Kids Menu?

It seems like a lot of people order from the Kids menu at restaurants cause the portions are smaller (and its usually a much better deal!)

Do you do that? Or have tried to..... do they usually let you? (cause it does say 12 and under usually!)

I've asked and been denyed before, but if they do deny you they are usually very helpful after you try to order something, they suggest an alternative.

I honestly think there should be no age limit. A portion is a portion, right?

I've never had the guts to do it. I always want to but then i feel guilty and chicken out! haha.

I used to do it all the time but I stopped. All they ever serve on the kids menu is really unhealthy fried food. It end to go to good restauraunts and I'd rather have a piece of grilled fish or a fancy salad or something. It just seems like a waste. Ask for a small portion or a box with your meal.

the only time i was told no was when i was at Sakura. I threw a fit and got my way, naturally :) haha kidding! The waiter probably felt bad because of the pouty look I gave him. So he gave me the kid's portion.

Sadly, they ended up giving me the same amount of food as everyone else and I ended up wasting so much of it... :(

I always take the kids menu, but I AM 14 after all...

those places r clueless, u and ur doctor r ur best judge.

meand my friend r 14 and find the kids dont fill us up, but our parent sometimes go kids size, like it should be...

Original Post by x17star17x:

I honestly think there should be no age limit. A portion is a portion, right?

 To the consumer, a portion is a portion.  To a business, it's all about economy.  The more they serve (and of course charge for the larger serving), the more they have to buy from the supplier.  The more they buy from the supplier, the less expensive each portion costs.  Lower cost = higher profit.

So, if they charge you a little bit more and serve you a lot more (what a deal!), they make more money.  They don't care if you actually want or eat it all.

Plus a lot of restaurants use the kids menu as a loss-leader (or at least plan to make less money on it) to get the parents to come in and spend money.  So, they're not going to let adults order off it because then they're not making much money off the table.

I've occasionally convinced restaurants to let me order off the seniors' menu, though, if I go out with my parents and one of them orders off the regular menu.  After all, if the server said no, I'd just have my dad order my seniors' meal and I'd order his regular meal.

i'm 17 next week, and i still order from the kid's menu sometimes :)

The only time I order from the kids menu is when I want silver dollar pancakes. :-[  I've never had the nerve to do it otherwise, but then again, most places I see only have grilled cheese or chicken fingers on their kids menus.

Italian restaurants are pretty civilised and often offer their pasta dishes as a 'starter-size' portion rather than calling it a children's meal.    At chain/diner-type places - because my 8 year-old would rather have a small grown-up meal than the rubbish they offer children - is ask for a main course, a salad and a spare plate.  Then I share out the main dish between us!   Another tactic in those places is to ask for the fries (for example) to be served in a separate dish rather than piled up on the plate.  

Restaurants would do well to remember that the 'customer is always right'.  I've never had one of them complain to me yet...  like to see them try!!

i don't know i guess it couldn't hurt to ask to order something off of the kids menu, but every kids menu i have looked at have options that are unhealthy like chicken fingers, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and mac & cheese.. i guess it depends on the restaurant!

I always order from the kids menu.  (5 piece nuggets at Wendy's).  They don't care if I do that, at least where I live.  If I couldn't order what I want I wouldn't go there at all.  I usually only eat 3 of them anyhow-just enough to satisfy my inner child and remind myself that they're not as good as I remembered.

Original Post by jenningermany:

Original Post by x17star17x:

I honestly think there should be no age limit. A portion is a portion, right?

To the consumer, a portion is a portion. To a business, it's all about economy. The more they serve (and of course charge for the larger serving), the more they have to buy from the supplier. The more they buy from the supplier, the less expensive each portion costs. Lower cost = higher profit.

So, if they charge you a little bit more and serve you a lot more (what a deal!), they make more money. They don't care if you actually want or eat it all.

Not too sure about that though...usually suppose if a kid's meal is half the size of the adult's, they'd probably charge about 60-70% of the price of the adult's meal. So I wouldn't understand how they would make less money if they served more kids' meals.

im 13 and i still get kids menu stuff cuz i cant finish the adult meals because i never sit down and eat alot i just snack throughout the day so when i go to restruants its hard to eat a big portion in one seating lol

Original Post by jenny8484:

i don't know i guess it couldn't hurt to ask to order something off of the kids menu, but every kids menu i have looked at have options that are unhealthy like chicken fingers, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and mac & cheese.. i guess it depends on the restaurant!

 Totally. Kids menus are such an afterthought. My daughter & I always share an adult meal. Thankfully she does not have a pallatte for the junky stuff! She'd take steamed mussels over mac'n'cheese!

OP: Just order what you want, take 1/2 home & consider it 2 meals.

im 21 and i order off the kids menu all the time...unless its fried chicken strips or stuff like that. What someone told me to do, which I want to start doing if I ever remember, is to get an adult size and then ask them to box up 1/2 of it before they give it to me. That way I'll have a meal for later & wont be tempted to eat it all. It works & they dont look at you too crazy. You can always say its for your sister at home..