTA
Porsche and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) have entered a multi-year global partnership. Porsche will...