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Home » All Things Family » Family » Our Top Tips for Eating Out with Kids

Our Top Tips for Eating Out with Kids

Updated on June 16, 2023 | Published on August 28, 2019

Posts on Clarks Condensed contain affiliate links, which I earn a small commission from. These are provided for your convenience, and the price isn't increased at all.

Do you find it difficult to go out to eat with kids? It doesn’t have to be painful or stressful! Here are our top tips for eating out with children.

Out to Eat with Kids

Thank you to Chili’s for partnering with us on this post

I love to eat out, so ever since Jack was a baby, we’ve just toted him along with us to restaurants.

Even though with two kids it can be a little hectic, we still take them with us. I think it’s important for children to learn how to act in public, plus it’s fun for us to go out as a family.

We often have people comment on how well-behaved our kids are at restaurants – and waiters and waitresses are impressed with how they know how to order for themselves!

We have always enjoyed eating out – especially with family. We have gone a few times recently with some extended family – including my nephews – so I think we have quite a bit of experience with eating out with children.

My brother recently came home to visit from college, and we thought it would be fun to go out to Chili’s with him, my parents, and my brother’s family to celebrate him coming home.

Today, I’m excited to be partnering with Chili’s to share some of our “expert” tips that we’ve learned over the years about successfully eating out with kids.

While I totally understand that some people find electronics necessary for taking their kids out, these are some tech-free tips for those of us who like to have as much disconnection from devices while eating out.

Not only are they super family-friendly with their great and affordable kid’s meals, but they offer an awesome 3 for $10 menu option that gives you a lot of bang for your buck. It makes eating out as a family way more affordable!

You get an entree, a fountain drink, and an appetizer – which is a lot for just $10!

I think the best tip for eating out with children is picking a family-friendly restaurant. One that has lots of options for kids, affordable options for adults, and an atmosphere that everyone can enjoy.

Chili’s definitely tops our list for hitting all those things on the nose!

Hopefully, these tips will help you feel a little bit more confident the next time your take your kids out!

Request the kid’s meals come out first

This is something we’ve actually started doing recently, and it helps so much!

Our kids do a pretty good job of waiting, but they do start to get antsy – especially when we are waiting for something that takes longer to cook.

Most restaurants are willing to prepare and bring out the children’s meal first. Even though they may end up finishing before you finish your meal, I find they are a lot calmer when they have a full belly.

Have them Order

This doesn’t really play a HUGE role in the experience, but I do think it’s a great way to improve a child’s social skills from the start.

From the time our kids can talk, we encourage them to order what they want. Sometimes we have to prompt them what to say, but I do think it’s helped them to feel more comfortable talking with adults and people they don’t necessarily know well.

As they get older, they love selecting the items on the menu and telling the server what they want. I think they really enjoy being involved in the process.

Kids Meals – split them!

We don’t always split kid’s meals, but we do probably about 50% of the time. It really just depends on the restaurant.

Some kid’s meals can be SO expensive, and in that case, we will almost always split them.

If we know that a restaurant gives a huge portion for a kid’s meal as well, we also end up splitting those, regardless of price.

One thing we love about Chili’s is that they are affordable – and the food quantities are actually reasonable for one child. We often end up buying the kids their own meals there because of that.

And they love being able to pick out their own options. We usually encourage them to pick a healthier side, and I love that they have those.

Don’t go somewhere quiet

It’s always nice to have a quiet meal out…but those aren’t the nights we are anticipating when we take our kids out.

Choosing the right restaurant can make it a lot less stressful for you and your fellow diners.

For instance, when we went to Chili’s, it wasn’t so loud that we couldn’t enjoy talking to one another – but it wasn’t so quiet that we felt like we had to shush our kids every few minutes.

Go somewhere that has appetizers and/or free snacks


Our favorite restaurants we go to generally offer inexpensive appetizers or free snacks (like chips and salsa).

This is similar to the idea of having the kids’ meals brought out earlier – it’s just something to occupy and distract.

One thing that is nice at Chili’s with their 3 for $10 meal is that it comes with an appetizer. The chips and salsa are such a big portion, that it’s great to share with your kiddos!

Bring an Activity

A lot of restaurants have a kids’ menu that comes with crayons – some are better than others, but our kids always enjoy them.

However, this isn’t always the case, so I think it’s good to have some kind of backup activity. Nothing too involved or messy (like playdough), but something that they enjoy.

When we went to Chili’s, our boys brought Pokemon cards. They totally distracted them and their cousins, and they were so well-behaved!

Had it just been us, we probably wouldn’t have let the boys play with the Pokemon cards instead of interacting with us – but since they were with their cousins and talking and having fun, it was nice and it kept them from crawling on the ground or getting up and walking around!

Bring your own lids or cups (just in case) 

Not all restaurants bring out kid-friendly cups. While many will at least have a lid, if you aren’t sure, consider bringing your own sippy cups.

I know some people who even bring their own child-friendly utensils, which can be nice for kids that can’t quite handle a large spoon or fork.

Be smart about where the kids sit

I think some of our biggest mistakes when eating out is when we don’t have an adult sitting by each kid.

Our kids do well at restaurants, but after a while, they start poking each other and getting other riled up! So in general, Forrest will sit by one of the kids and I will sit by the other.

When we went out with my brother’s family, the kids all did sit by each other, but we made sure to have my youngest nephew, James, sit by his mom, and Forrest and I sat across from the kids…just so we could keep things under control a little bit easier.

Katie Clark

Katie is a Colorado-native, BYU graduated, and most importantly, wife to one and mother to three beautiful boys. She is passionate about sharing her experiences with others – especially about pregnancy, breastfeeding, cooking, and crafts. She is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. She loves spending time with her family and helping others find joy in family life.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kara says

    August 31, 2019 at 12:55 pm

    My kids love doing the activity sheets when we visit restaurants and we always ask for their meals to come out first

    Reply
  2. Natural Beauty And Makeup says

    August 31, 2019 at 12:10 pm

    Wow, these are some great tips! I am going to share it with my sister who has a kid. She will find this post super helpful ☺

    Reply
  3. Yeah Lifestyle says

    August 30, 2019 at 2:43 pm

    Some fab tips here and as parents of two young kids this is so helpful. We generally go to kid friendly restarurants too so that we don’t get stared at if our kids misbehave.

    Reply
  4. Gabi says

    August 30, 2019 at 1:31 pm

    I love to go out to eat with my family! We have a 15 month old and these are great tips. We always pack extra toys for her, and bring adhesive placemats for an easier clean up!

    Reply
  5. alexandra cook says

    August 30, 2019 at 9:42 am

    Thank you for sharing this recipe- I adore this but have never tried to make it myself. I will now, seems more simple than I thought and how stunning is yours!

    Reply
  6. Rosey says

    August 30, 2019 at 3:54 am

    Affordability really matters when you have a family. We eat out sometimes and it is always a big treat.

    Reply
  7. Jasmine Hewitt says

    August 29, 2019 at 6:51 pm

    eating out with kids can be a challenge! chilis is great but we usually don’t go where alcohol is served

    Reply
  8. Olya AMANOVA says

    August 29, 2019 at 1:50 pm

    Eating out with small kids can be a challenge. And finding the things they would like is always rewarding. You feel so relieved that the little ones are not hungry.

    Reply
  9. Catherine says

    August 29, 2019 at 10:53 am

    Great tips! Dining out with the kiddos is not always easy.

    Reply
  10. Arya says

    August 29, 2019 at 8:13 am

    Kids love to explore and experience the world. This is a great article, thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  11. Chad says

    August 29, 2019 at 7:13 am

    I love eating out and you’re right, with kids it is a whole different experience and needs to be planned carefully. Great tips.

    Reply
  12. Sam says

    August 28, 2019 at 10:40 pm

    I love Chili’s! They have great options for my sister who has food sensitivities. These are great tip for eating out with kids.

    Reply
  13. Kita Roberts says

    August 28, 2019 at 8:36 pm

    These are really great tips. I am sure most parents are having trouble when they eat out with their kids. Chili’s sounds really a great place to bring your kids to eat out!

    Reply
  14. Myrah Duque says

    August 28, 2019 at 5:19 pm

    We LOVE Chili’s and luckily they are just around the corner! The food is so tasty, and the environment is nice.

    Reply
  15. kumamonjeng says

    August 28, 2019 at 5:18 pm

    Eating out with kids can be tiring and quite intimidating. I like your tips of having the kids to order, that way they will surely finish the meal they ordered and no more excuse of wasting food.

    Reply
  16. Tara says

    August 28, 2019 at 4:21 pm

    We just started having our kids order their meals. They love it!

    Reply
  17. eli says

    August 28, 2019 at 3:49 pm

    These are some really good tips! A lot of good advice that I normally wouldn’t think about when eating out with kids.

    Reply
  18. Stacie says

    August 28, 2019 at 1:49 pm

    Chili’s has been a favorite of our family for years. The food is so good, and it’s always such a nice atmosphere. It’s been great to take the kids there over the years.

    Reply
  19. Cindy B says

    August 28, 2019 at 10:09 am

    Yay! I’m sure eating with kids can be stressful at times but I’m glad you’ve made it work!

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      August 30, 2019 at 12:42 pm

      I like the “don’t go somewhere quiet” tip! I feel like timing is everything! We try not to go when we know they will be totally slammed because I’m not the best example of waiting patiently when it comes to food! 😂 It’s just not fun when everyone is “hangry”.

      Reply

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