Aldo Zilli’s Top Ten Tips on Dining Out with Young Children

Eating out has become a strong part of most people’s social life, however, many parents find that dining out with their young children can be a stressful experience

Celebrity chef Aldo Zilli, believes that children should be truly welcome in restaurants and that eating out is an important part of fostering a healthy attitude towards food from a young age.

Here are Aldo’s Ten Top Tips on Dining Out with Young Children to help parents find the confidence to introduce their kids to the eating out culture…

1. Taking your kids out as much as possible is the key – the more they visit restaurants, the more comfortable they will be and they will better understand how to behave at the table.

2. Always make preparations so that you have your child’s favourite toy, book or an activity for them to do if they start getting restless. At my Soho restaurant Zilli Fish, we provide crayons and a colouring in pad, but if the restaurant you are visiting does not do this, then make sure you bring your own.

3. Be aware of other diners – if your baby is causing disruption in the restaurant and disturbing other guests, do take them outside to calm down for five minutes.

4. If your child is old enough to run around, do explain to them the importance of sitting at the table throughout the meal. Having distractions such as the colouring in book mentioned above helps keep them in their seat. Kids running through the restaurant when there are waiters carrying hot food is dangerous. Do walk your child round quietly if they want to explore – it’s good to be inquisitive!

5. Teaching your children good table manners from an early age is an important part of their social education. Instead of nagging your child about not playing with their food, shift the emphasis onto praising them when they show good table manners.

6. I believe we shouldn’t dumb down to children about food – don’t lower your standards for your kids. Dine out where you would actually enjoy eating, and take them too. On our children’s menu we have dishes like gnocchi with pesto, so that the kids don’t feel like they are eating anything too different to their parents. Even my Baby Zilli range has a diverse range of vegetables and fruit, and delicious recipes like Fishy Dishy salmon and potato – it gets kids used to different flavours from the word go!

7. Forcing children to eat what they don’t like is counterproductive (however much you want them to eat something adventurous) but do emphasise that a simple ‘no thank you’ is better than a screaming match. I have the rule that everything should be tried at least once before refusing it.

8. If there is a good children’s menu, let them choose from it themselves, they are more likely to make an effort to eat all the food and enjoy it, if it was their own decision.

9. Pick your restaurant well. If you have a small child, call in advance and check that they have high chairs and if they are family friendly. At Zilli Fish we offer my organic Baby Zilli baby food range to our very little guests, and under fives eat for free with my specially designed kiddy menu.

10. If you aren’t comfortable taking your kids to a restaurant, they will respond to that uneasiness. Trust your instincts. You know whether your child can make it through a white table-clothed, quiet evening or not.

Finally, all parents have had good and bad dining out experiences with their kids. Don’t give up. Even after a disaster, try again. Make sure your child knows the proper behaviour expected of him / her before you get to the restaurant.

Aldo comments: “As both a father and a restaurant owner, I believe it is important to take your kids to restaurants from an early age as it gives them a positive attitude towards food and the enjoyable social element of eating together.

Both of my younger kids Twiggy and Rocco come to Zilli Fish regularly and although they can often be noisy (all kids are!), they really get excited about the food and about the whole dining experience.”