By Kerry Tyack (Industry commentator and New Zealand Supreme Sausage Awards judge)

I’m not certain why but kid’s menus have been in the press more than usual lately. Reading the comments of chefs and commentators got me to thinking about my own situation. I have two sons, now 12 and 15, who have had something of a charmed life when it comes to dining out.

They have been to many, many restaurants and cafes over the years, a great number of which have been at the higher end of the price scale. They have eaten here and overseas and have developed both a taste for a range of cuisines and uncompromising opinions of what constitutes good food and service.

They have dined off the main menu since an early age, but occasionally the youngest still graced with his cherubic countenance, is asked if he would like the ubiquitous “kid’s menu”. The disarming power of his obvious disdain could make the cutlery on the table curl with terror, but I have learned to deflect any potential confrontation with a smile and simple, “he’ll be fine thanks”. This is the same kid who has an incredibly well developed sense of smell and likes his steak truly rare, not hesitating to return it to the kitchen if he feels it overcooked.

The elder son has in some ways a less refined but more adventurous palate, although he is of a size and age when quantity rather than quality matters most. His greatest teenage asset may well be his ability to mop up anything and everything left on our plates and then declare himself still hungry! He is also the one working part-time as a kitchen hand, and who is very quick to comment on portion size and presentation. He’s not a bad cook either, although he needs to learn some patience at the stove top.

My guys may not be average in terms of their experience but they are a key target market and, frankly, are pretty representative of the younger new-age diner. To even consider them candidates for a menu of deep-fried nuggets, burgers or ice cream sundaes, represents a serious error of judgement. While such fare may have been usual and acceptable a decade ago, it seems to me we have moved on and need to now give more consideration to a) what younger diners like, b) what parents believe is the style of food their children should be offered, and c) what can we reasonably expect them to pay.

A couple of rules should apply

· Thought should be given to what, in food terms, constitutes a “kid” and what is more accurately a young adult. Before developing a menu specifically for kids, take time to figure out how many kids come to your restaurant and what age groups are most represented. There are some pretty sophisticated 12 year olds out there, but at the same time no one expects children of primary school age to want incredibly complex dishes. You may not need to specifically cater for children at all but may need to take into account the preferences of the food-wise teenager.

· Chefs should realise that high fat, high salt food or cheap and cheerless noodles on kid’s menus no longer cuts the mustard either, with either young kids or their parents. If devising a menu for younger diners, the same level of consideration should be given to ingredients, the healthiness and the portion sizes, as is given to menus designed for adult diners. And it should be food that shares the same theme as the food being served to their parents not something more suited to a fast food diner.

· Be prepared to adjust seasonings, particularly in ethnic dishes, to cater for younger palates. This can often be enough to have them happily order from the same menu as adults saving you a lot of extra work.

At the same time diners should not assume the kitchen can simply adjust portion sizes and ingredients in a dish to suit a younger diner. It is perfectly reasonable to adopt the policy that says:

· If a young person eats off the main menu the bill payer should be prepared to pay full whack.

Catering for young people has become something of an art form and like everything else where creativity and satisfaction go hand in hand, the rewards for making it work well are substantial.