Thai food?

[IrishNYC]

Mac and cheese, and chicken nuggets isn't a Disney problem, it's a majority of restaurants problem. I find it annoying. My kid has no idea that kid menu staples are something she's "missing out" on at home, because since she started eating solid foods she ate what we ate. DD will guzzle hot sauce like it's going out of style, loves ethnic food of all kinds, and has never eaten a nugget outside of a chain restaurant or amusement park. I wish restaurants would just give kid sized servings of the darn menu instead of dumbing it down.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Mac and cheese, and chicken nuggets isn't a Disney problem, it's a majority of restaurants problem. I find it annoying. My kid has no idea that kid menu staples are something she's "missing out" on at home, because since she started eating solid foods she ate what we ate. DD will guzzle hot sauce like it's going out of style, loves ethnic food of all kinds, and has never eaten a nugget outside of a chain restaurant or amusement park. I wish restaurants would just give kid sized servings of the darn menu instead of dumbing it down.

Agreed. Because it's not just that there's a nugget problem, it's also that when there is a reasonably sane kid menu, it still is sanitized.

I like Artist Point and think their kid menu does an okay job, but it goes into "plain" mode. The kid apps are a "green salad" or "seasonal fruit." Why NOT an artisanal cheese plate, avoiding a couple of the soft cheeses (because they can be issues for younger stomachs)? Why not a junior shrimp cocktail? Why not a junior soup? Just serve the soup in a smaller bowl!

The kid fish and chicken is relatively "plain," no brown butter, no jus. Sure, maybe skip wine sauces, but why not brown butter?!

 

[TXAKDisneyFan]

Agreed. Because it's not just that there's a nugget problem, it's also that when there is a reasonably sane kid menu, it still is sanitized.

I like Artist Point and think their kid menu does an okay job, but it goes into "plain" mode. The kid apps are a "green salad" or "seasonal fruit." Why NOT an artisanal cheese plate, avoiding a couple of the soft cheeses (because they can be issues for younger stomachs)? Why not a junior shrimp cocktail? Why not a junior soup? Just serve the soup in a smaller bowl!

The kid fish and chicken is relatively "plain," no brown butter, no jus. Sure, maybe skip wine sauces, but why not brown butter?!

I think it's because the parents with picky eaters are probably more vocal than those of us whose kids eat a wider range of foods. My kids and many others I know will eat these plainer foods, they just aren't enthused about it, so we don't bother to complain, whereas I'm positive that people with picky eaters would complain if there weren't plainer foods on the kids menu (see: Skippers Canteen). When we do make them, our complaints also aren't as "severe" - they're more along the lines of "it would be nice to have smaller versions of this adult entree on the kids menu" rather than "there's nothing on the menu my kid will eat, and therefore we can't book the restaurant and you're going to lose out on business." Obviously if restaurant management thinks they'll lose out on business if they don't include plainer foods on the kids menu, then they're going to offer those foods (whether they're along the nugget/mac & cheese line or healthier, plain protein without sauce and with a side of carrot sticks). (I and others have already discussed why it's not feasible for restaurants to offer a lot of different entree choices.)