Kids Meal Innovations

Say goodbye to sugary soft drinks and fried chicken nuggets when it comes to kids’ meals. According to a recent QSR Magazine article, many parents are seeking out healthier options for their children on restaurant menus—and restaurants are listening.

Which Wich, a Dallas-based sandwich chain, recently revamped their children’s menu to improve the nutritional value. Instead of only having unhealthy side options like potato chips and pretzels, baby carrots or fresh apples slices are now options as well. Meat and cheese “rollups” were also added on as alternatives to the bread portion of their sandwiches.

CEO Jeff Sinelli and his wife, executive vice president Courtney Sinelli, wanted to have a kids’ menu that included food they would feed their own two children.

“We took a hyper focus on it because we have a family, and because we care about our kids and what they’re eating,” says Sinelli.

Chick-fil-A was the first quick serve to introduce a fruit cup on its menu in 2014, and they have also swapped out 2 percent milk for 1 percent, along with providing grilled chicken nuggets as an entrée choice.

Paul Trotti, director of menu strategy at Chick-fil-A says, “Consumers have gone from counting calories to counting ingredients. We’re listening, and have actively been updating our menu for the past several years.”

While there have been small improvements, experts say that restaurants still have a long way to go to make healthy options more prevalent on kids’ menus and that desserts need to shift from being included in meals to being à la carte.