Eating out has become a fun event for our little family, and it also seems to be a good way to document Nicholas’ (and my own) growth. Of course there have been challenges in taking him out in public, but overall we really have enjoyed the experience.
I’ll start with Spur, because it seems to have the most history for me.
During university in Grahamstown at Rhodes I used to drink bottomless coffee and chocolate brownies with fellow students. Ah, those were the days.
I even worked at the Spur for three months at home in PE. I hated the job, to be honest, but at least I got a free Spur burger. (Still love that taste!)
The first time I got off the plane to meet DH in person we went to the Spur. And we had a few dates there afterwards too.
Nicky first went there as a baby. I actually got up the guts to breastfeed him in public the third time we went.
Later on when he moved to solids, I brought bananas with. Then his pouches.
These days I give him their hot veg option: butternut and spinach. It is delicious! I wish I could make spinach like that. I can order it with my meal at no extra cost.
You can see in this picture he is sitting on my lap. But there are other seating options. These days he seems more comfy 
out of his seat, but we used to put him in a chair that attaches to the table. From there (before he was interested in food) we would give him something to play with (like a truck). Of course he loves the balloon too. What’s nice about this seat (if he is suitably occupied) is that it keeps him more secure and he won’t fall out.
Spur also have a super kiddie section. At Brightwater Commons it is a separate room upstairs. Nicky liked to ride in a toy car they had there. But I kind of didn’t feel okay leaving him there alone since he is still so young.
At Cresta we could still sit and eat and see him so we have left him for a few minutes while he was busy with blocks or crayons. DH also played with him and the blocks.
I guess we will always be Spur people.
Recently we have also been going to the Wimpy. Wimpy also has crayons and balloons. I had even starting ordering his own meal for him. We tried the toast and egg as well as the chips and fish fingers. Nicky did not seem to eat much of the fish fingers but I did manage to get him to eat some toast and egg. Previously he would never eat it at home on weekends but now he is gradually showing some interest.
Nicky with Little Miss Giggles toy
What I also love about the kiddies meal is the free toy. They get a Mr Men / Little Miss toy which has a button that lights up. This was a big hit with Nicky. I like it because we can then read the book that goes with it, which is often very entertaining. We can talk about how Mr Strong eats lots of eggs to be strong (to encourage him to eat eggs), how Little Miss Giggles laughs (hee hee hee) and how poor Mr Bump kept hurting himself but he found a way to take advantage of the situation. You see, it’s educational!
Of course Nicky likes to use the toy as a ball so sometimes we have to hide it till we go home!
Nicky also likes playing with crayons but unfortunately he also likes flinging them on the floor. At home he likes to put them behind the couch and finds it very amusing when we move the couch back and forth to get them out.
In conclusion, if you are thinking of taking your little one out to eat, you may want to heed the following tips:
1) Make sure they are well rested before. If you are going out in the evening, make sure they had a nice afternoon nap. Tantrums are less likely if the kid doesn’t need to sleep.
2) Leave the balloon to the end unless you want to be repeatedly hit with it, run up and down catching it as he hit it, or get your food all over it.
3) Make sure you have something to keep him (or her) busy if he isn’t into food yet (cars will do for boys).
4) Free toys and crayons need to be managed. If it looks like they are just going to be thrown, you might want to have that nappy bag handy to hide them in. Or else you are going to be crawling on the floor a lot to pick them up.
5) Sometimes you will have to bail. If the toddler cannot keep still you will have to take him outside to provide necessary distraction. I remember one time when Nicky was grumpy at Brightwater Commons my father and DH basically had the meal to themselves while I walked outside with Nicky showing him the water. Last time when he got cranky waiting for desert at Cresta DH took him to play with the blocks.
Eating out can be a great time to have family fun. But I also want to mention that all restaurants that cater for kids, although winning in entertainment, free toys and balloons, can still work a lot of improvement into their meals to make them more nutritious. Natasha Clark of Raising Men has written a great post on this.
But we still love the fun of going out.
I’d like to know your experiences of eating out with a toddler and if you have any tips to share?
Since our Little Missy got bigger, we are also going more often to the Spur because of the play areas. We are not that fond of the food options, for us and her, but once and a while I don’t think it is a train smash. And it is wonderful to sit back while she plays on her own now!
Funny, Hubby and I also had our first blind date at a Spur because my 8 old year was tagging along at the time… 😉
Nicky sure has grown and changed since I’ve been reading your blog. Great tips! I’d also add Be a good example as far as table manners are concerned but also have realistic expectations.
Thanks Missy, that’s a good addition. At the moment my goal is to have him not throw his implements on the floor when he is finished! lol!
We also frequent Spur or Papachinos but it gets expensive with so many of us. Jacks pretty happy to chill in the play area as long as he can see where we are.
Yes I can imagine how expensive that must get!
Your kids are so cute! My husband and I have also done the walk-out-of-the-store/restaurant-in-a-hurry thing many times! Sometimes, you just have to!
We’ve had some really bad experiences eating out, so much so that I am considering never stepping out of our front door again! LOL! Our girls are very busy and strong willed so it is quite a battle to get them to sit still or calm down sometimes. At the moment we frequently visit the Spur, but in all honesty, I’m to nervous to try anywhere else again in the near future! Except for Col’cacchios. I’ve written a blog post a while ago about their branch in Franschhoek: http://mommyhoodwithlove.blogspot.com/2014/03/brilliant-child-friendly-restaurant-to.html. I don’t know why I haven’t thought of Wimpy before. I think we might venture out that way next time we feel like going out and not going to Spur for a change 🙂
He is so adorable!
And where was your advice when I needed it??
I love my life at just the stage it’s in, but I did get a little wistful remembering the days of ” bottomless coffee and chocolate brownies.” Aaaaaah…..