Julie Casey was looking forward to taking her two small children out to lunch. As a young mother, she was also ready for a chance to get out of the house for a welcome break in her day. It was supposed to be a fun time out with the kids, something for all to enjoy, and want to do again.
Yes, it was a memorable time, but for all the wrong reasons. Casey arrived at the Waterford Lakes restaurant with 11-month-old son Ryan in her arms and Regan, 3, toddling behind. But the excited, happy smiles they wore on their faces soon turned upside down.
After paying the cashier, they are presented a tray full of food and empty cups. With one arm already carrying precious cargo, Casey looks around for a little help. And that’s exactly what she gets — little help.
Sure enough, the acrobatic maneuver of balancing a kid on the hip while trying to fill up the cups ends badly, with the drinks doing their own tumbling routine to the floor.
Eventually the family makes it to a table but is in need of a high chair, of which there are just two in the restaurant and they are both occupied. So mom must do what moms do best. She places Ryan on her lap, sacrificing her own meal until her 11-month-old has had his fill.
Then, a high chair opens up. But as one child gets settled, the other one gets restless. Regan begins to investigate everything the eatery has to offer, within arm’s reach, while mom tries to keep track of her daughter’s explorations between hurried bites.
One thing the restaurant doesn’t offer, however, is a changing table. And that’s exactly what Ryan needs — NOW. “That was May 17, 2007, and the last time I ate at that restaurant,” Casey said. But instead of a rueful memory, Casey used the excruciating experience as a springboard to action, and a new career.
That night she went onto her home computer and began researching area restaurants that were supposed to specialize in kid clientele, trying every keyword and combination she could think of. Kid-friendly restaurant, family-friendly, kids meals, food and fun…. And Casey did that every night, for months.
Her search was tough and slowgoing, with not many specifics provided. Finally, it occurred to her there was a need for a single online resource where mothers could go to get all their dining questions answered. And moms, being who they are, have plenty of concerns when it comes to their children. “I could not believe that something did not already exist,” she said.
Casey also discovered that so-called kid-friendly restaurants weren’t really serving kids’ needs. Many didn’t offer much in the way of children’s menus, kids activities or parental amenities. So in September Casey and her mom started up MyKidsPlate.com, a Web site where parents could go for objective, reliable information on taking their kids out to eat.
Since the debut of their interactive Web site, they have received a huge positive response, as well as a cry for help. “From what I’ve been hearing, when it comes to kid-friendly restaurants, there’s no such thing,” said Casey, a resident of Wedgefield.
Currently the site averages 300 new, unique visitors per week with more than 90 percent of those returning to the site. In the past few months the Web site has seen a spurt from 10,000 hits per month to 100,000 hits.
Notably, more than 90 percent of these visitors come from the single most powerful consumer group — women. And as the Web site evolves (a relaunch with even more features was unveiled this month), so has its purpose.
MyKidsPlate.com menu Basically, MyKidsPlate.com offers a list of 28 attributes, various factors taken into account when evaluating a kid-friendly restaurant. These attributes range from food quality to service to kids’ activities.
Not only can parents find out, in advance, what kind of experience awaits them, but after their visit they can add their own comments on food and service as a guide for others. If they enjoyed their experience, customers can nominate the eatery as a “kidfriendly restaurant,” a Web site designation of approval.
There is also a calendar, alerting parents to what days each restaurant may offer a special on food or entertainment, such as Tuesdays is Kids Eat Free day. Or that on Friday, April 11, My Kid’s Plate and Central Florida Moms will be sponsoring a Fun Fair on Family Night with the Orlando Magic, with games, activities and prizes provided outside the Amway Arena before the game.
In addition, Dining Out Downloads allows users to print out discount coupons as well as an age-appropriate Emergency Activity Kit that provides fun stuff for parents to do with their children while waiting for a table or their food. Another key aspect of the Web site is that restaurants can use it to receive valuable feedback.
Casey, with four years experience at Darden Restaurants, including an extended stint doing consumer research for Red Lobster and opening up such well-known dining destinations as Outback and Ruby Tuesday, has plenty of ideas to offer the restaurant business.
Meanwhile, her mom and co-owner, Vicky Dunn, boasts a background in hotels, mostly in sales and marketing. Together, they know what makes the food service and hospitality industry click, with moms and dads now able to tap into this same information reservoir with a click of their own.
Casey continues to do consumer research on MyKidsPlate.com with an ongoing survey that welcomes input from visitors. And what she has discovered is alternately surprising and predictable. For example, she has learned that the top priority for parents wanting a pleasant and palatable night out is a short waiting time of 15-20 minutes.
This is a must for impatient children as well as short-fused moms and dads. Offering entertainment or some free munchies to the little ones can resolve this problem, she said. Providing children’s activities is also a major concern.
“Offering a lame coloring sheet just doesn’t make it anymore,” Casey said. Instead, some restaurants provide television monitors for kids shows or video games. Big Boy restaurants offer a 10- page, comic book-style booklet full of activities.
The American Pie Pizza Company offers personal TVs above each booth with each monitor offering individual controls and a different game for a new experience each visit. Perhaps one unexpected finding from the survey involves location. Ninety percent of families are willing to drive up to 30 miles to a restaurant designated as kid-friendly.
Parents also want value. Many cite the need for a kids menu, with meals in the $3-$4 range, including some healthychoice options.
If restaurants incorporate these suggestions into their operation, MyKids- Plate.com may select them as a recommended “kid-friendly restaurant,” which helps dining establishments with both their marketing and branding. “It gives a restaurant a competitive edge,” said Casey. “It’s their way of showing consumers they are trying to be more kid-friendly.”
