California Grill & Picky Children

[HollyH]

Advise needed please. Very picky grandchildren. Will be 7 & 12yrs. There is nothing on the menu the 12 yr old would be happy with. Has anyone pre-fed their kiddos and just ordered them dessert? Is that even possible? I know adults must order from the prix fixe menu but is there any flexibility for kids? It's been a tradition for our family to have the last night's dinner at CG so we'd like to try to go there if possible. How have others handled this situation? Love to hear your experiences. TIA.

 

[FSU Girl]

You can’t order dessert at a price fixed, even kids. Will they be ok sitting over an hour for a meal they aren’t eating? And you have to pay full price for them even if they don’t eat. I’m not sure if it’s possible to get chicken fingers or something like that there I haven’t tried. It might be worth skipping for now. There are other places you can watch fireworks if that’s the goal of eating there

 

[Sprinkles&Sprints]

Last summer we traveled with my best friend and her family - her daughter is incredibly picky. In my experience, our server and the kitchen bent over backwards trying to make it enjoyable for all. That said, you may end up paying the same amount for pretty basic food (eg Mac with no cheese) but I’m confident they will find something for them to eat.

 

[HollyH]

So what I'm understanding is, if she's taking up a chair, she's paying for the prix fixe menu. Whether she eats or not. And at 12 yrs, she's an adult price. Got it. That's an expensive chair. Lol. We'd be hoping for an accommodating server that night, like Sprinkles&Sprints had, with no guarantees. We don't go for the fireworks perk. It's just been our tradition to end our trip with last night at CG. Maybe it is time to switch up.

 

[fla4fun]

So what I'm understanding is, if she's taking up a chair, she's paying for the prix fixe menu. Whether she eats or not. And at 12 yrs, she's an adult price. Got it. That's an expensive chair. Lol. We'd be hoping for an accommodating server that night, like Sprinkles&Sprints had, with no guarantees. We don't go for the fireworks perk. It's just been our tradition to end our trip with last night at CG. Maybe it is time to switch up.

Yes, that’s basically it.

We ate at CG last November and had an excellent meal. However, there was nothing on the menu I would eat at the time I made the booking. I made it anyway, knowing that they often make changes to the menu there and got lucky. The night we dined there were several new items on the menu and most of them I was willing to try. You could make a reservation elsewhere and keep an eye on the menu at CG to see if it changes before you arrive. If you aren’t interested in the fireworks timing there seems to be availability fairly last minute for other times (we wanted fireworks), so it might work out for you.

Is there anything on the menu that she would eat if it were modified? For example, I am not a fan of sauces and condiments, so many times I ask for those to be left off my plate leaving a plain meat and sides meal. Another idea to try is to get an “adult” sized portion of a kids meal, if there is anything on the kids menu she would like. I have read a lot of posts where people with kids not far over the adult age but who still have kids palates have been successful with this option.

I hope you find a solution that makes everyone happy!