American children eat too much fast food that’s high in calories, sugar, and salt. Researchers tested whether restaurants could help kids make healthier choices by using two simple strategies: making healthy meals more visible and attractive on menus, and rewarding families for ordering them multiple times. They studied 236 families with children ages 4-8 at six restaurant locations over two months. This research matters because kids spend a lot of time eating at restaurants, and small changes in how menus are designed could help them develop better eating habits that last into adulthood.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: Whether restaurants can get kids to order and eat healthier meals by highlighting healthy options and rewarding families for choosing them repeatedly
  • Who participated: 236 families with children between 4 and 8 years old from six locations of the same restaurant chain; about 57% of the children were girls, with an average age of 6.5 years
  • Key finding: This is a study protocol describing the plan and baseline information—the actual results showing whether the strategies worked will be published in 2025-2026
  • What it means for you: If this study shows positive results, restaurants may start using these simple menu design tricks to help your kids make healthier choices without forcing them to eat foods they don’t like

The Research Details

Researchers recruited families with young children and randomly assigned six restaurant locations to either try new healthy-choice strategies or continue as normal. The intervention group received special placemats highlighting two healthier kids’ meals and could trade desserts for toys. They also got loyalty cards that rewarded them with free meals after buying the promoted healthy meals six times. The control group got regular placemats and loyalty cards without the healthy meal focus. Families visited the restaurant eight times total: once at the start, six times over two months while the intervention was happening, and once at the end to see if their choices had changed.

This research design is powerful because it tests real-world changes in actual restaurants where families naturally eat, rather than in a lab. By randomly assigning restaurants to intervention or control groups, researchers can compare what happens when restaurants actively promote healthy choices versus when they don’t. This helps prove whether the restaurant’s actions actually caused kids to eat better, not just whether healthier kids happened to visit certain restaurants.

This is a well-designed study with several strengths: it was registered before data collection started (which prevents researchers from changing their plans based on results), it involved real restaurants and real families, and it tracked actual food orders and eating. The study included 184 families with complete demographic information. However, results haven’t been published yet, so we don’t know if the strategies actually worked. The study focused on one restaurant chain, so results might not apply to all restaurants.

What the Results Show

This paper describes the study plan and baseline information—it’s not the final results paper. The researchers collected data from June 2021 through November 2024 and are currently analyzing the information. The main question they’ll answer is whether kids in the intervention restaurants ordered more of the promoted healthy meals compared to kids in control restaurants. They’ll also measure whether these kids actually ate fewer calories, less sugar, less salt, and less saturated fat both at the restaurant and throughout the day.

Beyond just looking at what kids ordered, researchers will examine how much kids actually ate at the restaurant and what they consumed for the rest of the day. They’ll also look at whether the effects were different for families with different income levels, since they specifically recruited from both wealthier and lower-income neighborhoods. This helps answer whether these restaurant strategies work equally well for all families.

Previous research shows that kids’ taste preferences aren’t fixed—they can learn to like healthier foods if they’re exposed to them regularly. This study builds on that by testing whether restaurants can use this knowledge through ‘choice architecture’ (making healthy options stand out) and ‘repeated exposure’ (rewarding families for trying healthy meals multiple times). It’s one of the first studies to test these strategies in real restaurant settings with young children.

This study only included one restaurant chain, so results might not apply to other types of restaurants like fine dining or different fast-food chains. The study focused on children ages 4-8, so we don’t know if these strategies work for teenagers or older kids. Families who volunteered for the study might be more interested in healthy eating than the general population. The study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have affected eating patterns.

The Bottom Line

This study hasn’t published results yet, so we can’t make firm recommendations. However, the research plan is solid and addresses an important problem. Once results are published in 2025-2026, families should look for whether restaurants in their area use similar strategies—highlighting healthy kids’ meals and rewarding repeated healthy choices. If proven effective, parents can ask their favorite restaurants to adopt these approaches. Confidence level: Moderate (pending actual results).

Parents of young children (ages 4-8) who eat at restaurants should care about this research. Families with lower incomes may particularly benefit since the study specifically included diverse neighborhoods. Restaurant owners and managers should pay attention because these strategies could improve their customers’ health without requiring expensive menu changes. Policymakers interested in childhood obesity prevention should watch for results. This research is less relevant for families who rarely eat at restaurants or for teenagers and adults.

The study involved a two-month exposure period, suggesting that changes in kids’ meal choices might happen relatively quickly—within weeks rather than months. However, developing lasting taste preference changes typically takes longer. Once the final results are published in 2025-2026, we’ll have a better sense of how long families need to be exposed to these strategies to see real changes in eating habits.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • Track your child’s restaurant meal choices weekly: record whether they ordered a healthy option, and note the calories, sugar, and sodium content if available. Compare choices before and after restaurants implement healthy-choice strategies in your area.
  • When eating at restaurants, use the app to set a goal: ‘Order one promoted healthy kids’ meal this visit.’ Earn points toward rewards (like a special treat at home) for choosing healthier options, mirroring the study’s loyalty card strategy.
  • Over 2-3 months, track trends in your child’s restaurant meal selections and nutritional content. Set monthly goals to gradually increase healthy meal orders. Share progress with family members to build accountability and celebrate improvements together.

This article describes a research study protocol and baseline findings—the actual results showing whether these strategies work have not yet been published. This information is for educational purposes only and should not replace advice from your child’s pediatrician or a registered dietitian. Before making changes to your child’s diet or restaurant eating habits, consult with a healthcare provider, especially if your child has food allergies, medical conditions, or special dietary needs. The strategies described in this study are not yet proven effective and may not be appropriate for all children or families.