Kids' Meals: What Parents Really Want as Prizes
A little while back, I asked what were some ideal toys for kids' meals. A reader named Dixie posted a great comment, talking about a deck of memory-game cards her son got at Quiznos. One thing she appreciated about the deck was that it didn't feature the latest movie characters or cartoon heroes; instead, she says, it was a simple
... deck of cards with pictures of animals to match up. What a notion—a mind-engaging game instead of a hook in to TV show.
Dixie also liked the fact that her son still asks to play the game, six months later. Very cool.
For Baby A and us, the best "toy" so far has been a Paddington Bear book from Chick-fil-A. It's more...
than a year old now, dog-eared and visibly loved. Books are great prizes, although some of the more recent offerings from Chick-fil-A, like an "Owl's Tales of Wisdom" or a certain Veggie Tales CD, have been too moralistic for my liking—and over Baby A's head at this point. I'd have been better off asking for the little bowl of Ice Dream the chain will give you in place of a toy.
I wanted to revisit this topic not just because it's an important one—something the restaurant chains surely want parents' feedback on—but also by way of introducing a great writeup on kids' meal toys in the Raleigh News & Observer. Give it a read and think about which parent's comments are closest to your family's experience.
You know, if quick-serve chains will do a better job of choosing prizes that parents like, not just the ones the kids go ga-ga over for a day or two, then forget about, I bet we'd buy a lot more kids' meals. Give me something interesting, durable, and with enduring play value—like that memory game Dixie's son got at Quiznos—and I'm much more likely to choose your place.
After all, we, not the kids, are the ones driving the car. (smile)