Why your kids’ menu needs a makeover

When Darren Robertson was cooking at Three Blue Ducks in Bronte back in the early 2010s, he admits kids were very much an afterthought. “We were a lot younger and we thought we were cool,” he recalls. “But then we moved to Byron and [opened Three Blue Ducks on The Farm in 2014 and we had a huge space with a field, farm, kids’ playing area and [were attracting] lots of families. We read the room and started our Ducklings menu.”

These days Three Blue Ducks have five distinctive venues, including at URBNSURF in Melbourne, and kids have become as much a focus as adults. “We have a Ducklings menu in each location – and it’s the same stuff that we serve the adults, just served in a smaller, different way, usually without spice,” Robertson says. “You do have to cater for the absolute plain Jane with something like a plain pasta, but we’ve also got pork dumplings and baos with pork belly and cucumber, mushroom or fried chicken with slaw. It wouldn’t look out of place on an adults’ menu.”

The breakfast menu is similarly simplified. “We’ll have a granola bowl, a sourdough with Oomite or jam, fresh fruit,” he says. “We’d never want to do substandard produce.”

As Robertson and his business partners started having kids of their own, they were even more inspired to re-think the possibilities for kids’ menus. “I’m not a huge fan of processed foods, and there’s definitely been more of an interest as a diner as well as a restaurateur or chef to involve the kids as well,” he says. “They should have an awesome dining experience as well as the parents.”

A business opportunity 

There are currently an estimated 4.7 million children under the age of 14 in Australia, and if restaurants can cater for them and their parents, there’s a lot of revenue potential. “It’s an interesting challenge to make it appealing – you shouldn’t compromise your standards just because you’re cooking for someone that’s little,” Robertson says. “You are creating another revenue stream as well – if you can get the kids to stick around, the parents are sticking around as well, perhaps ordering another drink. So, I think it makes business sense.”

Just as vegetarians are no longer ignored by chefs, Robertson suggests that kids’ menus can be a wonderful challenge. “It [used to] almost be a burden if someone was a vegetarian – chefs thought it was dull and unimaginative,” he says. “But then restaurants like Yellow in Sydney evolved showing plant-based [meals] and it became more interesting for both the diner and the chefs cooking it. I think it’s the same with kids’ food as well.”

Benjamin Grebert, head chef of Yarri Restaurant in Western Australia, believes casual eateries are best placed to offer interesting kids’ menus. “Disgruntled children probably won’t sit through a two-hour setting with lamb shawarma, a sophisticated pasta or something too adventurous,” he points out.

Back to basics 

Yarri goes for guaranteed crowd pleasers on their kids’ menu, including a classic burger, fish and salad and pasta with sugo. “I think more often than not, a kids’ menu is about giving children comfort food to let parents enjoy the night,” Grebert says.

Factoring in fidgeting can also improve the whole family’s dining experience, so consider some outside space to let kids roam free or some colouring in pages to hold their attention. “I think a downfall of a lot of restaurants is being dismissive of children,” Grebert says. “They are customers too, even if they aren’t the ones with the wallets.”

Strike the right balance of kid and adult needs, and Grebert predicts you’ll enjoy many repeat customers. “Acknowledging kids and making their experience as diners just as comfortable as the parents’ will always [result in] return business,” he says. “Whether it be through what’s on the plate or a positive and intentional personal interaction – that’s what hospitality is all about.”