Keeping Things Relaxed While Dining Out

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This is a partnered post.  All opinions are my own.

We live in a busy world, so it’s nice to relax every once in awhile by going out for a nice sit down dinner.  The whole process can take quite some time though.  On busy nights you could  easily be looking at an hour of wait time between waiting to sit down, waiting to order, and waiting for your food.  If you’re with a group of friends you probably won’t even notice the wait, but it can be rough if there are kids in your group.  Here are some tips for making the wait time when dining out a little easier from a mom and an past restaurant hand.

Waiting For the Table

If at all possible don’t sit down!  Kids can only sit for so long, so try to leave the sitting for when you’re at the table.  If the weather is nice go outside.  Many pagers that restaurants hand out to let you know when your table is ready have a bit of a reach.  I used to host at a restaurant and the pagers we handed out would make a sound when they were taken out of range.  If you’re worried about missing your table have someone wait inside and call your cellphone when it’s ready.

If you have to wait inside then try to find some fun activities to keep your kids happy.  I Spy can be a great game for such a wait, although I’m sure you’ll tire of it long before your child does.  You can always ask the host for a set of crayons and a copy of the kids menu for coloring, but remember that if you use it while you’re waiting for the table then it likely won’t help keep your child entertained at the table.  The best thing you can do at this time is to look over a menu.  Some people can take forever to decide on what they want to eat.  If you look over the menu and decide before you’re even seated then you’ll shave off quite a bit of waiting time.

At The Table

It’s always nice to get to your table, but the novelty quickly wears off, and you’re at the point where everyone is tired of waiting and they just want to eat.  If you have really young kids then bringing small toys with you for them to play with is a great idea.  If you have older kids then they can color the kids menu.  Sometimes you have to get creative though.

Restaurant placemats can make an attractive dining space, but certain ones can also be useful for keeping your child entertained.  If you’re at a Chinese restaurant you may get one that has all of the different animals years listed.  It can be a lot of fun to look up what animal everyone is and to see if they fit the listed characteristics.  If your paper placemat is nothing more than an ad for menu items than turn it over and play with the back.  Play games like Tick-Tack-Toe or just let your child’s imagination run free and let them draw whatever they want.  If there is a lot of writing on the front than you can take advantage of that too.  Have your child go through all of the words and cross off all of the letters in alphabetical order.  It sounds tedious I know, but it will really get them focused, and the meal will likely arrive before they’re done.

Dinning out can be such a nice treat, but it can be a long process when there are kids in your party.  With a little know how though you can keep everyone happy and have a relaxing meal.