Taking Food for a Toddler to a Restaurant?

[Anonymous]

My husband and I like to eat out and like to go once a week. Sometime we get a sitter but sometimes we really like having our 3 yo daughter with us. She will happily sit at a table for 30 minutes, but we tend to have trouble finding stuff for her on the menu. We generally do not feed her the "kids menu" standard items at home so she did not it if we order it when we are out unless we are at an Italian Restuarant and can get pasta.

This weekend I came up with the idea of taking her meals with us when we go out. I cook a few times per week and there is always food in the fridge. Has anyone ever tried to do this? I am hoping that since she is a child the restuarants will not mind to much but want to get a sense of what other think before we try it.

Thanks,

[Anonymous]

We go to Chilis every Friday night with our 14-mo-old. I always bring a little something he likes to eat, like cooked carrots and yogurt. That keeps him occupied while we wait for our orders, then we feed him bits and pieces from our meals. We've never had any issues with bringing food in.... In fact, the waiter/waitress brings us a spoon for the yogurt! It's always worked out very well!

[Anonymous]

i've done it. it probably depends on the restaurant. i usually do it at pretty casual places. restaurants don't mind when you bring baby food so they shouldn't mind if you bring toddler food. i often bring a tupperware of macaroni and cheese.

[Anonymous]

I would never do it unless it was a cheap chain restaurant. I think toddlers should learn to eat different types of foods too.

[Anonymous]

PP here: I didn't realize your daughter was three. She should be able to eat most things off an adult menu.

If she can't, maybe bringing her out to dinner is a good way to expose her to new foods. But I wouldn't bring her food with me at that age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP here: I didn't realize your daughter was three. She should be able to eat most things off an adult menu.

If she can't, maybe bringing her out to dinner is a good way to expose her to new foods. But I wouldn't bring her food with me at that age.

OP here, thanks was not thinking of it that way. We will just keep taking her and she what happens. I am just so tired of her asking for rice and chicken and refusing to eat anything when I can't produce rice and chicken.

[Anonymous]

We used to do this. We got a little thermos and heated it at home and took it to the restaurant. They're not making their money off the kids menu. I wouldn't worry about it.

[Anonymous]

Maybe leave a little extra tip for your server, if you do bring your own toddler food.

[Anonymous]

re age: My son is three. If we are going to a pizza restaurant or a place where I know we can get something he will eat, I don't bring food. We recently went to a Vietnamese restaurant and I brought something, though. I've tried ordering just plain noodles or tofu for him but he often won't eat it..just depends.

[Anonymous]

My son (2yrs) has food allergies so we bring his food all the time. We always do try to order him milk and applesauce or the like in acknowledgement that we are eating at a restaurant, which is, after all, a business.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My husband and I like to eat out and like to go once a week. Sometime we get a sitter but sometimes we really like having our 3 yo daughter with us. She will happily sit at a table for 30 minutes, but we tend to have trouble finding stuff for her on the menu. We generally do not feed her the "kids menu" standard items at home so she did not it if we order it when we are out unless we are at an Italian Restaurant and can get pasta.

This weekend I came up with the idea of taking her meals with us when we go out. I cook a few times per week and there is always food in the fridge. Has anyone ever tried to do this? I am hoping that since she is a child the restaurants will not mind to much but want to get a sense of what other think before we try it.

Thanks,

It is actually a liability for the restaurant. If someone brings food into a restaurant, and comes down with food poisoning, you can't prove it was the restaurant, or your food. The restaurant can be sued, and have to pay. It is usually against their policies for this reason.

If you don't like children's menu items, don't get them. My children just get regular, non chicken nugget or mac and cheese, food, and either get half portions, or split it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is actually a liability for the restaurant. If someone brings food into a restaurant, and comes down with food poisoning, you can't prove it was the restaurant, or your food. The restaurant can be sued, and have to pay. It is usually against their policies for this reason.

I'm not really buying this. Seems a little far-fetched. I've worked in many restaurants and never heard of such a policy. And it doesn't impose liability. A restaurant can't be held liable if you can't prove it was their food. It's not the restaurant's responsibility to prove it was your own food. So to the extent it makes it harder to determine the source of the food poisoning, that only helps the restaurant and precludes liability. This just doesn't make any sense.

[Anonymous]

My DS too has severe food allergies and can't eat anything off the menu at restaurants. We always bring his food and have never had a problem.

We do try to make sure we leave a generous tip and my DH and I order a good sized amount of food/beverages.

I agree with PP. I don't think restaurants are surviving on the price of a kid's meal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is actually a liability for the restaurant. If someone brings food into a restaurant, and comes down with food poisoning, you can't prove it was the restaurant, or your food. The restaurant can be sued, and have to pay. It is usually against their policies for this reason.

I'm not really buying this. Seems a little far-fetched. I've worked in many restaurants and never heard of such a policy. And it doesn't impose liability. A restaurant can't be held liable if you can't prove it was their food. It's not the restaurant's responsibility to prove it was your own food. So to the extent it makes it harder to determine the source of the food poisoning, that only helps the restaurant and precludes liability. This just doesn't make any sense.

This has always been the case in the restaurants I worked in. A friend of mine, who happened to own a restaurant, and I have discussed this at long length. This was the policy at her establishment, and her pet peeve when it wasn't observed. She would have to explain the entire liability situation to the customer, and often they were combatant about it, saying they had the right to eat what they pleased in her place of business.

It isn't far fetched at all, but we always ran into trouble with customers that didn't grasp the concept. In addition to being a liability, it is also rude. Acceptations are usually made for infants who are eating Cheerios, but three year olds, no way. I also think that in the case of food allergies, with the explanation, it shouldn't be a problem.

[Anonymous]

I do think a 3yr old is a little old to be bring his/her own food to a restaurant (unless on a special diet or with food allergies). I think it is good for kids to get out and experience new flavors. Pre-schoolers are notorious for turning up their noses at many if not most foods, but will eventually learn to take no-thank-you bites and will eventually learn to like a variety of foods. They might not eat the most healthful meal when you dine out, but it is a good learning experience. I've come to realize that my child is not going to starve to death if he decides not to eat his dinner.