Why Your Restaurant Needs a Play Area

Installing and having a kids play area in your restaurant can help increase your profits. In business, you want to be successful and when you are running a restaurant the goal is to become more popular and to increase your bottom line. Whether you are just starting out or looking to expand, you have to keep moving, you have to keep improving and perhaps one area you haven’t given much consideration to, is to a kids play area. Depending on the design of your restaurant or the space you have, this can be inside, or in a covered area outside.

You may be wondering – why should I bother? Am I going to lose valuable dining space? Or as an investment you just can’t see it being profitable – the thing is installing a kids play area DOES have benefits!

When you have a family visit, you’ll find the parents are more relaxed and when they have time to relax they are more likely to stay a bit longer, to order dessert or an extra coffee. The kids are safely playing in their play area so parents can enjoy catching up with friends or family. If they have had a good experience and they like the area you have – they’ll be back and repeat business is a good thing. There is every possibility they will tell friends and family about your restaurant and play area which can bring more customers to your door.

When customer’s children are having a great time, are happy and entertained during that *waiting time* – on the whole it just generates a much better atmosphere. Your waitresses and cooks can’t stop children acting up, so a kids play area helps prevent children becoming bored and rowdy. This in turns provides a better, calmer and quieter atmosphere for your staff. Kids who are having fun in your play area will soon become your fans and they will want mum and dad to bring them back. You’d be surprised how much of an influence children can be with their parents… parents want a quiet time out, a chance to get out, and not have to *worry* about their kids running around and being a nuisance. When they find a nice place, they can take the kids to, and the kids enjoy it – they’ll be back!

You’ll soon find you are attracting a whole new group of customers. Word of mouth around parent’s groups and at school will bring you a new *fan base* – the couples with children that want to go out but don’t want to deal with bored children all night. Your restaurant will soon become the meeting place – the place of choice for your families who want to get together for a meal or drinks knowing their kids can play safely in their own little area. Even for single parents who want time with their children – your restaurant will be the place to be, they can share a meal and an ice-cream with their children and the kids will love visiting just for the fun!

You will be able to create a whole set of new opportunities for your restaurant. You’ll become the place to go to hold birthday parties or work functions which will give you the chance to make some more income on those slow days.

Integrating a children’s play area into your restaurant may be an affordable and interesting investment.

Of course, having a children’s play area installed will mean extra cleaning, but the extra *work* is worth it. A clean play area is not only good from a hygiene aspect, it also proves for a happy customer experience. A child’s play area does require professional cleaning more than any other area, but if you have staff clean the area several times during the day you can keep on top of any major mess. Team this constant cleaning with a good thorough clean every 1 to 2 weeks.

Remember kids will always be kids and they will spill drinks and drop food so you need to ensure the area is kept clean every day. Imagine you are a parent, what would you want and expect from a play area? Top of that list would be that it was clean and safe, any liquid spills you’ll need to clean up straight away.

You want your customers and their children to feel happy and safe and you want them to come back again and again.