SeaFood Business is the global trusted authority for seafood buyers and sellers. We are the seafood industry's leading trade magazine with more than 30 years of experience. Our coverage is based on the "business" of buying and selling seafood.
Issue link: https://seafoodbusiness.epubxp.com/i/139359
Behind the Line Photo courtesy of CJ's on the Bay Restaurants are steering kids to healthier, more mature seafood dishes. Kid tactics Operators devise menu plans with children in mind Y ou have to look hard to fnd great seafood options on the kids' menu, where old favorites like fried fsh and chips, and the variations thereof (fsh fngers, fsh sticks) are often the only options. But a handful of innovators have introduced more sophisticated children's seafood oferings to their menus, and the items are proving popular, both with kids and parents, who are looking for dishes that are healthful and taste good. At Joe's Crab Shack, a U.S. casual-dining seafood chain with 130 locations, the kids' menu features a steampot, snow crab and grilled popcorn shrimp. Each one is served with healthful sides including celery, applesauce, 28 SeaFood Business July 2013 corn on the cob and rice or vegetables. Te company updated its kids' menu in 2010 and 2011, when it worked closely with registered dieticians provided by San Diego-based Healthy Dining Finder, restaurant consultants that focus on creating healthier items for both the adults' and kids' menus. One of Healthy Dining Finders' programs is Kids LiveWell, launched in collaboration with the National Restaurant Association (NRA) to encourage restaurateurs to feature one or more kids' menu items that meet the association's nutrition criteria. Joe's Crab Shack was among the frst restaurants to get on board, repackaging the way it presented food choices on the kids' menu so that it highlighted lean protein, vegetables, grains, fruits and low-fat dairy. "We were thankful for their leadership on the issue of smart food choices for kids and embraced the opportunity to be an inaugural partner in the Kids LiveWell Photos courtesy of Joe's Crab Shack BY LAUREN KRAMER Joe's Crab Shack has long sought to get young diners to try seafood. program," says Janet Gieselman, VP of marketing at Joe's Crab Shack. "Parents love that we provide options outside of what is traditionally expected. Joe's menu gives their kids a chance to try healthy, new items such as crab and shrimp, often for the frst time, while still offering known favorites such as Cheesy Mac and Chicken Dippers. And kids are excited to order an item that's similar or the same as what they see their parents order — only kid-sized." Cracking crabs in the steampot gives kids an excuse to play with their food, she says. "We fnd what works is a menu that strikes a balance between what kids know they like, but also offers healthy and slightly daring choices." Great New Hampshire Restaurants, which owns and operates T-Bones and Cactus Jack's casual dining chains with various locations across New Hampshire, was another group that introduced seafood to the kids' menu as a result of Kids LiveWell. Both restaurants feature a grilled salmon dish served with broccoli, half a baked potato and 4 ounces of 1 percent milk. At fewer than 500 calories per serving, it has appeared on the menus for $7.99 for the past two years. "It's the only seafood dish on the kids' menu and we fnd that kids aged 7 through 10 order it quite a bit," says Nicole Barreira, executive corporate chef. "We've had a lot of positive feedback on this dish. Parents email us saying it's so great that we ofer fsh on the menu, and in the form of a healthy, balanced meal. And we feel that salmon was a great way to introduce seafood to the kids' menu. As its success grows, we'll look into ofering more seafood items to kids." At CJ's on the Bay in Continued on page 36 Visit us online at www.seafoodbusiness.com