At the TS restaurants that are not character meals, do they hand out coloring sheets? At most of the restaurants in my area (Applebees, Outback,Chilis...) they always give the kids some crayons and a coloring sheet when we are seated. Anyone know?
The kids menu comes with crayons, and has a few games on it. It's one sheet, not the booklets you get at the family restaurants you've mentioned. If your kids tend to get bored while sitting in a restaurant, you may want to bring a notebook/fun pad in your purse.
The color sheets seem to be more of an "activity" page. They were a little advanced for DD (3.5). They were suitable for a young elementary school age.
Or you can go to Cape May Buffet where everyone is highly encouraged to draw on the paper tablecloths. At Whispering Canyon Cafe, we were given crayons (actually, I think they were overlooked from the previous diners). We were a party of six adults, us and our parents. Getting into the whole restaurant theme, I asked our server why we had nothing to color. We all quickly got coloring sheets. Ever see your 72 year old father patiently coloring Bear in the Big Blue House? Priceless.