For Burtons Grill & Bar and its sister concept, Red Heat American Tavern, that broader approach to family dining has become part of an operating strategy designed to turn a meal with children from a potential source of stress into an experience families want to repeat. “For us, being kid-friendly goes well beyond having a children’s menu,” said Denise Baron Herrera, Chief Culinary Officer of Burtons Grill & Bar and Red Heat American Tavern. “We want families to feel comfortable from the moment they walk through the door. That means welcoming children as guests in their own right, understanding what parents need to enjoy the experience, and creating an environment where the entire family can relax. If the kids are happy, the parents have a better experience, and that is what ultimately brings families back.” That approach carries an important lesson for operators. Family dining is not simply a menu category. It touches restaurant design, employee training, kitchen execution, table turns and guest retention.
Herrera has had a front-row seat to Burtons’ evolution. She joined the concept before its original Hingham, MA, restaurant opened in 2005 and today serves as Chief Culinary Officer for Burtons and Red Heat. Over two decades, she has helped guide a growing restaurant organization while maintaining an emphasis on scratch cooking, customization, allergy awareness and broad guest appeal.
Even the pace of the meal can influence whether a family decides to return. “There are a lot of small operational details that can determine whether a restaurant works well for families,” Herrera noted. “Seating needs to be comfortable and flexible, the atmosphere needs enough energy that parents aren’t worried about every sound their child makes, and the pace of service needs to reflect the fact that families often have a different timetable. You never want them to feel rushed, but you also don’t want a family with hungry children waiting unnecessarily between different parts of the meal.”
For restaurant operators, that requires employees to recognize that hospitality should extend directly to younger guests rather than simply through their parents.
The strategy continues into the kitchen. Burtons Grill & Bar gives younger diners plenty of choice, with a kids’ menu featuring cheeseburgers, grilled cheese, mac and cheese, chicken tenders, grilled chicken, fish, shrimp and steak. Children can also select from sides including fresh fruit, vegetables, fries, rice, applesauce and mashed potatoes, creating a flexible family meal. At a time when parents are paying closer attention to ingredients, preparation and nutrition, Herrera believes children’s food cannot be treated as an afterthought. “Our children’s menu needs to meet the same standards we set for the rest of the restaurant,” she explained. “Parents shouldn’t have to choose between something their child will eat and something they feel good about serving them. We focus on approachable dishes that children recognize while maintaining Burtons’ commitment to fresh ingredients and made-from-scratch preparation. A children’s menu may be simpler, but that doesn’t mean the quality should be any less important.”.
Customization can be equally important. A child who wants an ingredient removed, a sauce served separately or a familiar dish prepared slightly differently can create an operational challenge during a busy service. Herrera sees accommodating reasonable requests as an investment in the overall guest experience. “Flexibility is extremely important when serving families,” she detailed. “Parents know what their children will eat, what they won’t eat and what may work better for them on a particular day. Whenever we can reasonably accommodate a substitution, adjust an ingredient or modify how something is prepared, we want to do that. Making those adjustments may seem small operationally, but to a parent it can be the difference between a stressful meal and a really enjoyable family experience.”
That philosophy becomes especially significant when food allergies are involved. Burtons has made allergy awareness a central component of its operating model, requiring allergy training for employees and using scratch preparation and protocols designed to accommodate a wide variety of dietary restrictions. The company’s restaurants are also peanut-free.
Another opportunity for operators is recognizing that memorable experiences do not necessarily require expensive promotions or elaborate entertainment. “For a child, dessert can be one of the moments they remember most about going to a restaurant,” Herrera said. “There is a sense of celebration attached to it, whether it is a birthday, a special occasion or simply a family dinner out. We want dessert to add some fun to the experience. Those little moments matter because children remember how a restaurant made them feel, and parents remember seeing their kids excited and happy.”
The payoff can stretch far beyond a single visit. Burtons was founded in 2005, giving the company an opportunity to begin seeing younger guests grow into adult customers. Herrera believes that generational relationship is one of the clearest measurements of successful family hospitality. “One of the most rewarding things about being in business since 2005 is seeing the relationship with our guests evolve,” she noted. “We are reaching the point where people who experienced Burtons with their own families when they were younger are now coming back at a different stage of their lives. Building that kind of generational loyalty is incredibly meaningful.”
For operators, that may be the larger business case behind becoming truly kid-friendly. A restaurant that earns the confidence of parents while creating positive memories for children is not simply competing for tonight’s check. It is building relationships with potential customers who may return for birthdays, holidays, celebrations and eventually with families of their own. “Parents and children will continue to change, and we have to keep changing with them without losing the fundamentals of hospitality,” Herrera concluded. “Our job is to listen, continue evolving our menu and service, and remain focused on creating a place where families genuinely enjoy spending time together.”
Restaurant and foodservice professionals interested in learning more about Burtons Grill & Bar can visit burtonsgrill.com. Additional information about Red Heat American Tavern is available at
redheattavern.com.
