F & B need , our menus have evolved to agespecific menu offerings ,” he says . “ There are not region-specific differences . It ’ s more about the age .”
For younger children , presentation is important — color and texture — along with learning and discovery . For older kids , the meals are more like those offered to adults . “ We keep it interactive ,” Schneiter says . “ If you can achieve that , you get the best results .”
While teens , Alphenaar says , often enjoy comfort foods like pizza and pasta , they still need sophistication . “ Most of the children eat in the best restaurants in the world with their parents , so they have very high standards ,” he says .
“ IF YOU CAN MAKE THE DISH INSTAGRAM-WORTHY , IF YOUR DISH IS BIGGER AND BETTER AND MORE AWESOME THAN ANYTHING THEY ’ VE EVER SEEN , THEN YOU ’ RE GETTING KIDS RIGHT .”
GUY RIGBY , OCTOPUS
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THE WOW FACTOR Social media is an increasingly important factor . “ I was at this hotel with my kids , and they brought out their dessert with dry ice or hot chocolate where something melts and something else is happening , and my kids are taking videos and Instagramming it right away ,” Rigby says . “ Kids eat with their eyes even more than adults , and every kid above the age of 8 has a phone and is boasting to their friends . If you can make the dish Instagram-worthy , if your dish is bigger and better and more awesome than anything they ’ ve ever seen , then you ’ re getting kids right .”
Crawford agrees that presentation is key . “ Simple but clever presentations can go a long way , such as serving a kid ’ s meal in a lunchbox ,” he says .
The wow factor can also be involving kids in the cooking itself . At Kimpton Hotel Palomar , the Urbana menu features build-your-own pizza . “ Kids can pick the ingredients and we bring the pizza to the table for them to prepare ,” McKee says . “ We bring it back to the kitchen to cook .” Besides getting them involved in the cooking , it ’ s also a way to build memories . “ Children are the connoisseurs of tomorrow , and they know far more than I did at their age ,” Gamba says .
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