Connect with your customers and enhance your marketing

Stampede

Products

Table Management

Guest Wi-Fi

Marketing & CRM

Reviews

Loyalty & Rewards

Gift Cards

Analytics & Reports

Industries

Restaurants

Hotels

Pubs & Bars

Resources

Learn

Marketing Scorecard

Free Downloads

Email Campaign Templates

Automation Ideas

Blog

About

People and Promise

Careers - We're Hiring!

Success Stories

Testimonials

User Resources

Supported Hardware

Knowledge Base

Partners

Pricing

Is your kids&#8217; menu beige, boring and mainly consisting of chicken nuggets and chips? <a href="https://kam-media.co.uk/family-dining-opportunity/">65% of parents think that restaurants should be more inventive when it comes to their special children&#8217;s offerings</a>. After all, those kids will be the customer of the future, so better get things right early on. We&#8217;ve got some insight to share on what restaurants can do to appeal to families.



<hr class="wp-block-separator"/>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-standing-out-in-a-crowded-sector">Standing Out In A Crowded Sector</h4>



As mid-market restaurant brands fall by the wayside, many have accused chains of being too samey. There&#8217;s no denying that plenty of brands share similar menus and price points. So how can those targeting the family market differentiate and win family diners away from competitors? 



The obvious answer is to take the time to understand and serve customers better. The little things really do make a difference. 



According to recent research by <a href="https://kam-media.co.uk/family-dining-opportunity/">KAM Media</a>, families make up 57% of restaurants&#8217; revenue. With children playing an important part in deciding where to eat out for over half of the families. Cater well for kids and their parents will reward you with their loyalty. 



We spoke to Lisa O&#8217;Keeffe, Senior Brand and Content Manager at <a href="https://www.dayoutwiththekids.co.uk/">Day Out with The Kids</a> to find out what families look for when dining out in the UK. She confirmed that nailing customer service is the key to unlocking loyalty for family diners.



She told us: &#8220;Dining out together is something our families do together up to four times a month, with a large percentage regularly heading back to tried and tested favourites for one simple reason: the service. There&#8217;s nothing more stressful for parents than heading to a restaurant with the kids that simply isn&#8217;t geared up for the real and honest side of family dining, even if they advertise themselves as family-friendly.&#8221;



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-making-children-your-focus">Making Children Your Focus</h4>



You can do kids eat for a £1 or even boast &#8216;kids eat free&#8217; to get customers through the door. But as Lisa explains it&#8217;s not all about money. Gearing up properly to serve child visitors and putting parents at ease makes it easier for them to spend their cash with you.



&#8220;Our families tell us they&#8217;re often worried about their kids being too noisy, or too messy,&#8221; said Lisa. &#8220;Any restaurant that can help to put parents’ minds at ease and be totally accepting of both these things is certainly likely to be a hit.&#8221;



&#8220;Play areas, activity packs, bringing the kids&#8217; meals out first and space around the table for things like pushchairs are all simple things to implement, but are so often overlooked.&#8221; In fact, <a href="https://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Article/2015/10/30/75-of-families-eating-out-in-restaurants-more-regularly">63% of parents prefer restaurants that offer activity packs</a> for their kids.



A pushchair friendly floor layout, plenty of high chairs and kid-friendly cutlery and cups, are practical ways to serve this group of customers before anyone sits down. These initial moments before your guests even browse a menu are crucial in reassuring families that they are in the right place. 



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-using-wifi-marketing">Using WiFi Marketing</h4>



At Stampede we work with businesses to ensure their <a href="https://stampede.ai/how-it-works/wifi/">Guest WiFi</a> is set up to help them serve their family customers better. Context is everything when it comes to understanding customers&#8217; dining priorities. 



If someone signs into WiFi you can ask if they are visiting with children and show them relevant offers. You can add this information into your wider service strategy and use your insights to create <a href="https://stampede.ai/blog/drive-revenue-and-loyalty-with-personalisation-part-i/">personalised marketing campaigns</a>. Knowing what proportion of custom comes from families and when they visit can help you to make informed decisions and grow your business. 



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-employees-that-make-a-visit-special">Employees That Make A Visit Special</h4>



You&#8217;re all set up for family-friendly service thanks to the great floor design, menu and entertainment, but to really nail things you need to excel with customer service training. Your employees need to understand the context and priorities behind guests&#8217; visits. 



Is a family looking for a quick and convenient bite to eat after school? Perhaps they&#8217;re hoping for a stress-free trip to celebrate a family member&#8217;s birthday? Encourage waiting staff to build personalisation into their service approach for great table service. They should be able to signpost useful information quickly. 



This means doing things like:



<ul class="wp-block-list"><li>Asking about the reason behind the visit</li><li>Asking about/providing high chairs</li><li>Offering activity packs, crayons or information on your WiFi</li><li>Asking parents if they&#8217;d like children&#8217;s food brought out first and letting them know how long food will take, updating if necessary</li><li>Letting parents know where toilets, baby change, play areas are</li></ul>



It can also be helpful to let parents know if the kitchen can pack food to go. This may prompt parents to order dessert to eat at home later. It can also provide reassurance if a tired toddler meltdown means they want to head home earlier than expected. Omit, the key is to be attentive and offer fast efficient service without rushing diners. 



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-make-your-menu-malleable">Make Your Menu Malleable</h4>



A kid’s menu that offers good value signals that you&#8217;re set up for younger guests. However, despite what the adverts would have you believe, not every kid likes to eat chicken nuggets or spaghetti in tomato sauce. Some do. But others like to have exactly what&#8217;s on Mummy and Daddy&#8217;s plate. And while it&#8217;s great to have a balanced menu that encourages little ones to try new things, it&#8217;s also pretty smart to cater to what kids want to eat. This is something many restaurants are starting to pick up on. 



Lisa told us: &#8220;When it comes to the menu, we&#8217;re also seeing a growing number of chain restaurants implementing a &#8216;pick your own&#8217; approach to help meet the needs of fussier eaters.&#8221;



&#8220;The ability to create your own pairings makes it much more likely you can rustle up a meal for every child. But it&#8217;s also great when kitchens can be really flexible or even something as simple as plating up. Carrots stood in hummus rather than on the side can, and has, been the difference between a meal a kid will or won&#8217;t eat!&#8221;



Do you let diners mix and match starters and sides to keep kids happy? Do your serving staff know what type of requests your kitchen can accommodate? If you can magic up their real family favourites and keep kids munching long enough, parents could snatch extra moments of conversation. They might even order dessert.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-are-you-ready-to-step-up-your-customer-service-for-families">Are You Ready To Step Up Your Customer Service For Families?</h4>



As families’ disposable income continues to be squeezed in line with market pressure on restaurants, now&#8217;s the time to consider: is your establishment truly family-friendly?&nbsp;



<a href="https://h.stampede.ai/meetings/stampede/demo">Get in touch</a> to find out more about how Stampede can help you succeed with your customer service for families.

A Quick Guide On First-Party Data Strategy For Hotels

AI In Hospitality Marketing: A Complete Guide

4 Ways To Optimise Your Hospitality Business With AI

The Pros And Cons Of Using AI In Hospitality

4 Revenue-Driving AI Tools For Hospitality Operators

3 Restaurant-Specific AI Tools That Drive Sales

How AI Can Facilitate Reviews Management For Hospitality Operators

How To Speed Up Content Creation With AI In Hospitality

3 Clever AI Tools To Support Your Hotel Operations

Become A Stampede Pro With These Hidden Features