My Kids Eat Free

THIS JUST IN : there is such thing as a free lunch. Providing you have an appetite for chocolate chip pancakes or chicken fingers shaped like dinosaurs.

Three years ago, Barry Yow and his wife, Julie, were debating where to go for dinner with their two children, age seven and nine. The Yows wanted to find a spot that offered a "Kids Eat Free" promotion. Stymied, the couple checked the Internet to see if there was a central registry, listing all restaurants of that ilk.

There wasn't. So they created one.

The Yows' website, http://www.mykidseatfree.com/, charts hundreds of establishments across the United States where parents can save a few bucks while their children enjoy a meal on the house. Barry receives as many as 10 emails a day informing him about new specials.

"'Kids Eat Free' promos have doubled in the last year," he says, when reached at home in Greenboro, N.C. "With restaurants reporting a steady decline in visitors over the last 18 months, many are looking for new ways to bring families back."

Although deals are usually found at traditional, sit-down restaurants like Applebee's and TGI Fridays, Yow notes that fast-food giants like McDonald's are beginning to bite, too. "We just recently added 59 Taco Bell locations in the southeast (U.S.)," he says. (Like-themed websites are also popping up; besides the Yows' domain, you can also hunt for bargains at www.kidsmealdeals.com or http://www.kidseatfree.com/.)

"There has been an increase in Canadians searching for 'Kids Eat Free' promotions," Barry says. "I have received numerous requests to add restaurants in Canada to our site, and we are planning to do just that in the next month or so."

Why wait? Armed with the Yellow Pages and a famished volunteer (this scribe's son, Jakob) we hit the streets, looking for gratis grub in our own backyard. Here's what we found...

Where: Pizza Hut, 10 Winnipeg locations.

Minor details: Children, 10 and under, get one free selection from the kids' menu, for every adult entrée purchased. Offer available all day Tuesdays.

Food for tot: Pizza (duh), chicken wings, pasta, mozzarella sticks or salad.

Six weeks ago, Pizza Hut introduced a "Kids Eat Free" promotion to coincide with the launch of its "Wing Street Wings," says Sandra Fyvie, general manager of the Pizza Hut at 3421 Portage Ave. (No doubt you've seen the omnipresent TV commercial -- the one where an unsuspecting horde chows down on wings, only to be astonished later when they discover they're from Pizza Hut.)

Although the deal is reserved for the junior set, Fyvie isn't checking ID at the door. "Omigosh, no. That hasn't been a problem; being that the children's meal is somewhat smaller, older kids don't want to order it anyways," she says.

Where: Perkins Restaurant and Bakery, six Winnipeg locations.

Minor details: Children 12 and under get one free selection from the kids' menu for every adult entrée purchased. Offer available Monday and Tuesday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Food for tot: Burgers, pizza, hot dogs, chicken fingers, quesadillas or all-day breakfasts. Includes a bottomless beverage.

Perkins has been offering its front-of-the-week, "Kids Eat Free" promotion for four years, says Shaen Mason, manager of the Perkins location at Madison Square. "We've pretty much built our sales around it; kids bring their parents in on Monday or Tuesday, and the parents bring their kids back on the weekend."

Mason says his staff looks forward to the promo. "They have a lot of fun with it. Waiters and waitresses get in costume; we have one guy who dresses up like a Ninja Turtle -- it's all very kid-friendly."

 

Where: Denny's, 1750 Sargent Dr.

Minor details: Two children, 10 and under, get a free selection each from the kids' menu, for every adult entrée purchased. Offer available Tuesday and Saturday, 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Food for tot: Sports-oriented kids' menu includes "softball pancakes," "spaghetti, set go," "cheesy @ the plate" and "pit stop pizza."

Denny's "Kids Eat Free" promotion has been a strong draw ever since the 24-hour dining spot opened for business on Louis Riel Day 2008, says general manager Mark Gurlevitch. "With the two-for-one deal, it works out really good for larger families; if Jon and Kate came here, for example, they'd only have to pay for four of their kids."

 

Where: AALTOS Garden Café at nine Canad Inns Destination Centres, including hotels in Brandon, Portage la Prairie and Grand Forks, N.D.

Minor details: Children 10 and under get a free selection from the kids' menu for every adult entrée purchased. Promotion also applies to AALTOS's nightly buffet. Offer available Thursdays, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Food for tot: Grilled cheese sandwiches (quartered), peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (shaped like farm animals) and "Pogo Dogs," to name three.

Did you know that a person who creates balloon sculptures is called a "twister?" Taras Sokoly, the chief executive officer of Canad Inns, says one of his company's current goals is to train all of its waiters and waitresses to become balloon artists. "Little things like that, along with kids eating for free, is all part of a broader picture," says Sokoly. "We've also got the Adventure Kids club, where members get invited to Canad Inns events, throughout the year.

"It's a way of turning a 30-minute meal into a 90-minute fun time for the whole family."

david.sanderson@freepress.mb.ca

Go south, young man

NORTH Dakota is a treasure trove of "Kids Eat Free" deals, according to www.MyKidsEatFree.com. If your family is headed to Fargo or Grand Forks this long weekend, here are a few places you and your wallet may want to check out. (Call ahead for hours and age restrictions.)

 

Northtown Grill, 3520 12th Ave. N., Fargo -- Saturday

Famous Dave's, 2581 45th St. SW, Fargo -- Sunday

Mexican Village, 814 Main Ave., Fargo -- Sunday

Moe's Southwest Grill, 2511 Kirsten Lane, Fargo -- Sunday

Paradiso, 801 38th St. S., Fargo -- Sunday

Perkins Restaurant, 1220 36th St S., Fargo -- Saturday

Denny's Restaurant, 3770 32nd Ave. S., Grand Forks -- Saturday

Golden Corral, 3251 32nd Ave., Grand Forks -- Saturday and Sunday

 

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition October 10, 2009 F1