Hyatt Introduces Groundbreaking Children’s Menu “For Kids, By Kids”
For the more than three million children who stay in Hyatt hotels, the chain developed a “For kids, by kids” menu, which aims of promoting “healthy people, a healthy planet and healthy communities.”
The 3-course organic meal menu has been developed by chef Alice Waters in collaboration with Partnership for a Healthy America (PHA). The menu will meet the most recent U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
“With nearly one in three children diagnosed as overweight or obese in the United States, Hyatt is leading the industry in making children’s health a priority and has worked to make the healthy choice the easy choice for guests. In addition to the new menu, kids also have the option of ordering a half portion off the regular menu at half the price,” said the company in a statement.
Hyatt worked with Alice Waters, known for her culinary philosophy that maintains cooking should be based on the finest, freshest, seasonal ingredients that are produced sustainably and locally, to develop a full organic meal offering including a salad, chicken entrée and a dessert.
“All children deserve to eat real food – fresh, seasonal, organic, and delicious,” said Alice Waters. “I wanted to do a small, three course meal, within the context of Hyatt’s initiative, that could be sourced exclusively from organic farms across the country. Of course it’s about taste and ripeness and seasonality—but it’s bigger than that, too: it’s about supporting the people who are taking care of the land for our future generations.”
The “For Kids By Kids” menu was tasted, tested and approved by kids, including 11-year-old Haile Thomas, who is spearheading a campaign for healthy eating through her online cooking show, Kids Can Cook. Hyatt’s food and beverage team worked with Haile and her peers to ensure new menu offerings not only meet the brand’s standards for nutrition and quality, and are also fun. Through their research, Hyatt learned that kids today have a greater level of sophistication in their taste preferences, but also enjoy items with which they can interact. To that end, new menu offerings will present a creative way for kids to engage with their food, such as customizing their own pasta dish and “shaking” their own salad.
For kids, by kids menu includes:
Breakfast: Top Your Own Taco, a whole wheat tortilla filled with scrambled eggs, cheese and fun toppings; Waffle Dipping Sticks with peanut butter, maple syrup and fruit sauces.
Lunch: Shaken Chopped Salad with roasted chicken, vegetables, brown rice and yogurt basil dressing; Build Your Own Whole Wheat Sub Sandwich with turkey, lettuce, tomato, cheese on a whole wheat mini-sub.
Dinner: Natural Beef grilled and served with potatoes, roasted vegetables and garden salad; Vegetable and Sesame Rice Noodles with marinated tofu, corn, green beans, basil and cherry tomatoes.
