Mid-Summer Madness: Turning Tiny Appetites Into Big Profits

Late July to early August—better known to parents as the summer doldrums—is that tricky stretch between the end of camp and the start of school. Kids are restless, routines have unraveled, and parents are doing their best to keep everyone entertained, fed, and sane.

By delivering playful, kid-friendly meals—think DIY taco kits, mini sliders with dipping sauce, or build-your-own sundae packs—you’re not just feeding small stomachs, you’re offering a sanity-saving solution to overwhelmed parents. With a little creativity, your takeout box becomes a boredom-buster—and a big opportunity to turn tiny appetites into big profits.

Why a Great Kids' Menu Matters

Whether dining out or ordering in, mealtime is often a family affair. A well-designed "Mid-summer Madness" menu makes the entire experience more enjoyable for little diners—and easier for busy parents.

Traditional options like chicken fingers, quesadillas, and mac and cheese remain staples for a reason: they’re familiar and usually safe bets. But today’s families expect more. Kids are becoming savvy diners, and parents are looking for healthier, more thoughtful alternatives to the usual fried fare.

Creating a kid’s menu that balances familiarity with creativity can not only satisfy evolving tastes—it can drive sales, boost brand loyalty, and enhance your overall dining experience.

Engineering a Kids' Menu That Sells

Your kids' menu is not merely a list of smaller items; it’s an extension of your restaurant’s brand and a powerful tool that influences customer decisions and helps drive sales.

Menu engineering, a proven practice of analyzing and strategically designing a restaurant menu to maximize profits, is the place to begin any good menu design strategy.

As the restaurant industry has undergone some pretty dramatic changes over the past few years, the way menus are engineered has evolved as well. With the traditional method focusing on profitability and popularity of menu items, menu engineering for restaurant delivery adds another component to the mix– deliverability. The same holds true when designing a children's menu.

Menu engineering for restaurant delivery identifies which items are profitable, popular, and easily deliverable—all at the same time-–and which are not.

Start by understanding which items are:

Star items should be included on your online menu. Items with “dog” status should be eliminated (at least until conditions change). 

If included in your menu, workhorses and challenges should be highlighted in a way that attracts attention to their best features, and away from their least. For example, if an item is pricey but popular, make photos more prominent than the price. If an item is meant to act as a workhorse, feature them close to your stars. 

Upsell your challenges by including them in pop-ups that appear during the checkout process. Example: “Don’t forget dessert! Try our peanut butter cheesecake.”

Tips:

• Feature Stars prominently.

• Eliminate or rework Dogs.

• Upsell Challenges with pop-ups like: “Don’t forget dessert! Try our peanut butter cheesecake.”

• Use visuals and positioning to highlight Workhorses near Star items to boost visibility.

Related Resource: Step-by-Step Menu Engineering for Restaurant Delivery

Psychology Behind a Smart Kids' Menu Design

Good menu design leverages both psychology and visuals to guide decisions, especially when it comes to kids and their parents.

1. Layout and Organization

Present menu items logically and cleanly. Highlight bestsellers and give kids simple, fun choices without overwhelming them.

2. Visual Cues

Photos, icons, or playful artwork help kids understand what they’re ordering. Use emojis or illustrated characters to add a sense of fun.

3. Descriptive Language

Be creative! Use kid-friendly names and vivid descriptions. For example:

• Tiny Tummy Tacos

• Big Kid Burger

• Head of the Class Pasta

Consider themed items or reward-based options like “Straight-A Sundaes” to encourage repeat visits.

Kid-Approved Mid-Summer Madness Menu

1. Select Smart Menu Items

Offer a range of choices for different ages and dietary needs, including:

• Toddler-friendly finger foods

• Smaller portions of adult entrées for older kids

• Allergy-friendly and vegetarian/vegan options

2. Align with Your Cuisine

Keep offerings in sync with your main menu to simplify prep, reduce waste, and streamline inventory. A sushi spot, for example, might offer avocado rolls, teriyaki skewers, or rice bowls in kid-sized portions instead of adding unrelated items like pizza.

3. Organize with Clear Categories

Help families navigate your offerings with simple sections:

• Main Courses

• Sides

• Drinks

• Desserts

Smart Pricing for Parents

To stay competitive and keep your loyal customers coming back, the key is to determine pricing that strikes a balance between affordability and profitability. Consider offering meal deals or combo options to incentivize ordering.

For operators looking to be intentional about their profitability, keeping a finger on the pulse of consumer habits, wage trends, and ingredient pricing is key. Craft a menu strategy that takes into account factors such as fluctuating inflation rates, consumer income, and supply costs, and be prepared to make adjustments to the menu as needed to stay profitable.

Pricing Tactics

The Nesting Method

Listing the price directly following the meal description in the same font, font size and color forces the eye to glide over the price instead of focusing on it.

Pricing tactics to avoid:

• Prices that end with .99 - while this might work in a retail setting, using the .99 makes food appear cheap and unappetizing.

• Dollar signs - Dollar signs remind customers that they’re spending money. Unless your restaurant caters to a multi-national audience, the currency symbol is not necessary.

• Price trails - Dotted lines that connect your menu items to their price are like big giant arrows pointing to the price. They take the focus away from the food and highlight the cost.

• Price columns. Placing prices in columns next to the item forces the guest’s eye to compare prices instead of reading the dish’s description. Guests might be swayed by the lower price and base their decision on cost alone.

Writing Menu Descriptions

When creating menu item descriptions, it’s important to use words efficiently and strategically, choosing words that are appealing, easily understood, and detailed, using language that evokes imagination and appetite. Highlight any unique features or ingredients that set your menu apart.

Your kids' menu is a great place to be quirky and creative with words. So, avoid generic verbiage and opt for fun descriptive words like Tiny Tummy Tacos, Big Boy Burgers, and Head-of-the-Class Specials. Create a special dessert menu for kids that get good grades on tests and report cards as a way to keep your restaurant at the top of family’s minds.

Bring the Menu to Life

Using Vivid Language

Use vivid, bite-sized language that appeals to both kids and parents. Highlight ingredients or themes that set your food apart. For example:

• “Back-to-School Bento Box” – A lunch-style sampler

• “Dino Nuggets with Jurassic Dipping Sauce”

• “Color-Me-Quirky Veggie Platter” with rainbow hummus

Choosing a Color Scheme

Human beings of all ages respond emotionally and subconsciously to color, so choose your color scheme wisely. Bright colors like red, yellow, and orange trigger appetites.

To reinforce continuity between your brand and your online menu, your menu’s color scheme should match that of your restaurant’s theme.

• Green and tan: natural, organic, farm-fresh

• Yellow: healthy, lunch fare

• Blue: seafood, lighter fare

• Red: Italian, pizza, casual

• Maroon, black and white: high-end, gourmet cuisine

Designing for Digital and Physical Menus

Consistency across physical and digital platforms builds trust and enhances the customer experience. Use tools like Canva or Adobe to create menus that align with your restaurant’s aesthetic—fun fonts, simple graphics, and bright colors work well for kids.

Design Tactics That Drive Sales

• Golden Triangle: Position your Stars in the top left, top right, and center—where eyes naturally fall first.

• Top & Bottom Placement: Guests remember the first and last things they see.

• Bracketing: Offer two sizes without stating exact portions (e.g., regular vs. “mini”) to make the smaller item look like a better deal.

• Decoy Pricing: Place high-priced “decoy” items near your mid-priced Stars to make them seem like better value.

Don't Skip the Photos

Visuals matter—especially for kids. Just one or two high-quality food photos on a kids’ menu can boost sales significantly. Studies show that images can increase orders by up to 30%. For digital menus, professional photos are even more important.

Restaurant Promotions for Busy Parents

During the dog days of summer, when the heat is high, kids are restless, and parents are hanging on by a thread, restaurants can become a welcome escape. Here are creative, family-friendly ideas to draw in both bored kids and busy parents during the late-summer slump:

DIY Meal Kits (Delivery or Dine-In)

Turn mealtime into an activity:

• Taco Night Takeout: Soft shells, fillings, toppings, and a coloring sheet.

• Pizza-Your-Way Kits: Mini dough, sauce, toppings, and instructions.

• Ice Cream Sundae Bar: Pre-portioned scoops + sprinkles, sauces, and a souvenir spoon.

Kids’ Activity Nights

Lure families out of the house with a little fun:

• “Craft & Mac” Mondays: Arts-and-crafts table + discounted mac & cheese.

• Color-Me Wednesdays: Free crayons and placemat coloring contests (winners get dessert).

• Kids’ Karaoke or Trivia: Family-friendly themes with mini prizes.

Back-to-School Survival Packs

Make parents’ lives easier (and build loyalty):

• Bundle a few kid meals with a snack or dessert and call it a “Lunchbox Letdown Rescue Kit.”

• Add in a “parent fuel” add-on (coffee or iced latte + pastry).

Tabletop Games or Toy Swaps

Bring back old-school charm:

• Board games on every table or a shelf to borrow from.

• Host a “Toy Swap Day” where kids can bring a toy and trade during the meal.

“Beat the Heat” Promos

Tie weather to rewards:

• “It’s Over 90° = $0.90 Kids’ Meals!”

• Offer free popsicles or lemonades with every kids’ meal on hot days.

Mini Chef Days

Let kids play pretend in a real restaurant setting:

• Simple pizza or cupcake decorating sessions.

• Include a chef hat and a photo-op station.

Digital Engagement

Keep them coming back:

• Create a downloadable Kids’ Bingo Sheet (try 5 meals = free dessert).

• Launch a “Junior Food Critic” challenge on Instagram or TikTok (ask for reviews/drawings in exchange for a small prize).

Take Away

The mid-summer slump doesn’t have to mean a dip in sales. With thoughtful menu design, strategic pricing, and playful, parent-approved meals, your restaurant can turn late-July chaos into consistent revenue. Make your restaurant the one families remember—and return to—when summer begins to feel like madness.

By Eileen Strauss