On the Table: Restaurants Offer 'Healthy' Child Menus
By Angela Allen, The Columbian Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
As Americans battle the paradox of overweight yet undernourished kids, restau-rant chains are starting to more healthfully tailor menus. But only a few of them are getting it right.
Research indicates that about half of parents with children 6- to 11-years-old dine out once a week, and about 20 percent of young- kid families eat in restaurants more than once. Kids consume a lot more calories than they do at home, but usually take in fewer nutrients.
An article in Child Magazine's April issue reveals the 10 best chain full-service sit-down family restaurants. To be considered for the story, menus were required to offer at least two to four nutritious entrees, include a vegetable besides French fries, and list milk among beverages.
The magazine's editors started out with 125 chains and ended up with 20 meeting the lowest common denominator requirements. "What we found was horrifying: Most menus are filled with fried courses and French fries, and when beverages are noted, all offer soda while only two-thirds mention milk," noted author Karen Cicero.
Nutritionists evaluated menus, accounting for 75 percent of the grade. The other 25 percent came from child-friendly activities -- like birthday clubs and fun stuff to work on at the table -- as well as smoking policies, contributions to kids' charities and schools, and access to such services as diaper-changing rooms and high chairs.
Now the fortunate news: Clark County is home to several chains that made the cut: Red Lobster, Old Spaghetti Factory, Ruby Tuesday and Chevy's Fresh Mex.
Red Lobster, which came in third among the top 10, was complimented for a redesigned menu featuring three "healthy and delicious entree choices": grilled mahi-mahi, snow crab legs and grilled chicken.
Will kids order those? Apparently so. The snow crab legs are emerging as a popular item on the kids' menu, Red Lobster's Jerold Smith said.
Always a family favorite, the Old Spaghetti Factory took fifth place. OSF sponsors the Rewards of Reading program (a child reads five books and receives a free meal), and for years, has raised money for children's theaters and museums. Its cozy environment with Oriental rugs and Tiffany lamps surpasses the vinyl-booth look.
The OSF simple kids' menu features spaghetti with a choice of sauces and arrives in a plastic bowl featuring artwork from the chain's design contest for children. Sides include applesauce or a salad, and the frozen juice bar among desserts is healthful.
Ruby Tuesday, a new chain arrival in Vancouver, secured seventh place partly for offering whole grains on the menu and switching to trans-fat-free canola oil. By the end of April, it plans to roll out a kids' menu with a cheese quesadilla wrapped in a whole grain tortilla; a turkey and cheese sandwich on wheatberry bread; and such sides as fresh fruit, steamed broccoli and the salad bar. New menu items met with a thumbs-up from a focus group of 7- to 10-year- olds..
Ruby Tuesday designed a long-term Smart Eating Initiative (it's cutting off suppliers that continue to use trans-fats), and among other things is serving portion sizes matched to age and healthfulness.
Chevy's tied for 10th place with its Fiesta Kids Club and "no- cans" offerings, where everything is made from scratch, including guacamole and fresh salsa. Kids' dishes are served with fresh fruit, a mini sweet tomatilla (similar to cornbread) and a handmade cinnamon ice cream cone.
If you're traveling, the other top 10 to note are first-place winner Boston-based Legal Seafood, along with Mimi's Cafe, The Melting Pot, Benihana, Chili's Grill and Bar, Elephant Bar Restaurant and the East Coast's Bertucci's.
Angela Allen writes about food, wine and nutrition for The Columbian. Reach her at 360-759-8005, or at angela.allen@columbian.com.