Children’s meals used to be the most predictable part of a restaurant menu--a standard list of chicken nuggets, hot dogs, grilled cheese sandwiches, PB&J, cheese pizza and mac-and-cheese plates. But today, these old favorites are being joined or supplanted by a wider array of more adult, better-for-you fare.
The sheer quantity of kids’ meal items is proliferating not just because of broader menus, but also because a number of restaurants are introducing kids’ menus for the first time. Among those that inaugurated kids’ menus last year:
* The Cheesecake Factory, whose new menu for the 10-and-under set includes such dishes as two bite-sized sliders or Southern-fried chicken sliders with fries; pasta dishes with various sauces or butter and Parmesan; and grilled chicken with vegetables and potatoes.
* P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, whose child-friendly entrées, designed to introduce kids to Chinese cuisine, include Kid’s Chicken with honey or sweet-and-sour dipping sauce; Kid’s Lo Mein, egg noodles stir-fried with chicken; Kid’s Chicken Fried Rice; and Baby Buddha’s Feast, featuring steamed or stir-fried snap peas, carrots and broccoli.
* Chipotle Mexican Grill is rolling out a kids’ menu featuring such items as quesadillas and single tacos. A build-your-own taco kit allows kids to pick a protein and two ingredients, along with two crispy or soft taco shells, all presented on a tray for them to assemble as they wish.
* Tropical Smoothie Café, which debuted its kids’ menu with items such as cheese pizza, ham and American cheese flatbread and a Banana Mania Smoothie.
* Starbucks, which introduced new Snack-Fulls kids’ packs; each 270-calorie, all-natural pack includes organic apple slices, a box of raisins, string cheese and Annie’s Bunny Grahams bunny-shaped snacks.