By Cari Price
This past week, First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign marked the first anniversary of its mission to end childhood obesity. Even as we celebrate this milestone, Mintel Menu Insights reports that, for restaurants, the work has barely begun: The vast majority of children’s menus across America have only recently started to address the daunting challenges of evolving their childrens’ menus beyond the clichés of chicken fingers, grilled cheese, mac & cheese, burgers and pizza.
Concerned parents, teachers, childhood health advocacy groups, government officials, and even food manufacturing giants such as Wal-Mart have joined forces with the First Lady’s efforts. Together they have pledged to reduce obesity in U.S. children by 25 percent in just two decades, an epidemic number that has only been increasing the past 30 years.
As the resolve to create a healthier generation of kids sweeps the country, mainstream media is doing its part to increase public awareness about child nutrition through television shows such as “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution” and Food Network’s “Good Food Gardens.” The latter has teamed with Share Our Strength to provide hands-on garden experiences for kids, designed to inspire healthy eating habits for life.
Kids are a big market. Nearly 41 million children eat at restaurants, a number which the CREST research company tells us equates to almost $43 billion in revenue annually. It is estimated that households with children account for approximately 56 percent of all dollars spent. Also chefs regard children’s nutrition as so important to the menu that it accounts for two of the Top 6 Trends in the NRA’s What’s Hot in 2011 Chef’s Survey.
Chefs are adopting a leadership role through the Chefs Move to Schools program. In this initiative, the USDA pairs chefs with local schools to help And, not surprisingly, restaurants are feeling the pressure to offer healthier menu items for children. The “Let’s Move!” campaign recently asked restaurants to take up the cause by serving smaller portion sizes — a promising beginning that still leaves enormous possibilities on the table.
Understanding the potential of families who eat out, the question that follows is a natural one: What’s the approach to childrens menu development that will best drive traffic and build consumer loyalty with this group?
Start with nutrition: Make nutrition the overarching theme in your children’s menu ideation. Simple-yet-vital changes to ingredient choices is key. Switch out flour tortillas and white breads—and even pastas—for whole grain varieties. Fresh and healthy cues should be ever-present, including organically-sourced fruits and vegetables. Choose natural, reduced-fat cheeses rather than high-sodium processed ones. And take a tip from chains such as Jason’s Deli that are taking nutrition callouts a step further, assuring choices with no artificial colorings or dyes, no high fructose corn syrup and no nitrites.
The next step: Engage the kids themselves. Give your menu some personality. Have fun! Parents are involved in their children’s nutrition but, often, capturing kids’ attention and actually getting them to eat healthier foods is the most important ingredient. Up-and-coming category leader Bean Sprouts Café is finding its audience at children’s museums across the country. Their concept: Engage the kids through an impressive, fun-to-eat, healthy menu that ranges from freshly-made organic baby food, to cute, themed snack items such as Campfire Crunch, to more adult-focused items like the Bruschetta Chicken Sandwich—all served in a hip modern atmosphere. The Café has even extended its menu into interactive kids’ cooking classes to further engage the youngsters.
Based in the idea that kids are much more willing to experiment with flavor than previously thought, one of the most significant recent trends in childrens’ menu development is mini portions of adult meals. Expect to see ethnically-inspired dishes to innovate children’s menus in the near future.
Most importantly, when it comes to evolving your own brand, pay close attention to the successes of the leaders in kids’ menus. Several years back, chain restaurant leaders such as McDonald’s began marketing kids’ menu items to parents, increasing the awareness of healthier items like fresh apple slices rather than fries. And here’s the big marketing lesson: Although parents may not order the healthier options for their kids, they gravitate toward restaurants that offer those healthier choices.
Remember, even as parents want to feel good about the menu, the golden opportunity is to market successfully to both parents and kids. Parents decide when to go out to eat—but, more often than not, kids influence where.
Cari Price is the corporate development chef at Food IQ. The company's goal is to help restaurant operators create food with impact. Food that starts with true insight into a concept's business, its customers and its competition, and ideas with the culinary skill, experience and vision that help restaurant operators connect with their audience.
* Photo by Tony Trần
