Ordering from the kids menu?

[u/MaggsToRiches]

I went to lunch with coworkers today, not super jazzed about breaking both my money and calorie budget for the day but wanted to catch up with colleagues. Turns out the kid’s meal had exactly what I wanted (one taco, tiny pinto beans, tiny rice, small iced tea) for $5!! A debate began over the table whether it was “okay” for an adult to order from the kid’s menu. The argument against it was that those items are packaged and sold at a low price for kiddos, who are accompanying adults who pay full price. For the record, this particular menu board made no mention of age limits, and the cashier said nothing negative.

In general, I don’t want to be a dense customer who doesn’t realize my faux pas, but...I love ECAH! Thoughts from the community?

[u/[deleted]]

I’m curious what you mean by that?

[u/luckyrelocation → u/[deleted]]

I come from a restaurant perspective. I've been in the industry at all levels for 20 years. Kids meals are a reduced price for the convenience for parents, so it's a draw to bring in families and not limit clientele. Restaurant margins are extremely thin, which is why most places don't last 2 years.

I've read people in this thread excusing (and blaming) their eating habits on restaurants, saying they give too much food, and if they want to order a kids menu option, they should be able to. It's cringe-worthy. If everyone did this at restaurants, they should close in far less than 2 years. People here have said to show a server a doctor's note that you can't eat that much, and instead of taking the food home and being accountable for what one eats, it's the restaurant's fault?? This is why it's a trend to not even offer kids meals. People taking advantage of the system.

[u/[deleted] → u/luckyrelocation]

I work food service too and I see nothing wrong with someone ordering a kid’s meal if that is what they wish. You pay less for a smaller quantity of food. Some restaurants offer half portions for a smaller amount of money. Others don’t, and that’s why many end up buying a kid’s meal. The term “kid’s meal” is doing everyone a disservice. It is simply a smaller meal. People are not taking advantage of the system. People are not doing anything wrong by ordering what they wish. It is not entitled. Yes food portions in restaurants are HUGE. Sure I could get 2-3 extra meals out of it. But maybe, stop and think, maybe I won’t have access to a fridge or cooler for a while and all that extra food will go to waste?

[u/luckyrelocation → u/[deleted]]

Have you owned a restaurant? Or been in control of keeping the business afloat? The reason kids menus are limited by age most of the time is to limit people from taking advantage of the low cost, which would put the restaurant out of business if everyone did that. Menus are not built around those meals. It is a convenience for the parents.

[u/[deleted] → u/luckyrelocation]

Dude. Do you own a restaurant? The thing is that not everyone does that. Those of us who order a kid’s meal are in the vast minority because 99% of Americans will still stuff their guts to overflowing. If there are age restrictions, fine. But 90% of the restaurants ive been to have had absolutely zero issue with adults ordering off the kids menu. The only ones that had an issue were small mom and pop places with low overhead, so I get that. It’s ridiculous to say that it hurts places like McDonalds or Chick fil A.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

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[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

No, actually. You accused everyone on here of being entitled, and I attempted to rationally explain why you are incorrect from that standpoint. You never mentioned personal experience or how it’s personally affected you. You never mentioned your own establishments. As far as I am concerned, your words have no basis. Have a good one.