Connect with us

Global Banking and Finance Review is an online platform offering news, analysis, and opinion on the latest trends, developments, and innovations in the banking and finance industry worldwide. The platform covers a diverse range of topics, including banking, insurance, investment, wealth management, fintech, and regulatory issues. The website publishes news, press releases, opinion and advertorials on various financial organizations, products and services which are commissioned from various Companies, Organizations, PR agencies, Bloggers etc. These commissioned articles are commercial in nature. This is not to be considered as financial advice and should be considered only for information purposes. It does not reflect the views or opinion of our website and is not to be considered an endorsement or a recommendation. We cannot guarantee the accuracy or applicability of any information provided with respect to your individual or personal circumstances. Please seek Professional advice from a qualified professional before making any financial decisions. We link to various third-party websites, affiliate sales networks, and to our advertising partners websites. When you view or click on certain links available on our articles, our partners may compensate us for displaying the content to you or make a purchase or fill a form. This will not incur any additional charges to you. To make things simpler for you to identity or distinguish advertised or sponsored articles or links, you may consider all articles or links hosted on our site as a commercial article placement. We will not be responsible for any loss you may suffer as a result of any omission or inaccuracy on the website. .

Top Stories

1.5 Million Kids In The UK Are Demanding Restaurant Dining To Avoid Their Parents’ Cooking

1.5 Million Kids In The UK Are Demanding Restaurant Dining To Avoid Their Parents’ Cooking
  • Almost half (48%) of UK families dine out at least once a week, costing parents more than £2,000 a year
  • Two-thirds (63%) of restaurateurs hire staff with childcare experience to cater to families
  • Resulting in the majority (92%) of restaurateurs seeing their establishments as family friendly
  • However, 67% of parents still think restaurants need to accommodate families better
  • Spending quality time together is a key factor in dining, with more than two fifths (43%) eating out more often now than they did two years ago

 A new study analyzing the dining habits of UK families has revealed that restaurateurs are hiring staff with childcare experience in order to accommodate the family dining market. It’s a strategy that recognizes the 1.7 million* kids in the UK preferring dining out as a marked improvement to their parents’ home cooking.

The research, conducted by Caterer.com, found that the family dining market has evolved to a point where over half (57%) of the revenue of the restaurateurs surveyed came from families alone. 92% of restaurants see their establishments as family-friendly, when more than half (63%) look for staff with childcare experience, offer one-off training (19%), or regular childcare training (58%) in order to deal with families.

Parents are grateful for this support, as 32% struggle to get their children to behave at restaurants. Nevertheless, dining out is used by parents as a way to reward their kids (53%)  or spend quality time together (51%) – which also brings a smile to the faces of restaurateurs, as 92% enjoy seeing families dining and spending time together.

Despite more than a third (35%) of parents claiming that the cost of dining presents a barrier to eating out as a family, UK families don’t seem to mind forking out a healthy average of £42 per family meal, or £2,184 a year.

The Big Kids Menu Debate

Restaurateurs are working to support the family dining market by keeping things fresh and changing their children’s menus up to four times a year. As a result half of the parents surveyed (50%) were against scrapping children’s menus altogether.  Almost half (49%) of children still enjoy the kids’ menu too, only requesting minimal changes such as more options to choose from (47%) and the ability to customize their meals (33%).

Despite these efforts, 67% of parents felt restaurants needed to accommodate families better, and almost two thirds of parents (61%) didn’t think kids’ menus were up to scratch when it came down to offering a variety of food options.

Consequently, almost two thirds of the parents surveyed (65%) thought there needed to be a shake-up in kids menus.  Three quarters (74%) specifically wanted the kids’ menu to simply mirror the adults’ menu, but with smaller portions, and one in four (28%) wanted it scrapped altogether.

Changing Cuisines

Four in five (79%) parents thought that eating out was important in order for their children to try new foods, with Japanese, Thai and Mexican cuisines found to be rising stars for kids. As a result, less than half (49%) of children said they liked the more restricted kids’ menu.

Even so, the kid’s menu classics are still ruling supreme, with the top five listed by families as:

  • Pizza (49%)
  • Burgers (38%)
  • Fish fingers (38%)
  • Nuggets and chips (38%)
  • Roast dinner (26%)

Neil Pattison, Sales Director of Caterer.com comments on the report: “We’re thrilled to see that despite some of the challenges that family dining can present, families are dining out more often than before without breaking the bank. This is thanks to the hard work of restaurateurs up and down the country to ensure they are offering flexible and varied menu options for children.

 “Restaurants are already actively employing and training staff to specifically cater for families and young children, and it’s vital that they maintain this commitment in order to provide more families with a safe and welcoming space to enjoy a meal together.”

Sarah Wheatley, Head of Brand Marketing at TGI Fridays said: “We love nothing more than to welcome the whole family through our doors.  Alongside our tasty menu offering, our team members go above and beyond to make the dining experience as engaging, exciting and memorable as possible, right down to making balloon animals at the table. its little touches like these that keep the kids entertained, leaving parents to enjoy themselves, and inspire guests to keep coming back for more.”

 Miranda Godfrey, Senior Lecturer for Escoffier Grand Diploma Course at Westminster Kingsway College commented: “Eating out with my family is a treat that is valued and appreciated by all of us.  Dining out of the home provides memories that I want to create for them in a positive way. Children are of course future customers who will no doubt be taking their children out in years to come. Being able to recall, discuss and share positive stories promotes the good actions of restaurants who are acknowledging the value of family dining. As a Mother and a chef I am looking forward to seeing restaurants adapt and grow to accommodate this ever growing culture for eating out as a family unit.”

Global Banking & Finance Review

 

Why waste money on news and opinions when you can access them for free?

Take advantage of our newsletter subscription and stay informed on the go!


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Global Banking & Finance Review │ Banking │ Finance │ Technology. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

Recent Post