Don’t Give Up Eating Out Just Because You Are a Parent

Portland’s new food renaissance means amazing restaurants and eating experiences continue to pop up across our city. There are so many great options there is just no way for parents to fully appreciate our foodie capital if you have to get a sitter for every restaurant visit. Kids can be great restaurant patrons when you help create the right conditions for a successful dinning out experience by giving them tools to manage the wait and choices to help expand their palette.

Start Early

The best way to create a restaurant going child is to start early. Babies are usually great restaurant guests since they are either sleeping or being held by mom or dad. Bringing babies and toddlers to restaurants early on will help them integrate restaurant going as part of their life.

Don’t Go Out When the Kids are Really Hungry

If your children are already hungry and cranky don’t go out. Call for take out instead. There is nothing worse than a cranky child waiting for a meal. You won’t have fun and your kid will begin to associate going out to eat with crankiness, which could exacerbate poor dining out experiences in the future.

Restaurant Games

Create and play a few games only when you are in restaurants. Save these games just for when you are waiting in line or waiting for your food. Turn dining out into a full-blown special experience that not only includes delicious food but a unique kind of family fun. In my family we play with “bunny rabbits” while we wait in restaurants. Our bunnies are just our fingers in a peace sign and they talk to each other and catch up about what has been happening since the last time we were in a restaurant. This game worked great with my two-year-old and continues to be fun now that he is six. Other good restaurant games are I-Spy, alphabet geography game, Mad Libs and tic-tac-toe.

Choose the Restaurant Wisely

My kid is a pretty adventurous eater, for a kid. That doesn’t mean that all restaurants are going to have menu items that work for him. Check the menu online before you go. I would also avoid places with long wait times. The restaurant only games only work for so long. The hot new brunch place with a two-hour-wait just isn’t worth it with kids.

Reservations are Your Friend

If you really want to go to the hot new restaurant, make a reservation so you don’t have to wait too long. Similarly, if the place doesn’t take reservations go on the early side, like 9 am for brunch (you know you are already going to be awake anyway) and 5 pm for dinner.

Originally published in NW Kids Magazine in March 2018.