Family restaurants aren't always family-friendly and they often lack healthy children's menu choices. Get an analysis of popular chain family restaurants.
When traveling with kids, those well-known family restaurants can seem alluring. They are recognizable and familiar. But are those family restaurants really the best choices?
In this analysis, the main criteria to be examined is family amenities (such as things for kids to do while waiting on a meal, smoking policies and high chair options) and the children's menu options (which rarely include healthy choices). Each restaurant gets a grade based on all these items.
Cracker Barrel - Grade C
Cracker Barrel's family restaurants are practically everywhere when you're on the road, which makes them a reliable option for family dining on the road. The hard wooden high chairs are plentiful, but they aren't very secure or supportive for young babies. A big chunk of their restaurants are also smoking sections, and there is little but a partial wall to divide the two sides. They could also stand to share a little more than a sad packet of two crayons with each kid.
The store is handy for traveling families, and they provide free U.S. maps (with their restaurants, of course, listed). It can be seen as a pro or a con, however, as it could make it tough to drag a kid out who wants all that old-fashioned candy. It is actually pretty easy to get a semi-healthy kids' meal here, though, such as a grilled chicken strip meal with non-French-fries veggie options, chicken and dumplin's, or even just the veggie plate.
Ryan's Steakhouse - Grade B
The coolest family-friendly amenity at Ryan's family restaurants is the hammock-style holsters for placing baby carriers, which is rarely seen and much better than most high chairs for bringing infants. There is also the plus in general of the buffet style of Ryan's, which means no whine-infused long waits for food to be served. They have a mix of restaurants with and without smoking sections, so check ahead if this is a major concern.
While there are some healthy choices available, there is a plethora of junk food in the buffets. Kids who are able to make their own plates might be tough to persuade to choose veggies and lean meats over pizza and fried chicken. It would also be tough to say no to the free dessert and ice cream station. They do, however, have an interactive nutrition guide to their dishes. They also offer little in the way of occupying and entertaining children.
Perkins - Grade C
The worst offense Perkins family restaurant makes is that there is not a single healthy option on their kids menu, unless you happen to consider pizza and chocolate chip-filled pancakes to be healthy. The restaurants are pleasant to visit, however, and many are either non-smoking or have days (like on the weekends) when they go smoke-free.
They do provide crayons and a coloring pamphlet to entertain the kids. They also have a Kids' Birthday Club that allows children to get a free meal with a paid adult meal.
Chili's - Grade D
I've been to many a Chili's family restaurant in which you must walk through the smoke-filled bar to get to the restrooms, so even sitting in a non-smoking section won't protect the kids from second-hand smoke. They do, however, provide crayons and a small coloring book, as well as decent high chairs and booster seats.
They do have a limited number of healthy options for kids, such as pasta with tomato sauce or a grilled chicken sandwich. But be wary of some of the other choices, such as chicken crispers (590 calories and 42 grams of fat) or the cheese pizza (570 calories and 24 grams of fat) if you examine their online nutrional guide (pdf). And those numbers are before the sides. The cob of corn sounds healthy, but the buttered version adds another 7 grams of fat and 230 calories. It's also bizarre that they use the same oversized adult spoons with the children's dishes, which are extremely hard for small children to manipulate.
Macaroni Grill - Grade C
It would be easy to assume Macaroni Grill family restaurants have plenty of healthy options for kids, but think again. The only mildly healthy choice on the kids' menu is the grilled chicken and broccoli pasta, with 380 calories and 5 grams of fat. It's nice they have healthy broccoli crowns as a side, but what should you pair it with? The chicken fingers with 45 grams of fat? Even the spaghetti has 500 calories and 24 grams of fat, according to their nutritional information. And the double mac and cheese dish for kids is just ridiculous, with 1,210 calories and 62 grams of fat.
On the plus side, this is a fun place for both kids and adults. Kids love the paper tablecloths they can color on, and watching the food be prepared through the glass.
More on family dining: Healthy Kid Snack Ideas | Healthy Kid Snack Tips & Recipes | Top 10 Healthy Family Restaurants
