CHICAGO -- Kids' menus play an important role for many chain restaurants, accounting for more than 1,100 distinct menu items at the top 250 chains. They also factor largely in the dining out decisions for many parents with kids. To better understand how chain operators can target kids and their families, Technomic Information Services, a division of Technomic Inc. recently released The Kids' Menu Report 2006.
The new report covers kids' menus in both limited-service and full-service restaurants, providing detailed reporting and key takeaways on menu [image-nocss] variety, proteins and desserts. Of particular interest are the insights from interviews conducted with 500 parents, across the U.S., of children under 11 years of age.
Among the findings:
Nearly 80% of parents cite the existence of a kids' menu as an important factor in choosing a limited-service restaurant. This number approached 90% for parents of three-to-eight-year-olds. At full-service restaurants, kids' menu usage peaks at ages three to five, dropping slightly for six-to-eight-year-olds. Once children reach age nine, however, usage drops steeply. From the time kids can talk, "what kids want" dominates the decision-making process, accounting for 80% of the reason parents order off kids' menus at both full- and limited-service restaurants. Value, toys, habit, and healthfulness all take a back seat to kids' food preferences.Technomic Information Services tracks the foodservice industry, providing intelligence, forecasts, data and training support to manufacturers, operators and distributors and others allied to the field. Chicago-based Technomic provides food and foodservice clients with the research, insights and strategic consulting support they need to enhance their business strategies, decisions and results. Its services include category and channel analyses, customer satisfaction studies, opportunity assessments, benchmarking programs and brand equity enhancement.
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