Families ‘core business’ for hospitality industry?

Parents want kids to enjoy dining out too

In Brisbane, Carissa Cooper, Manager of the Everton Park Hotel said recently that families had become their core business and they had spent $500,000 on a playground that included a purpose-built carousel from France, and installed two wide screen TV sets with live footage of the playground so parents can watch their children while they play.

In Sydney, parents voting in an online poll have listed top-quality cuisine as a must for their kids. More than 1300 customers graded this city’s restaurants out of 10 for food, ambience, value and service.

The results show parents prefer:

• good food in an elegant, family-friendly setting where the staff treat children like customers;
• junk-food restaurants that distract children with toys or playground areas are not favoured;
• to dine near the water at Darling Harbour or in an ambient inner-city restaurant.

It seems restaurants, pubs and cafes that have previously turned up their noses at children are now doing heaps to attract them ….AND chefs are replacing the usual ‘nuggets, pizza and pasta’ with smaller plates of adult dishes to tempt their new clientele!

Popular eateries around Sydney

• Family favourite Gourmet Pizza Kitchen, with restaurants at various locations around Sydney, came first with a total score of 8.5 out of 10;
• Zenpan Japanese Fusion at Darlinghurst, with sushi and breaded prawns on the menu, is highly rated;
• Also in the top 10 are Pancakes on the Rocks and Mediterranean restaurant Paua, in Surry Hills.

Fast-food outlets have been left off the list completely

Parents are opting for restaurants that provide quality food for parents and children, and maybe a glass of wine for parents….one Mum dining with her four-year-old son at Casa di Nico at Darling Harbour – voted number three on the list – says she loves being able to enjoy a glass of white wine and a seafood and prawn wood-fired pizza because she knows her son will be catered for and will enjoy himself.

Traditional family favourites the Lone Star Steakhouse and Saloon, the Hog’s Breath Cafe and the Hard Rock Cafe also made the top 20.

www.menulog.com.au spokesman Gary Munitz said the results of the poll reflected the changing tastes of families in Sydney.

“It’s clear that restaurants are no longer exclusively for singles, or couples who have babysitters for their kids – it’s become a family affair,” he says.

“Families are enjoying going out together – it gives them a chance to have those conversations they don’t get to have when someone has to prepare the food and think about washing up at home. And restaurants are capitalising on that.”

“It’s easy to see that children are acting more and more like adults, and restaurants are coming to terms with it.”

Survey of 1325 consumers by Menulog
Gourmet Pizza Kitchen (Kingsford) 8.5/10
Beaches Restaurant (Balmoral) 8.3/10
Casa di Nico Italian Rest. (King St. Wharf) 8.1/10
Botanic Gardens Restaurant (Sydney CBD) 8/10
Paua (Surry Hills) 8/10
Cellini Pizzeria Restaurant (Randwick) 8/10
Zenpan Japanese Fusion (Darlinghurst) 8/10
Belmont Pizzeria (Pennant Hills) 7.5/10
Il Goloson (Haberfield) 7.5/10
Pancakes on the Rocks (The Rocks) 7.3/1
Bathers Pavillion Cafe (Balmoral) 7.3/10
Hog’s Breath Café (St Marys) 7.2/10
Enigma (Brighton Le Sands) 7.10/10
Gourmet Pizza Kitchen (Chatswood) 7/10
Lone Star Steak House and Saloon (Chullora) 7/10
Lone Star Steak House and Saloon (P’matta) 7/10
Doyles at the Wharf (Watsons Bay) 6.8/10
Fratelli Paradiso (Potts Point) 6.8/10
Gourmet Pizza Kitchen (Miranda) 6.6/10
Hard Rock Café (Darlinghurst) 6.5/10

The website www.bubhub.com.au has a directory of kid-friendly restaurants.

Have you experienced the more adult food choices or efforts to market to families?