One of our clients has launched a new website that looks at how kids look at restaurants. Aside from the specific market need the new website is attempting to fill, it’s also giving us a different perspective on online reviews and how they’re used.
The website, www.kidzdish.com, comes from his experiences dining out with his wife and their two daughters. He notes that his daughters are observant and notice things that would never occur to him or his wife. As parents of two children, it resonated a lot of ways for us.
On one level, it’s a great tool for teaching children how to write reviews – which we all depend on for choosing restaurants or buying ingredients and tools to make dinner at home. It helps them sharpen their observation skills, and that will be critical as they get older and as their lives become more multi-faceted.
On another level, it gives parents a good tool for teaching their children how to use the Internet, and it provides strong parental controls. The benefit for that, too, is the creation of a family activity that’s centered around the Internet.
The website has also made us more observant parents. When we go to restaurants, our kids are usually hungry, and the faster they get the food they want, the better the experience for everyone. We now notice – and can tell all potential customers – if the servers get to us quickly, how they pay attention to our kids’ concerns, and if they bring out their food before ours. That last point is key for us. As parents, we can’t eat until our kids are served, and if we have to wait, our food gets cold. So, when our kids post reviews of restaurants we patronize, that’s one factor they will use to rate the place. They’ll also discuss how they were treated by their server, such as: the server treated me like a little kid, or the server made me feel special and let me know we were appreciated as customers. Oh, yes, they also will comment on the texture and flavor of the mac-and-cheese.
As online interaction continues to play an increasingly greater role in how we live, we support the growth of websites such as this, which give our kids the chance to develop mindsets and skill sets for a communications channel that carries more information at breakneck speeds every day.
What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let us know. And if you are concerned about setting parental controls on computers or devices in your household, we can help. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or send us an email to discuss your needs.