Why happy kids mean happy pub
Over the next few weeks pubs across the country will be flexing their family-friendly muscles in preparation for the summer holidays. Parents are writing their packing lists for a fortnight away. Still more will be looking
forward to day trips out. For all those families planning an excursion, though, the anticipation of a relaxing break will be tempered by the worry of keeping the kids amused.
Pubs should be high up on the agenda for lunch. But how many ruin their chances of attracting visiting families back for second helpings by not looking after children properly?
It's the children who frequently have the last say on where to go and their mums and dads who tag along for the quiet life. But are fish fingers and dinosaur-shaped chicken washed down with fizzy pop enough to swing the decision among those demanding little ones?
Any pub that's truly serious about attracting families has to consider the child's whole experience. As any parent knows, kids need to be kept amused. And the repercussions of failure can have a bad effect on the rest of your trade. Noisy children running amok are not good for business.
Seven years ago, British-born Dennis O'Brien was living in America when he noticed the problem - and decided to do something about it. So he founded Kidzsmart, and has since become one of the leading publishers of activity books, colouring books, placemats, comics and fun packs for restaurants in Canada and the US.
Now Kidzsmart is over here, and with the smoking ban in England and Wales likely to be in place by next year, Dennis sees great potential for pubs trying to raise their game and attract a family audience.
The Brewers Fayre, Beefeater and Nandos chains are already among those using his products, tailored and branded to match the operation. At the moment, though, much of the UK trade is in a similar state to the one that prompted him to do something about it.
"We used to go into a restaurant, pick up a menu on the way to the table and say 'this is what the kids want, get it now' so we wouldn't have to spend too much time waiting for food while the kids got bored," says Mr Dennis.
"It's all about keeping the kids happy. If they are happy the parents are relaxed, they stay longer, the restaurant is happy and customers with no kids are, too. If there are kids on the next table they can annoy the daylights out of you. Licensees should think of their target here as really being the couple on the table next door."
"We decided there was great room for improvement in the way restaurants tried to amuse kids," he continues. "They gave them toys and things but there was a lack of good design. They were doing things for a family but with no idea of the age of the child, whether they were girls or boys.
"They were offering one product, a toy or a puzzle, and the kids just got bored. Toys, for instance, used to be aimed at boys and they could be quite violent.
"We went into restaurants and observed. We researched each age, what keeps each age occupied. We got it down to a science.
"There's a saying in America that the wife decides to go out, the children decide where to go and the husband pays. People don't understand that it's the kids who choose. And the child is always thinking what's in it for me? The food is all the same to a kid. That's not the pub's problem, that's our job.
"We thought families would appreciate good entertainment. Our main difference is that we offer something for all ages and keep the family happy. Some chains have goodie bags but they can be noisy. We supply the kind of things kids can't make a noise with."
Interestingly, Kidzsmart goes beyond pure entertainment. It supplies schools as well as pubs and restaurants and prides itself on its educational input.
"We include messaging for children so they get educated on health and safety and so on," explains Mr Dennis. "You can blend in education and positive messages. For example, you can address obesity. It's difficult to talk about cutting down on food when you're in a restaurant but you can suggest exercise. The parents are sold on that. It's not blind entertainment."
Mr Dennis believes that, especially with a smoking ban, UK pubs will increase their family business. "Pubs are asking what they can do to attract families and how they can create an experience the whole family can enjoy," he says. "But it's a question of how they understand the importance of the family. If it's done properly everyone can come away happy."
Top of the tots
Carol Holden, licensee of The Publican's Family Pub of the Year, the Spring Inn in Rochdale, Lancashire, explains what makes a great child-friendly pub.
We attract families with children by keeping in regular contact with local schools through offering work experience and supporting their charity days. This all keeps us in the parents' minds.
We are also on the Rochdale Online website which people can use to find pubs and restaurants that welcome families.
You do need either a children's menu or to provide smaller portions from the normal menu and you definitely need plenty of choice in soft drinks - especially still drinks and those with no additives. Highchairs, toddler chairs and baby-changing facilities are also a must.
We invited children to an afternoon play session where we asked them what they wanted here. We have found that families with children are very much led by the children's choice so it's important that you listen to them.
We now have indoor and outdoor games that children can borrow while they are here. They get a children's pack which we make up when they sit down at the table which gives them something to do while they are waiting for their meal.
We also run a postal Springers' Club once a month with puzzles and games. This helps to keep their minds focused on us as they need to call in to see who the winners are each month.
