Red Lobster: A Kids' Menu That Parents Can Love
Most parents appreciate a restaurant with a kids' menu, where portion sizes are reduced along with the prices. But too many children's menus offer not a single healthful option—"fried" is the common denominator—leaving conscientious parents feeling guilty about going out.
The challenge: Many customers choose Red Lobster for its healthful seafood selections, but until recently, the kids' menu left another impression. The chief options—fried shrimp, fried chicken fingers, pasta with cheesesticks, popcorn shrimp, and a hamburger— guaranteed youngsters a high-fat meal. The chain knew that parents would appreciate some more nutritionally sound choices, but would the kids?
The solution: In December 2003, after testing with 3,000 parents and children, Red Lobster unveiled its revamped kids' menu. The new selections, still in place, include snow crab legs, broiled fish and grilled chicken—all served with steamed vegetables. The popular popcorn shrimp, chicken fingers, and fries remain on the menu, but at least families now have some more healthful alternatives.
Red Lobster executive John Altomare says one goal was "to make the kids' experience more in line with what the adults experience." To that end, a kid's meal comes with an appetizer now—a choice of applesauce or baby carrots and cucumbers with ranch dip. So while the parents are enjoying the salad that comes before their entrée, their kids can be occupied with a first course, too.
The grilled fish sells well, but the snow crab legs with steamed vegetables have been the big winner on the new children's menu. Kids love to eat with their hands, says Red Lobster spokesperson Wendy Spirduso, and they enjoy mastering the little seafood fork. Although the restaurant will substitute fries for the vegetables on request, parents have an easier time vetoing fries when the dish "comes with vegetables."
"The key is giving options," says Altomare. Parents want to feel good about taking their kids out to eat, but they don't want choices removed from the menu. Red Lobster executives believe that the makeover worked because the selections allow youngsters (or their parents) to make healthful choices one visit and more indulgent ones the next.