Anyone else frustrated with kid's menu?

[beth_cam]

we will be at Disney for 8 nights....I have done some checking around to pick some places with some variet (check the menus at wdwinfo.com). My dd could always choose something else but here is a sample of what I think are likely choices for her at where I plan to eat. It definitely isn't limited, but even if it was, we eat pasta a couple of times a week and she has hers the same each time, my son eats PBJ almost everyday, they would eat pizza daily if I would let them. Recently my dd had a pizza lunchable one day, went to a friends and had pizza that night for dinner, ate left over pizza for lunch the next day and chose a pizza lunchable for snack again later that night. Some kids will eat the same things over and over. I'm lucky that my kids also love their fruits and veggies enough that while I may occasionally ask for a fry substitute they will mostly be eating it as listed on the menu. I found in our last two week long trips that while the kids were tired of the food it was more that we were all sick of eating out than that we were actually sick of the specific foods.

Day 1 - Lunch at Le cellier Steak, Carrot Sticks, Ice Cream Sundae
Dinner at Whispering Canyon - watermelon, Maccaroni and cheese (plain pasta if they will do it),worms and dirt

Day 2 - Lunch Pizza Planet - Pizza
Dinner Hollywood/Vine - salads, breads, potatos, meats
Day 3 - Lunch Pinochio Village Haus - Maccaroni and Cheese, grapes, applesause, milk
Dinner 1900 Park Fare - salads, breads, potatos, meats

Day 4 - Lunch Yakitori House - Teryaki chicken, rice, vegetables
Dinner Crystal palace - Salads, breads, potatos, meats

Day 5 - Lunch Tusker House - Chicken Drumstick, grapes, carrots
Dinner Pepper Market - Hot dog, potato chips, cookie

Day 6 - Lunch CRT - fruit, cheese, carrots, chicken strips, mashed potatots, green beans, sundae
Dinner - Pepper Market - Pizza, fruit, cookie

Day 7 - Sunshine Seasons - Make your own Mini Sub
Ohana Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Day 8 - Breakfast if there are leftover credits at Pepper Market - Waffles
Lunch Hollywood and Vine - Buffet again meats, potatos, breads

As you can see the only thing really repetitive is the buffets but even with how repetitve it is there is so much variety to her that she can have whatever. Since there are other choices available she may end up getting on a chicken strip kick but she loves all the foods I listed and they are her favorites. And for repettitive she will proabably eat oatmeal every morning, teh same flavor even.

 

[ktkerber]

I agree with the OP. The kids menus are very repetitive. My DD8 was looking at some of the menus just yesterday and was saying that she didn't want chicken nuggets and mac-n-cheese everyday. We have always made our kids eat whatever we are eating at home and they really enjoy eating alot of normally adult foods. I will say that I am very happy to see more healthy choices. My kids really enjoy the fruits and veggies, but I think that alot of the healthy choices on the kids menu are pretty repetitive. When we were looking at the menus yesterday, we saw the grilled chicken with pasta or fish of the day quite a bit. My kids would probably just want smaller portions of whatever we are having.

 

[kaytieeldr]

We never have a problem with the kids meals. We ate in 5/07 at Kona the kids had Mahi Mahi, Coral Reef they ate Mahi Mahi, Narcoossee they ate Salmon, Yatchsman they had steak, 50's primetime meatloaf, Spoodles the pizza and Concourse Steakhouse they had steak.

I don't get that. Three fish, three beef - well, one beef+pork. How boring

I agree with the OP. The kids menus are very repetitive.

I genuinely don't understand this. I found thirty-two park restaurants offering child entrees available at only that location. While I do realize there are many items that can be purchased at more than one place (I tried to count those, too, but that chicken stuff confused me), how is thirty-two unique entrees repetitive? And that's just IN the parks - I didn't count resorts or Downtown Disney.

 

[CampbellScot]

My step kids were NOT thrilled with the kids menu either. The mac and cheese was ALWAYS mushy, way overcooked and just GROSS. We did find that every CS place allowed us to order off the adult menu for the kids if they wanted it.

they did.

 

[OneBadApple]

I genuinely don't understand this. I found thirty-two park restaurants offering child entrees available at only that location. While I do realize there are many items that can be purchased at more than one place (I tried to count those, too, but that chicken stuff confused me), how is thirty-two unique entrees repetitive? And that's just IN the parks - I didn't count resorts or Downtown Disney.

I guess what is frustrating to me as I said before, is that places like Pinocchio Village Haus that has pizza on the main menu but doesn't have it on the kids menu. I think the kid's menu should some what reflect what is on the main menu. My DS will normally have whatever we are. If we all get burgers or pizza and there is no option for those on the kid's menu, I'm going to have to pay OOP or eat the kid's meal myself.

Many of the restaurants that you mentioned in your previous post are TS and I don't have problems with those as I picked ones that would reflect what my DS would like to eat. My problem is more with the CS locations. We don't normally plan where we will eat CS. When we are hungry we will find the closest one and go with it.

My step kids were NOT thrilled with the kids menu either. The mac and cheese was ALWAYS mushy, way overcooked and just GROSS. We did find that every CS place allowed us to order off the adult menu for the kids if they wanted it.

they did.

Was this at TS or CS? Were you on the dining plan? Did they just give you a kid's portion of it or the adult portion?

 

[ktkerber]

I genuinely don't understand this. I found thirty-two park restaurants offering child entrees available at only that location. While I do realize there are many items that can be purchased at more than one place (I tried to count those, too, but that chicken stuff confused me), how is thirty-two unique entrees repetitive? And that's just IN the parks - I didn't count resorts or Downtown Disney.
__________________
I will agree with you that some of the restaurants have a few unique choices. Epcot seems to have better choices. Generally there are alot of chicken nuggets, grilled chicken with different side dishes, pasta with sauce(frequently with the grilled chicken),mac-n-cheese, and mac-n-beef on those menus. While you may count 32 unique entrees, I really disagree. Several of your unique items are basically the same thing. There are several different ways to say pasta with sauce.
Baked Pasta Marinara, Spaghetti & Meatballs, Pasta & Meatballs while listed on your list as separate unique items, these are basically the same thing.

 

[twinspluscade]

"I genuinely don't understand this. I found thirty-two park restaurants offering child entrees available at only that location. While I do realize there are many items that can be purchased at more than one place (I tried to count those, too, but that chicken stuff confused me), how is thirty-two unique entrees repetitive? And that's just IN the parks - I didn't count resorts or Downtown Disney.[/QUOTE]"

The TS kids choices really aren't that bad. It's the CS ones that suck.

For instance, at MK (entire park) kids can get (at the CS locations):

hot dog
corn dog
PB and J
mac and cheese
grilled chicken
chicken nuggets
chicken garden salad (yeah, how many kids are going to want to get salad for their meal? )

So, while I eat my cheese pizza at Pinnochio House, my kids get the choice of an Uncrustables PB and J, or mac and cheese. Kind of limiting, and the choices don't change much from one place to another. It's surprising to me they don't have different things at each place: for instance, kid pizza at Pinnochio's house, a kid-sized burger at Pecos Bill's, fish sticks at Columbia House,etc.

 

[kaytieeldr]

While you may count 32 unique entrees, I really disagree. Several of your unique items are basically the same thing.

I don't agree with you BUT I have conceded to your point to a degree. I've removed the 'unique' designation from the meatball entrees and reduced the count to thirty items. The inclusion of the meatball makes them a different dish from the baked pasta, and the baking (aka the prep) makes that a different dish from the pastas with red sauce.

Still, that's thirty items each found at only one restaurant. There are thirty-one restaurants on that list. That's .967742 child entrees that can each only be ordered at one place. Since no restaurant sells a percentage of an entree, that number rounds up to almost one per restaurant. I realize not EVERY restaurant qualifies. Some only sell the same items as everyone else. Some sell two, three, or more unique items.

My point is, the kids' menus are NOT the same everywhere you go.

 

[beth_cam]

Okay I came up with 17 fairly unique CS meals at parks only, I know there are a few diff kinds of sandwiches and salads and several different asian type dishes but good grief really sit down and look at what you pack for your childs lunch at school each day, how many truely unique things do you send or even if they buy school lunch how many. And carry that on to Table Service - how many truely unique meals do you make - remember all pasta dishes would be counting as the same, all versions of baked chicken would be counting as the same, all versions of chicken nuggets/chicken strips woudl be counting as the same?

Flame Tree Barbecue -
1) Baked Chicken Wings
2) Hot Dog
Pizzafari
3) Peanut Butter Sandwich
4) Cheese Quesadilla
Tusker House
5) Macaroni and Cheese
ABC Commisary
6) Chicken Nuggets
7) Fried Fish
8) Vegetable Noodle Stir Fry
Pizza Planet
9) Pizza
Electric Umbrella
10) Turkey and cheese Pinwheels
Sunshine Seasons
11) sweet and sour chicken
12) mini sub
Tangierine Cafe
13) Hamburger
Yakitori House
14) Teryaki Chicken with rice
Casey's
15) Corn dog Nuggets
Cosmic Rays
16) Chicken Garden Salad
17) Chicken Noodle Soup

I don't see a childrens menus at the following places , which generally means that you can order an adult meal for the child so that adds Restaurantasaurus (probably supposed to be only the happy meal but it doesn't say that on the menu I'm looking at) - McDonalds chicken nuggets to the chicken nugget rotation, and burgers/veggie burgers, mandarin salad, Catalina Eddies - Hot Italian Deli sandwhich, ceaser salad with chicken, Yorkshire County Fish - Fish and Chips. I'm not listing these as separates since some may be too similar to what is already said and I'm not sure about the no Kid Menu since I'm just going by online menus.

 

[mrzrich]

Day 5 - Lunch Tusker House - Chicken Drumstick, grapes, carrots
Dinner Pepper Market - Hot dog, potato chips, cookie

Just to let you know Tusker House is closed and when it re-opens it will be a buffet.

 

[beth_cam]

Thanks I couldn't remember which one but we'll just to the chicken wings at flame tree then, I guess. Actually they are doing the pirate cruise and I don't know if I'll need to feed them again that day at lunch or not....depends on if she actually eats what they give her which isn't likely.