At a certain point in your life, you might stop hanging out with your friends. It’s not that you don’t love them anymore, or even that you no longer enjoy their company. It’s just that – well – kids happened. Now it takes you three times as long to go anywhere. You have to get the kids dressed, which is a feat in itself. Then you have to pack enough luggage for a small army – change of clothes, diapers, snacks, sippy cups … and that doesn’t count the process of locking them into their car seats. Sometimes it just isn’t worth it.
On the occasions you do decide it’s worth going to all the trouble, you need a venue that can deal with your child’s tantrums. It might help if they have child-friendly staff, the kind that can flow with uppity baby moods. There should be an adequate number of high chairs to accommodate your entire brood (and everyone else’s). They should also have a kid-friendly menu full of coloured finger foods in interesting shapes, as well as something for adults.
Eating with children is a bit of a gymnastic feat. Many parents in restaurants don’t even order their own food. They just wait for the kids to be done with their meals, then they eat the leftovers. That said, it helps if there’s at least some opportunity for the parents to have a quiet moment to enjoy their food, and outdoor playsets have a big role in that. It can distract the children long enough to give parents some respite and a meal.
Healthy baby exercise
Of course the type of play space makes a difference too. You want something with a wide variety of play options, like the Sensory maze. It can entertain kids of different ages, and with varying interests, from the puzzle solver to the one who enjoys ‘long solitary walks’, or even the rule breaker who will try to jump over the wall dividers instead of working their way around the path. Playsets work off bubbling baby energy while boosting appetites.
The appetite portion is important as well, because it’s a useful solution for finicky eaters. Even if they don’t find anything on the menu they might want to eat, they’ll eat it better if they’ve jumped around enough to actually get hungry. Keep in mind that while dining for parents is about the food, for kids it’s about the novelty.
Kids want to be anywhere that’s not home, doing something out of the ordinary. For them, their meals don’t really need to offer nutritional value, since most of it will end up on the floor. They don’t even really need to feel full. They just want to play with their food, which is why multi-coloured items they can eat with their hands will be a hit. For parents, the playset can be a positive opportunity to have someone else occupy their kids for a bit.
Set the right tone
As a restaurant owner, it could be helpful to assign ‘babysitters’ whose job is to watch the play area. Yes, good parents will still keep a hawkish view on the playset, so design your playground in a way that has the playset front and centre. Carve the seating spaces around the modular play set with 360 degree access and a clear eye-line from all over the restaurant.
If that’s not possible, designate a family seating area, so if anyone comes in with kids, you can give them tables around the playground. You could supplement the playset with other entertainment options that are attractive to kids. Clowns, magic shows, and bouncy castles are always popular, and some of the adults may partake as well. Partner with kid-friendly brands like toy-makers, storybook sellers, or clothing lines to put together kiddie events.
The thing to remember is parents need a break from their beloved children, and they need kind strangers won’t treat their potentially trying children like an annoyance. Installing a well-made playset sends a message to your patrons. It tells them they – and their kids – are welcome, and so are all their friends. And considering how close parenting groups can be, impressing one parent (or their kid) leaves you open to a stream of extra business.
