Pint Sized Power
Though kids don’t carry the family wallet, they still exert plenty of financial influence in the dining arena. From burger joints and pizzerias to sandwich shops and fast-casual chains, restaurants across the country have clamored for their slice of the kids’ menu pie with targeted offerings and a kid-centric vibe.
Today, the kids’ menu remains a compelling—if not necessary—restaurant program. With attractive dining options and an equally pleasing kid-friendly environment, many operations are wooing families and their influential youngsters through the doors—and reaping profits for their efforts.
“Kids drive decisions and there’s no question our kids’ menu helps attract them,” says Stacy Hettich, brand director at Fazoli’s, a quick-service Italian franchise that commits a lot of attention to its child-friendly atmosphere. “Having a kids’ menu is such a positive attribute for our brand and certainly contributes to our success.”
But creating and maintaining an attractive kids’ menu demands more than a pint-sized meal. Today’s children, products of the Internet age, cable television, and no-score soccer games, are accustomed to interaction, choice, and feeling special at every turn. Parents, meanwhile, focus their eyes on price and health. A kids’ menu that appeases both audiences will do much to spark revenue, boost brand loyalty, and encourage repeat visits.
Know the Target
In 2008, Cosi, a fast-casual chain headquartered in Deerfield, Illinois, focused its attention on kids’ offerings. With a growing contingent of suburban operations, Cosi leaders saw the need to introduce a formal kids’ menu to satisfy the family dominated demographics of its nearly 150 locations.
“We didn’t have a printed kids’ menu, we didn’t package meals, and we just knew this was a missed opportunity,” says Jill Lawrence, Cosi’s senior director of marketing.
In the summer of 2008, Cosi unveiled its first kids’ menu. Young patrons can order pizza or a sandwich, a healthy side (carrots, potato chips cooked in unsaturated oil, or a fruit cup), a cookie, and a take-home beverage cup, which includes a flavored straw for milk orders. Cosi’s revamped efforts triggered an immediate jump in sales.
Knowing the target audience spurred Cosi’s quick success and opened the brand’s eyes to the power of a well-conceived kids’ menu. Still, emerging as a popular brand with kids and parents extends beyond the menu and into the creation of a child-friendly environment.
At Which Wich sandwich shops, kids place their orders at a tot-sized counter, a modest, low-cost design feature that allows children to replicate the adult experience.
“Kids represent about 10 percent of our business and that’s a big enough chunk that we’re going to pay attention to what they want and how they’re treated,” says Which Wich founder Jeff Sinelli.
At one of Sinelli’s other brands, Dallas-based Burguesa Burger, the bag that serves “The Little Luchador (Wrestler)” kids’ meal turns into a Mexican wrestler’s mask.
“You can’t overlook the element of packaging in attracting kids,” he says.
Fazoli’s directs its kids’ menu at the 4–9-year-old crowd, pairing each kids’ meal with a Tony Tomato activity book. At its Tuesday Kids’ Nights, Fazoli’s serves up 99-cent meals as well as a guided arts and crafts activity.
“You have to know your brand well and Fazoli’s has become synonymous with families because of these family friendly programs,” Hettich says. “We’ve done our due diligence and research and it’s paid off.”
Keep It Simple, Not Too Simple
Kids can be finicky eaters, a reality that encourages operators to provide options that will satisfy their youngest clientele.
Fazoli’s hosts a five-item kids’ menu (pepperoni or cheese pizza, spaghetti, meat lasagna, and fettuccine alfredo), though the Lexington, Kentucky–based brand will occasionally add limited-time offerings. The decision to retain a tight, targeted menu rests as much in ease of ordering and preparation as it does in a sturdy sales history.
“Long term, pizza and spaghetti have proven their worth,” Hettich says, adding that consistency with menu, customer experience, and price is just as important. “Parents want to come in and see familiar offerings. They want to know that their expectations will be met.”
Many eateries have adopted a layered ordering platform that has kids pick options from designated categories. At Which Wich locations, kids grab a red crayon and a pre-printed bag to select their sandwich options along with cheese, bread type, toppings, and drink variety. Though choice is provided, the options do not overwhelm.
“Kids’ palates aren’t as big as adults, but you still have to provide a range of options to appease the kids’ tastes,” Sinelli says.
“It’s all about having an appropriate number of options on the menu because kids enjoy the power of choice,” Cosi’s Lawrence says. “That’s one of our things that has proven to be a real hit.”
Package and Price
Packaging the different components of a kids’ meal together isn’t just a best practice because it allows for customization, it also enhances value perception, an important element in today’s struggling economy.
McDonald’s Happy Meal may have set the gold standard for a successful kids’ menu when it created an offering that provided an entrée, side, and drink. The Golden Arches then priced the Happy Meals to sell; not only did the kids love the Happy Meal, but so did parents, who enjoyed the low-price, all-inclusive meal. Value continues to be a selling point in the kids’ meal realm, as the average quick-serve price of a kid’s meal combo in the second quarter of 2009 was a mere $3.60, according to consumer research firm Mintel.
Yet Sinelli, who merely looks to cover the cost of his $3–$4 kids’ meals, says the kids’ menu is about more than profit.
“We’re trying to build our brand with kids, knowing that we’re in this for the long haul,” he says. “It’s a slower path, but it allows the brand to build on experience rather than spending thousands on creating a splash.”
For more information, visit QSRMagazine.com
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