Five Tips for Eating Out With Kids

 

Five Tips for Eating Out With Kids

When I was a child, going out to eat was usually reserved for special occasions or the occasional Sunday after church. A family trip to a restaurant was planned out in advance. We dressed up all fancy-like. It was a big deal.

Now that I have my own family and the jam-packed, over-scheduled life that goes along with it, I find myself saying stuff like, “Why don’t we just go out tonight?” or, ““Let’s grab something on the way home from T-ball practice.” (Feel free to replace T-ball practice with whatever “thing” you’re running to or from.)

Sometimes fast food isn’t what you have in mind for dinner. More families today are health-conscious and want something more nutritionally sound that isn’t served via a drive-thru.

Here are a few tips for an outside-your-home dining experience that will fill your kids’ bellies and keep you happy and (relatively) sane:

1. Choose wisely.

Pick a family-friendly restaurant. It’s easy to find a place that caters to both parents and kids. Find a place with an established children’s menu and some form of kiddie swag, even something as simple as a coloring sheet and Crayons.

One of our favorite family hangouts is La Cabana in Cibolo. I have a weakness for salsa and mojitos, and this place doesn’t disappoint. There’s also a nice play area. If we’re in the mood for tangy smoked pork and cold beer, we like Harmon’s Barbeque, also in Cibolo. Both of these places are super kid-friendly: simple, relaxed, and delicious.

2. Don’t arrive hungry.

Feed your kids a healthy snack beforehand. Waiting for your food will be much more peaceful (aka: other patrons won’t glare at your family because your hangry kids are gnawing on the edge of the table).

3. Don’t order kiddie food first.

Many parents get into the habit of asking servers to bring the children’s meals out early so their kids aren’t grumpy, impatient, or annoying other diners. If your child has finished his/her meal when you start eating yours, it’s harder to relax and enjoy your food. Your kids may be more likely to get fidgety (aka: run around the dining room or hide under the table) if they don’t have a purpose. It’s easier to keep your kids occupied while you all wait together to be served.

4. Keep an open mind regarding entertainment options.

Most restaurants we frequent as a family offer some type of kid’s activity. We don’t allow iPads at the dinner table at home, so that’s one reason not to give them to our kids when we’re dining out, but sometimes we make exceptions. Our kids don’t have to sit quietly at our table for 30+ minutes while I make dinner. They’re not sitting one table over from a stranger who paid $20 for a meal he expects to eat in relative peace. Electronics aren’t the first trick I pull out of my hat to entertain my kids at a restaurant, but sometimes that’s what gets us through the meal. And that’s OK.

5. Befriend your server.

This is the guy or gal who will be sweeping up saltines ground as finely as sand from under your kid’s chair and possibly probably mopping up some spills. Even if your dining spot is advertised as family-friendly, your waiter may not see serving your small humans as the coolest thing ever. He might not even—gasp!—think they’re as adorbs as you know they really are. Polite parents who make a point to say “thank you” make a server’s job so much easier and may land your family some extra silly straws or something cool like that.

Hopefully, these five little tips get you through some amazing summer meals out in (relative) harmony. Besides, we’re in San Antonio, people. It’s too hot to cook dinner.

Jill
Jill Robbins is a wannabe wine snob and lazy runner. She moved to San Antonio when she was 18 months old, so she considers herself a native. She has a degree in social psychology, which so far has been unhelpful in understanding the behavior of her husband and three children. Jill writes about adoption, motherhood, and midlife on her blog, Ripped Jeans and Bifocals, and freelances for various magazines and websites such as The Huffington Post, She Knows, Babble and Scary Mommy. She is the Director/Producer of Listen to Your Mother: San Antonio, a live show featuring readings about motherhood. You can follow Jill on Facebook and Twitter.

1 COMMENT

  1. These are great tips! We always “choose wisely,” meaning that we picked buffets for a while, or Texas Roadhouse with the peanuts! Now, my kids do much better at a sit down restaurant.

    There are also great lists on this website for Kid Friendly Restaurants in the “Around Town,” –> “Best of San Antonio” tab. 🙂

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