Eating out is one of America's favorite past times. One of the hardest realizations for parents after having kids is how those once-relaxing, once-joyful experiences have drastically changed. Parents can no longer dine and actually finish their meals, much less have meaningful conversations, because kids are constantly stealing the show... and your silverware... and the ketchup, salt, pepper, hot sauce, sugar packets.... ::sigh:: It can be an exhausting experience (and sometimes a rather embarrassing one too).
Servers, we appreciate all you do for us! You are taking the burden of cooking and cleaning off parents' shoulders for the night, and for this we are truly thankful!
We families here at Ketchup Kids have a few "tips" for you as a server to making the dining out experience a bit more enjoyable for parents (which in turn will help you out in the end as well)!
If you are serving kids 3 and under:
~ If your restaurant serves a free starter such as chips and salsa, please let the parents know if the salsa is spicy. Also please place the salsa far away from the kids. An extra cup of salsa would also be great since kids are natural double-dippers!
~ Please do not place the silverware in front of the kids because they will play with it and probably throw it onto the floor, thus adding more work for you since we will have to ask you for more.
~ We love that you offer cups with lids! For toddlers, please do not fill the cup to the top because, even with the lid on tight, they will spill it. Also, most toddlers do not care if their drink as ice in it or not, so NO ICE is preferred.
BONUS: It would be awesome if you could cut the straws to the appropriate height of the cup. It is really hard for the kids to drink from straws that are twice as tall as the cup itself. That's just a bonus, though, and parents would LOVE you for it!
~ Please bring extra napkins ASAP, preferably before the meal even starts because we may already need them!
~ Parents sometimes order their kids food at the same time as the drinks in order to get it out before the tantrums begin, however, if the kids finish eating before the parent's food comes out, it completely defeats the purpose of avoiding fits. Kids do NOT like to watch their parents eat and you will pretty soon have to bring to-go boxes, or parents may even ask you to box their food before it even comes out. Kids: 1, Parents: 0
~ Most often, families did not expect to come to a restaurant for a dining experience that lasts over an hour, and most will be grateful, not offended, if you bring the bill a little BEFORE they put their fork down after their last bites of food. The hardest time for kids to sit still at the table is when they have finished their food but the parents have not yet had the opportunity to pay.
~ Kids cups are normally not see-through, so when you are refilling the parent's drinks, ask if the kids need a refill as well.
If you are serving kids 4 and above:
~ Kids at this age are BIG KIDS and can order for themselves. Please, talk directly to the kids because parents want them to be able to learn how to order for themselves and use manners towards servers. Parents will step in as the middle-man if they feel their child is too shy or not ready for this type of interaction.
Hostesses:
~ Some mommies of infants are still breastfeeding. For their comfort, and the comfort of other customers, please seat them in the quietest, least busy corner of the restaurant, preferably a booth. No one will even notice!
~ Ask parents if they would prefer a booth or a table. Each family is different and prefers a different seating arrangement. Please let the parents know if restaurant safety regulations forbids you to place a high chair at a booth.
~ If you are seating a family with an older kid who may or may not fall into the 12 and under age bracket (even if they only look 8), please give them an adult menu, or discreetly ask the parents how many adults and kids are in the group. (This tip is coming from Casey who was constantly given kids menus until she was 17.)
~ On the rare occasion that parents are dining WITHOUT kids, please seat them in a nice, romantic, QUIET area that isn't surrounded by all of the families who weren't lucky enough to get away from the kids for the night!
THANK YOU for ALL YOU DO!!! And we apologize in advance for our crazy kids... we are trying our hardest to train them to be perfect little customers, but it's taking a bit longer than we hoped!
Parents, please comment below or e-mail us at ketchupkidsreviews[at]gmail[dot]com if you have any other "tips" for our wonderful servers. Servers, we would love to hear from you too! If you have any tips for parents or other servers, please share them with us!
