I'm in Japan right now, and I just ordered room service, and the girl who brought it
to my room opens the door and she's like.
She's like, where's the kid? And I was like, what do you mean?
She was like, you ordered off the kid's menu.
I was like, and all the food in Japan, they designed it in such a way
that it's like, kids would love it.
So is it really that bad if I ordered some chicken nuggets and, like, a pizza?
Like a kid's pizza and French fries? Let me enjoy my kid's meal in peace.
That's TikTok user Vanessa Von Schwarz, faced with extreme judgment
after she was caught by hotel staff ordering room service off the children's
menu, which bodes the question is it wrong to order off the kid's menu as an adult?
According to one survey survey, three fourths of Americans believe
adults should be allowed to order from the kid's menu, 77% said so.
Although most think age shouldn't stop you from enjoying a kid's meal, only 1
in 5 have had the bravery to order off the kid's menu. 21% a third of Americans who
have tried to order off of the kid's menu have felt embarrassed at the moment, and
similar percentage have been denied 34%.
It's worth mentioning that some people choose to order from the kid's menu,
because there aren't suitable and simple options on the adult menu, not necessarily
because they're on a budget.
Sometimes you just want a grilled cheese sandwich or some chicken tenders and don't
want all that fancy adult eating.
But money, of course, also is a huge part when you consider how much a kid's
meal costs compared to a regular meal.
Let's take a look, for example, at America's favorite Italian restaurant,
where they treat you like family.
Apparently Olive garden first, a normal adult portion
of chicken Alfredo will run you $21.
Look at that bowl right there. It looks tasty.
If you're an Alfredo kind of guy.
This also comes with super salad and two breadsticks.
Then there's the children's menu, which notice for children under 12.
But if you order delivery takeout, who's going to know?
You get that pasta. Smaller portion, but still pretty decent.
Maybe all you need with broccoli. You also can add a topping.
Grilled chicken just an extra 229 a free side broccoli, grapes,
kind of random French fries or spaghetti with tomato sauce.
You can get spaghetti as a side for free and a free beverage.
You can also add a $6 take home on tray of pasta.
So for just $15.98 before tax, you can get three servings of pasta and a
drink for less than the adult serving.
Prices aside, some diners just want smaller portions,
and it can help make meal planning easy.
So why don't restaurants just openly let everybody order from the kids?
Menu.
According to the daily meal, kids meals are a promotional method
to appeal to families.
Most restaurants have age limits on children's menus for financial reasons.
Children's menus are often viewed as a promotional tactic,
as parents are more likely to visit an establishment that offers something
for their little ones to eat.
Because kids meals are typically less expensive,
restaurants want to deter adults from ordering them for themselves and
paying less than they would for an entree.
A restaurant could lose out on the money a diner might have spent ordering
a more expensive, adult sized entree.
But for some diners, the decision isn't between an adult or a kid's meal.
It's between a takeout dinner, kid's dinner at a restaurant,
or a fast food order.
The restaurants actually care about it.
Well, a kid's menu connoisseur, TikToker Ashley Garrett, shares her take.
Every time I'm ordering, I'm ordering ahead and I'm paying online.
So once I paid, that's it. No one wants to refund you.
In some cases, they may not have the capabilities to refund you.
Secondly, in a lot of cases, people who packed up that order may not
be the same people handing you your order, bringing out to the car,
so they may not even be looking at what's in the order they don't care.
And most importantly, number three, they would have to be able to prove that
you're not bringing it to someone else.
And if I'm not eating in the restaurant, I could be taking it to anyone.
Of course, I could be taking it home to someone that's younger than 12, of course.
How are you going to prove that it's an adult eating it and not a child?
If we're not eating in your establishment. So it would be impossible to refuse me.
After ordering ahead and paying online.
You make some decent points, even though in human history, I think no one's ever
gone to a pick up an order of food and gotten food for everybody but themselves.
Other than that, decent arguments. What do you guys think?
This is a tough issue. Yeah.
I love the kids. Menu.
First of all, it's the only place with pasta with butter, and I enjoy that.
I'm a simple man of simple needs. Okay.
And the Olive garden trick makes a lot of sense.
Because you get the unlimited bread and the unlimited salad.
You order the kid's thing.
I mean, you're having a feast for, like, six bucks.
And that's why a lot of the restaurants don't want you to do it right.
They're not suckers, either.
Now, on the other hand, I don't see a law against it.
I mean, if they stop you, they stop you.
But a lot of places don't even say like, you're not allowed.
So have I done this drug before? Oh, yeah.
Okay.
So now look, I got kids now, so it's much easier.
So with the, under the.
Hey, I got kids at the table, and then I'll eat the kid's food.
So what? They'll go hungry.
I'm kidding. They also get food.
They also get food.
Okay, but, But I used to do it before I had kids.
You know why? Cause I was bored.
So if they were gonna stop me, they'd stop me.
But if they didn't.
If not, I'm going to do it because I don't need all that food.
That's the most important part of this story, guys, if you ask me.
Like this. The portions are in America are gigantic.
They could feed a small village.
It usually takes me three meals to get through something
that I ordered at a restaurant.
I'll have like a third. I'll take it home.
I'll have it for breakfast. I'll have it for lunch.
Like Jesus. Like.
So I think the kids menu size is perfect and I would much prefer.
And some restaurants now do offer smaller portions and I love that.
And it's not that much less expensive, so they're winning too.
But at least I get to pay five bucks less and I don't need all that extra stuff.
If you try to eat all that, man, you're going to look like me.
- And so be careful. - Oh, you look great, brother.
So don't. No need to say that.
But I've known you for probably almost ten plus years, and I don't feel
like you look any different, you know.
Well, that's because I haven't lost any weight.
But thank you. But go ahead.
But no, I mean, first of all, this story is perfect.
Suffers from facial blindness. Other than.
That.
I mean, this story is straight out of my favorite show, Curb Your Enthusiasm,
my favorite TV show, where every single time Larry is at a dining table,
or there's some sort of chaos that occurs around the menu or ordering on the menu.
So just with that reference, everyone check that out
so you can have good comic relief.
But you're right.
I mean, I think it's telling that the that this that when you introduce this story,
it showed that most people are actually enticed by the kids menu.
Because we don't necessarily always want to eat a ton
and we want to save some money, but don't order from it because of the stigma.
And also that the comparisons were being set up between the meals we get here in
the US, which are far too large relative to Japan, where the food is very, very,
there's much less in quantity of food.
So I think it's just all all those different things are occurring here.
I mean, I just I think maybe, maybe there should be a menu that's not
called kids menu, but a menu where you can save some money and eat less.
- It seems fine. - Yeah, that's what I advocate for.
But let me play devil's advocate for a second, because, you know, the restaurants
that don't like this could be like, well, look, I have a senior citizen menu,
and it's less money on the senior citizen menu.
And you got to be above 65. That's how it works, right?
And in the other case, you got to be under 12. So sorry weirdo 54
year old right that you don't get it okay.
So that's how it works. And I guess that's fair too.
Like they get to set the prices and they get to set age restrictions.
So that's why I feel like I'm not hating on the restaurants.
Like it's not their fault I get it. That's they're doing their thing.
But I guess I would leave it at for my point of view.
Try to let him, you know, if you're into it and especially if you're, you know,
not doing great economically, as I was for a lot of my life.
Try it.
And if they're okay with it, then great, everybody's a winner.
And if they're not, then okay then save the rest for home.
Yeah, I think it's nice that restaurants have like a budget conscious part
of the menu with a few simple dishes, like how McDonald's has the dollar menu
and you can get things for cheaper, or you can get the full fledged items for more.
Then you don't have to pretend you're a child.
Pick up your voice and or hobble in there in a cane and pretend like you're
an elderly lady, Mrs. Doubtfire style.
I think it's nice, but I do understand the financial reasons for the restaurant
to not offer that to everybody.
I mean, you can get away with it sometimes, but if everybody was going
in there and ordering kids meals and they were using just to lure in parents,
they're going to be bankrupt pretty quick.
Yeah.
They don't have the biggest margins in food to begin with, something.
Like a Weight Watchers menu.
And also knowing many restaurants make most, I mean more money off their
alcohol cuts as well, you know?
So maybe there are just ways restaurants can work with the, you know,
the epidemic we have around unhealthy eating and obesity and these challenges
that a lot of us face in the country to.
Curb my drinking always and make sure I don't over drink,
I always order my alcohol from the kids. Menu.
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