Kids don't like being bored and they don't like waiting for their food. While they might be able to stay occupied by talking with their parents and siblings for a little while, they are probably going to get restless long before the food arrives. The decor, the perfectly arranged restaurant furniture, and the ambiance are going to be lost on most children. To make sure that they don't get too frustrated with the wait, you should have an interactive menu for them, as well as an interactive placemat.

Your menu for kids should be fun and visual. In addition to having pictures of the food, you might want to add your own cartoon mascots. Have a comic styled story on the menu along some little puzzles and games that the kids might like to play. Trivia is also a nice option. Kids like to learn strange and interesting facts, and it will give them something else to talk about with their parents at the table.

While the menu should be kid friendly, don't stop there. Interactive placemats for the kids can be quite fun as well. You can use the same cartoon mascot that is in the menu and have mazes, crosswords, and pictures for the kids to color. If you want to really make a good impression, let the parents and kids know that they can ask for a clean placemat to take home. This will not only give you extra points but it will serve as an ad for your restaurant and a reminder of the good time they had there.

You might be surprised, but printing up the placemats doesn't cost very much when you order them in bulk. If you have a large number of children that come into the restaurant on a regular basis, these can be a great investment. The crayons that they use to write, draw and color on the placement are quite cheap as well. Just make sure they are safe for kids and will cause no harm if put in the mouth. Also insure that the crayons can be easily removed from clothes.

Why would you want to go to so much trouble just to make sure that the kids are happy when they are in your restaurant? There are quite a few reasons actually. You want to please all of your customers, including the kids. The next time they have to go out to eat, you can be sure that they are going to request to come back to your restaurant if they had a good time there before. The parents are also going to be quite happy that their kids behaved and had fun, which makes them more likely to come back.

For an optimal kids menu it is recommended you find a graphic designer that can help to create the look of the menu and the placemats. The designer that you use for your regular adult menus should be able to help, or at least point you in the direction of someone that can. Another, cheaper, option is to research the subject a little on the internet and then have a small group of your younger customers help you with your design by asking them for their ideas and giving them a few choices to choose from.