Out to Lunch restaurant league table 2021
With the help of an army of secret diner families, we surveyed some of the UK's biggest and most popular restaurant chains on the food and service they are offering our children.
This is what we found...
Restaurant name - Score (out of 100) - Stars (out of 5)
(click a restaurant name to expand and read more)
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JD Wetherspoon - 73/100 - 4 Stars
Wetherspoon have done it again and topped the table! Coming first as the most family friendly restaurant, our secret diners awarded this chain more points than ever before. Their large menu meant there was something for everyone and includes different sized meals with hidden veg, lots of meat-free and vegan options and a selection of healthy drinks, including organic fruit juices.
Compared to 2019 league table: = Equal
Do they serve fresh food you can trust?
Do they offer a healthy choice?
How family-friendly is it?
Top marks
- The menu clearly shows how many portions of veg are in each meal.
- Clear calorie, salt and sugar labelling helps diners make more informed choices.
- Labelling the country of origin on the menu helps customers know where meat is from.
- All meat is farm assured, which ensures traceability and all eggs are RSPCA free range.
- Wetherspoon has a comprehensive policy in place to restrict both critical antibiotics and prophylactic antibiotic use in meat, which will help stop the development of antimicrobial resistance.
- Wetherspoon is working hard to reduce waste throughout all aspects of their work - in the kitchens, plate waste and with their suppliers.
- One of the only restaurants that provided children's cutlery as standard.
- No drinks contain added sugars or artificial sweeteners!
Could do better
- Meals come with a piece of fruit but this can be exchanged for a processed fruity Bear Yoyo snack. These processed fruit snacks are high in free sugars, bad for teeth and bad for health. It would be better to keep to the fruit.
- Wetherspoons still don't prioritise animal welfare, with none of their meat being welfare accredited. It would be great to see better meat on the menu.
“It was cheap and encourages children to eat fruit with their meal”
“There was a good selection of savoury dishes but there was only one dessert option”
“What was positive was that a banana or Bear Yoyo was the standard addition to the main meal and no fizzy drinks were available on the children's menu, only fruit juices, smoothies, water or milk.”
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Wahaca - 67/100 - 4 Stars
Jumping up to take second place, Wahaca brings families fresh food they can trust. Wahaca is the only restaurant in the table to serve 100% free range meat and eggs. They only serve sustainable fish and include some seasonal veg on their menu.
Compared to 2019 league table: ⇧2
Do they serve fresh food you can trust?
Do they offer a healthy choice?
How family-friendly is it?
Top marks
- All meat on the menu is free range and fish is sustainably sourced.
- Kids meals are balanced and come with 2 portions of veg, protein and something starchy.
- The wrap your own tortilla option makes eating fun!
- Kids over eight are encouraged to choose a dish from the adults menu, encouraging adventurous eaters.
- All the drinks on the kids menu are free from added sugar and artificial sweeteners.
Could do better
- All meals are served with deep fried tortilla chips, could a baked option be healthier?
- Although meat is free range, which usually prohibits prophylactic antibiotic use, it would be good to see a stronger policy in place to reduce the use of critically important antibiotics. It would be great to see some more vegetarian or vegan options on the kids menu.
"I thought the food was good and it was obviously freshly cooked."
"I have never taken my daughter to Wahaca before but I was pleasantly surprised and would go again. For a high street chain they seem to be making a genuine effort to think about their sourcing and impact on the environment and communities which I was impressed with."”
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Zizzi - 66/100 - 3.5 Stars
Leaping up 5 places, Zizzi lands third. Zizzi tops the table for healthy choices, serving at least 2 portions of veg with every kids meal. Veg is incorporated into lots of dishes, topping pizzas, whizzed in pasta sauces and fruit is also available for dessert. The majority of Zizzi's menu is meat-free and can be made vegan in most cases.
Compared to 2019 league table: ⇧ 5
Do they serve fresh food you can trust?
Do they offer a healthy choice?
How family-friendly is it?
Top marks
- Zizzi's serves a good variety of proteins and only serves sustainable fish.
- Trying to satisfy all diets, over half the menu is vegetarian or vegan and can easily be made gluten-free.
- Our secret diners loved the menu choices here and thought the restaurant atmosphere was great for families.
Could do better
- It would be great to see more local and seasonal sourcing of veg and meat. And include meat that is at least farm-assured.
- Zizzi could be doing more to reduce waste in the restaurant, while the are partnered with charities to redistribute excess food supplies, it would be good to see more action tackling plate waste and waste in the supply chain.
- Fizzy drinks aren't on the kids menu for a reason but our secret diners told us that restaurant staff showed their children where they could find the fizzy drink options.
"Kids really enjoyed it, activities provided and food suited to kids"
"We try to avoid processed foods and I feel there are options on the children’s menu that would give a good amount of fruit and vegetables and everything gave the impression of being freshly prepared. It felt like quite nice quality ingredients so we’d be happy to come again. "
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Wagamama - 64/100 - 3.5 Stars
Wagamama is not only working to make changes to their sustainability credentials, they are also cooking up more food in-house, bringing fresh food to the table. Half the menu is meat-free and meals are probably some of the healthiest out there with only a few containing deep fried ingredients and all coming with 2 portions of veg.
Compared to 2019 league table: ⇧2
Do they serve fresh food you can trust?
Do they offer a healthy choice?
How family-friendly is it?
Top marks
- Wagamama are signatories to WRAP and are working with the Sustainable Restaurant Association to reduce food waste throughout their restaurants.
- Parents loved how fresh and healthy the food was and Wagamama's scored highly for the number of items on the menu that are prepared or cooked for the first time in the restaurant.
- Meals come with 2 portions of veg and only a few dishes contain any deep fried food.
- Wagamama's menu is now 50% vegetarian/vegan.
Could do better
- Wagamama should switch to farm assured and welfare accredited meat and have a stronger policy to restrict antibiotic use. They are already serving less meat on the menu and if they switched to better meat, they would really be working to protect climate and nature.
- Our secret diners loved the choice on the adult menu and would like to let their kids try it too! Could they make kid-sized portions available?
"My children really enjoyed the food, fresh, tasty and all separate, healthy, good portion size and good food options"
"Food was fantastic and fresh. Activities were free and age appropriate with the variety given. The kid's wooden chopsticks provided much fun for the little ones."
"The adult menu had such great options, they should offer them in the children's menu as well."
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Harvester- 63/100 - 3 Stars
Harvester source a lot of their ingredients from the UK, including the majority of meat on their menu. Half of their meat is farm assured, which means it meets the minimum animal welfare standards and is traceable to the farm. Harvester's policy on antibiotics and British rotisserie chicken feed are working towards long term climate, nature and health benefits.
Compared to 2019 league table: ⇩ 2
Do they serve fresh food you can trust?
Do they offer a healthy choice?
How family-friendly is it?
Top marks
- The British Rotisserie chicken are fed only with certified sustainable soy, which means that the feed does not contribute to deforestation in the Amazon or destruction of the Cerrado.
- Harvester prohibits the prophylactic use of antibiotics critical for human health and are taking steps to reduce antibiotic use overall, particularly in pigs and poultry.
- The different portion sizes are great for smaller or larger tummies and there is a good range of veg sides and options on the menu. Harvester is the only restaurant to served oily fish.
Could do better
- Can Harvester extend their animal feed policy from their British Rotisserie Chicken to all meat across the menu?
- Some items on the menu contain palm oil that is not sustainable, it would be great to see them challenge their suppliers to make all palm oil certified sustainable and deforestation free.
"As eating out is a little treat we got desserts. The new options for kids are amazing. You could decorate your own cookie or they gave you an ice cream with bits to decorate. It's so simple and works so well for kids."
"There was enough choice for my child. He chose something from the Bigger Appetites menu being 10 years old and he was pleased that there was a dairy free option for dessert. The only shame was that we couldn't have the mash potato as planned because butter is used and my son is dairy intolerant."
"The food choices have improved a lot over the years. I was very pleasantly surprised by the menu as they had vegetables and salad choices,"
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Nando's - 62/100 -3 Stars
Nando's have strong sustainability credentials with all their chicken being from the UK, farm assured and all the animal feed already certified sustainable or from sources that are not linked to deforestation. Veg is sourced from the UK when it's in season and organic milk is used.
Compared to 2019 league table: Up 3
Do they serve fresh food you can trust?
Do they offer a healthy choice?
How family-friendly is it?
Top marks
- All the soya chicken feed comes from sustainable sources. Nando's has a strong policy on transparent supply chains, traceability and measuring volumes of feed to ensure soya doesn't contribute to deforestation in the Amazon.
- Nando's also has a strong policy restricting the use of antibiotics in their meat which contributes to reducing antimicrobial resistance.
- A lot of the ingredients are cooked fresh in the restaurant even their burger buns!
Could do better
- Nando's uses free range eggs but the chicken meat only meets minimum animal welfare standards. It would be great to see higher welfare accreditation, ensuring the animals have a better and healthier life.
- Although a regular sized portion of frozen yoghurt isn't too high in sugar, because it is bottomless, it's easy to go over the recommended daily allowance.
- Although Nando's is famous for its chicken, it would be good to see more variety in meat free items to suit more diet choices.
"Very welcoming, relaxed atmosphere and the ability to choose level of spice etc made my son feel a little more confident trying the food."
"We needed a couple of extra sides to fill me up. 3 chicken wings with fries and corn is fine when you are 6 but not when you are hungry and 11 years old"
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Chiquito- 62/100 - 3 Stars
As their first time in the table, Chiquito has impressed our secret diners and was rated 'great' for family friendliness. They have a range of organic items on the menu and parents liked the choice of food. Their super sugary desserts could do with some reigning in but there is a good amount of veg on the menu.
Compared to 2019 league table: NEW
Do they serve fresh food you can trust?
Do they offer a healthy choice?
How family-friendly is it?
Top marks
- Chiquito's menu offers organic baby food, organic ice lollies and organic juice - which alongside Frankie & Benny's is the most organic on the menu.
- The menu lets children and parents decide if they'd like to add some spice to the meals for more adventurous taste buds
- Our secret diners said that the staff were fantastic and engaged with the kids really well, they rated highly for family friendliness.
Could do better
- Chiquito's desserts are the most calorific and sugary in the list. It would be great to them reduce the sugar and calorie content!
- Chiquito's antibiotic policy could be much stronger to restrict use of prophylactic antibiotics and antibiotics critical to human health.
- Chiquito doesn't list nutritional information on the menu or on their website. It would be great to have this information available to help make more informed choices.
"My 6 year old daughter loved the activities and they were the perfect amount to complete before the meal arrived. Also just a few duel coloured pencils that are reused rather than wasteful stickers or multiple bits of paper and pencils/crayons to take home"
"It was a good sized meal for our children aged 6 and 4. They had things in different bowls/plates so nothing was touching which is a bonus for our son with sensory issues"
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Giraffe - 61/100 - 3 stars
Giraffe have leapfrogged 13 places up the leader board this year after working hard since 2019 to serve up better food you can trust. All the meat is now from the UK, with half of it farm assured and restaurant staffed are clued up about where it comes from.
Compared to 2019 league table: Up 13
Do they serve fresh food you can trust?
Do they offer a healthy choice?
How family-friendly is it?
Top marks
- Giraffe staff knew more about their menu items than any other restaurant chain, staff were able to explain where all the meat comes from!
- All meat is now from the UK and much of it is farm assured so you know that it meets minimum welfare standards.
- Our secret diners reported that Giraffe no longer use single plastics.
- The kid's menu is very reasonable at only £3 for a main, pudding and drink! Giraffe prove that it is possible to support UK farmers and serve UK farm assured meat at an affordable price!
Could do better
- All our secret diners were shocked that you could swap the veg for fries, meaning that the meal was just meat and carbohydrates. In 2019 Giraffe pledged to serve 2 portions of veg with every meal, it's time they kept to it!
- Giraffe have worked hard to bring UK, farm assured meat to the menu. The next step we would love to see is welfare accredited meat!
"The children's menu is very cheap and the children really enjoyed the food. It wasn't exactly healthy, though and I was particularly struck by the fact they had to choose between chips or veg, which probably means most children will choose chips and not get any veg with their meal"
"The staff were tentative and spoke to the children rather than asking me which I always like."
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TGI Fridays- 60/100 - 3 Stars
Moving up from near the bottom of the table in 2019 to middle of the league table this year. TGI Friday's now has more veggie options on the menu and more food cooked or prepared in the restaurant.
Compared to 2019 league table: Up 10
Do they serve fresh food you can trust?
Do they offer a healthy choice?
How family-friendly is it?
Top marks
- TGI Friday's now serves some British meat and all meat is farm assured, so you know it meets minimum welfare standards.
- The veggie burger is packed full of beans which are healthy plant proteins
- Some menu items are freshly prepared and cooked fresh for the first time in the restaurant.
- Our secret diners said the restaurant was child friendly - staff were really friendly and the kids' loved the entertaining atmosphere.
Could do better
- The Little League only has one vegetarian option. It would be good to see some more vegetarian and vegan options with more healthy plant-based proteins.
- 'Meat products' like burgers, goujons and fish fingers, dominate the menu. It would be great to see less processed meat.
- Chips dominate the menu. It would be great to see less fried food and chips not coming as the standard with almost all meals.
"The American theme of the restaurant appealed to our children. The liked the environment, atmosphere and cool music playing. There was enough choice on the menu and they really enjoyed their meals"
"Very limited vegetarian options on child's menu - only pasta tubes with tomato sauce (which we saw going to another table and it didn't look great)."
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Brewers Fayre - 59/100 - 3 Stars
Brewers Fayre has scored well this year, securing their place in the top ten. Their meals all come with two portions of veg and the option to swap chips for healthier options, such as a jacket potato.
Compared to 2017 league table: Down 3
Do they serve fresh food you can trust?
Do they offer a healthy choice?
How family-friendly is it?
Top marks
- All meals come with at least two portions of veg and the menu highlights how many portions of veg are in each dish and how many calories there are, helping parents make informed choices
- All meat on the menu is farm assured
- Yoghurt on the kid's menu is organic
- Only the chips are deep fried, all other ingredients are oven baked!
Could do better
- The 3 course meal deal was too much food for our secret diners' kids. To avoid wasting food, perhaps the menu should indicate what age the 3 course meal deal is suitable for.
- Half of the menu is 'meat products', it would be good to see less processed food on the menu.
- Although most puddings are ok, the chocolate brownie exceeds NHS recommendations for 7-10year old's daily sugar intake
"There was quite a lot of food in the three courses offered for one price. It was fine for a hungry belly but my son's friend only ate some of his main course as he doesn't usually eat as much as my son! You didn't have to order three courses, you could pay individually for each but it was tempting to order all three with the menu deal (£4.99 for three courses)"
"Macaroni cheese was too hot - burnt my 2 year old's fingers - though they did bring ice in water in a glass on request. Lots to spend money on to keep kids entertained and in that respect it is better food than most soft play places!"
"For the first time in a restaurant, the highchairs I requested on the online booking form were already at our table when I arrived. The staff were fantastic with the children, activities were provided and there was a good range of food"
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Prezzo - 57/100 - 3 Stars
Prezzo remain strong in the middle of the table this year. Our secret diners loved this restaurant. Prezzo's small but varied menu contains something for everyone and the menu shows off how many portions of veg are in each dish and clearly highlights vegetarian and vegan options. Prezzo have made their menu healthier and reduced the sugar levels in their desserts since 2019.
Compared to 2019 league table: Equal
Do they serve fresh food you can trust?
Do they offer a healthy choice?
How family-friendly is it?
Top marks
- There are some great vegetarian and vegan options on the menu, meaning there is something for everyone.
- Our secret diners liked that there were prawns on the menu - it's not something you often see - and it's great for more adventurous tastes!
- Kids felt like they were treated like 'special grown-ups' which they loved!
- Diners can request an additional portion of veg for free, upping the amount of veg on the plate
Could do better
- It would be great to see farm assured meat on the menu as a first step to improvement.
- Seafood isn't currently certified sustainable
- Prezzo still aren't taking any steps to reduce antibiotic use in their supply chains.
- Although most dessert items contain less sugar than 2019 and fresh fruit is available, the Chocolate Dippers are high in calories and sugar. It would be good to see this dessert fall within the NHS recommended guidelines.
"We had a really good experience from start to finish, a few things missing like having to ask for items like water and cutlery but other than that were very impressed. A much better choice of kids meals than we'd imagined"
"It was very child friendly, but also felt like quite a special grown-up experience which the kids liked. My 11 year old scored it 12/10!"
"The children’s menu is actually one of the better ones I’ve seen - quite a bit of choice."
"The kid's menu itself was really good with a nice variety and some interesting choices like the king prawn spaghetti we chose. The was only one veg available on the side which was broccoli, this was fine for us as our son likes it but a different selection would be good for others."
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Frankie & Benny’s - 57/100 - 3 stars
Frankie & Benny's is a family pleaser serving up all the restaurant classics alongside a healthy choice of organic options. While there is a great range of vegan choices, the majority of the menu is in the form of processed and shaped food such as burgers and nuggets.
Compared to 2019 league table: Down 3
Do they serve fresh food you can trust?
Do they offer a healthy choice?
How family-friendly is it?
Top marks
- Frankie & Benny's serves organic baby food, organic ice lollies and organic juice - making it the most organic menu, alongside Chiquito.
- It's great to have options for small and big eaters
- All palm oil used is certified sustainable
- It's great to see lots of meals with veg incorporated into meals
Could do better
- While the Big Eaters options contain grilled chicken, the majority of the small eaters is processed nuggets and goujons. It would be great to see less processed food on the menu.
- It would be good to see healthier veg sides on the menu - not many people want their pasta served with fries!
- There isn't a great variety of veg on the menu
"Lots of choices, but not really that healthy. Burgers, pizza, pasta and nuggets"
"I was impressed with the different options available and the different sizes, this is something you see on a lot of children's menus. There was also a good variety of drinks and soya milk on the menu not just by request."
"I was pleased the food came with a small pot of colour: half a cherry tomato, two half slices of cucumber and two strips of red pepper. Other than it was a typically beige children’s meal, I felt."
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Leon - 55/100 - 3 Stars
Leon took a surprise drop in the table this year. While they continue to support British farmers by sourcing their farm assured meat from the UK and change their menus seasonally so they can buy UK veg, our secret diners didn't find this chain particularly family friendly.
Compared to 2019 league table: Down 8
Do they serve fresh food you can trust?
Do they offer a healthy choice?
How family-friendly is it?
Top marks
- All meat is farm assured and from the UK and they also only use free range eggs.
- Leon is the only restaurant to change their menu seasonally so they can serve British veg as much as possible.
- Half of the food items are prepared and cooked for the first time in store, making their food some of the freshest prepared on the high street.
- The menu is 50% vegetarian and contain healthier plant based protein such as Kid's Lentil Masala.
Could do better
- Leon don't have a policy to reduce antibiotic use in their supply chains and they also don't have a policy to ensure animal feed is sustainable.
- Our secret diners said the portion sizes were a bit too big which could lead to food going to waste.
- The limited menu choices might not suit all children's tastes
- Our secret diners reported single use plastics still being used.
"There were only a few items to choose from for the children. This is quite good in some respects as not too much for choose from but I have a child who doesn't like chicken or halloumi! So she just ate everything but the chicken. Happy that the food was more nutrient dense - they had meat, fries or rice, peas and tomatoes and it looked appealing."
"If your child is too big for a high chair but too short for the other chairs it is left up to you how to figure out how to get them to sit on the seats. My daughter spent her whole time kneeling while eating."
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Pizza Express - 54/100 - 2.5 Stars
Being more transparent this year about their sourcing and food preparation, Pizza Express have now jumped up from the bottom of the table. Hardly any of the food is deep fried and all meals come with salad. All eggs are free range and they serve organic ice lollies for dessert.
Compared to 2019 league table: Up 5
Do they serve fresh food you can trust?
Do they offer a healthy choice?
How family-friendly is it?
Top marks
- Healthy drinks choices don't include any added sugar or artificial sweeteners.
- Many items on the menu are cooked for the first time in the restaurant and many can be altered to suit dietary requirements such as vegan cheese or gluten-free.
- Pizza Express are a breastfeeding-friendly restaurant.
- Extra veg can be added on request to up portions to 2 of your 5 a day.
- Pizza Express don't serve any chips and hardly any of their food is deep fried.
Could do better
- The portion sizes were difficult to adjust - the kid's menu was too small for a 10-11year old but the adult portion was too big.
- It would be good to see more farm assured meat on the menu.
- Animal feed is not from sustainable sources which means that it could be contributing to deforestation.
"I didn't see any signage but I know from personal experience that the restaurant supports women to breastfeed"
"There is a huge jump in size from child to adult pizza size. My 11 year old was hungry after the kids menu but didn't like the size of the adult pizza"
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Bella Italia - 52/100 - 2.5 Stars
In 2019 our secret diners were unhappy with having to pay extra for an extra portion of veg and Bella Italia listened! All meals now come with 2 portions of veg as standard! Our secret diners thought the Italian food options were great for children and the staff were excellent.
Compared to 2019 league table: Up 1
Do they serve fresh food you can trust?
Do they offer a healthy choice?
How family-friendly is it?
Top marks
- All pizzas and pasta dishes are served with salad, topping up the crudité started to be 2 portions of veg as standard with every meal.
- All drinks are healthy, free from added sugar and artificial sweeteners. Our secret diners loved the 'Mocktails'!
- Although there are fries on the menu, they are cooked in a way to reduce the amount of oil.
- The vegetarian bolognaise contains lentils as a protein source - a healthy unprocessed plant protein!
Could do better
- It's great to see vegetarian and vegan options but most of the veggie options don't contain a protein element. It would be great to see Bella incorporate a few more healthy plant-based proteins on the menu.
- Bella also serve alternatives to Team Pizza and Team Pasta, it would be good to see some without meat too.
- None of the meat is farm assured or welfare accredited.
- Due to the recent supply chain difficulties some of the bought in items might contain palm oil that is not certified sustainable. When possible, it would be good for Bella Italia to work with these suppliers to ensure all palm oil is sustainable.
"Brilliant Italian food options for children, loved the drawing and colouring and staff fantastic."
"There was a really good range of meals, including two that featured salad heavily. Great to see child-sized portions of adult meals as standard too, to enable more adventurous eating."
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Las Iguanas - 51/100 - 2.5 Stars
Our families loved Las Iguanas' more interesting kid's menu choices, like the calamares and wacky tacos. However, Las Iguanas dropped a few points this year as they are no longer serving 100% British meat and not all their eggs are free range.
Compared to 2019 league table: Down 5
Do they serve fresh food you can trust?
Do they offer a healthy choice?
How family-friendly is it?
Top marks
- Las Iguanas are signatories of WRAP Waste Reduction Roadmap and are taking steps to eliminate waste throughout their restaurants.
- All palm oil used is certified sustainable
- A lot of the menu is cooked for the first time in the restaurant
- Secret diners loved the choice of food available and overall thought it was a family friendly restaurant.
Could do better
- Not all eggs used are free range, can they commit to using 100% free range eggs?
- Processed meat products make up the majority of the menu, it would be good for them to cut back and have some less processed options
- The only meat-free protein on the menu is cheese, it would be good to see some healthy plant-based protein such as nuts or pulses as well, which would also be suitable for vegan diets.
"Better than average choice of meals, good range of vegetable sides on offer. But didn't look that appealing on arrival"
"The dessert of jelly and ice cream was on a plate that was too small so my daughter made a mess."
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Ikea - 51/100 - 2.5 Stars
Ikea have slipped a long way down the league table after coming second in 2019. While families still like visiting Ikea, the menu isn't as varied this year and the menu choices aren't as healthy. While they still serve organic baby food and veg comes with all meals, all the meal choices are highly processed meat products.
Compared to 2019 league table: Down 15
Do they serve fresh food you can trust?
Do they offer a healthy choice?
How family-friendly is it?
Top marks
- All kids meals are served with 2 portions of veg - one portion of peas and a crudité pot to the side (although due to Covid restrictions, some of the restaurants were not able to serve the crudités at the time of survey)
- Ikea also give out free fruit for all kids regardless of whether you buy a meal or not.
- The portion sizes were appropriate and at £2.20 for a main meal, it's a very cheap meal option!
Could do better
- As a Swedish restaurant famed for its meatballs, it seems unreasonable to expect British meat in their balls! However it would be good to see farm accredited or higher welfare meat on the menu.
- Serving staff were also unable to tell customers where the meat is from, even the classic meatballs!
- All the items on the menu are processed - either meatballs or breaded fish or chicken. It would be nice to see the return of some less processed options.
"I'd visit again because it is cheap and the food is tasty. It's not specifically 'not child friendly', but there is such a small array of options it is pretty annoying."
"The children's menu is quite confusing as it's on a display screen that continually changes between the options. The speed of change was too quick to be able to read each clearly from the queue, and if you reach the counter and your choice isn't up on the screen at that time, it's impossible to know if there are any alternatives to what the server offers"
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McDonald's - 50/100 - 2 Stars
McDonald's scored similarly to 2019. McDonald's only serves farm assured meat and some of the meat is from the UK. They also have strong policies in place to eliminate the use of critical antibiotics and ensure that animal feed is not associated with deforestation of the Amazon.
Compared to 2019 league table: Down 4 3
Do they serve fresh food you can trust?
Do they offer a healthy choice?
How family-friendly is it?
Top marks
- McDonald's have worked on their supply chain since 2019 to ensure that animal feed is closely monitored to ensure it is not associated with deforestation.
- By having a strong policy restricting antibiotic use, McDonald's is playing their part in limiting antimicrobial resistance.
- The vegetarian option contains healthy plant-based proteins (split peas)
- All milk is organic and eggs are free range.
Could do better
- The Happy Meal option allows you to either have chips or a fruit bag. It would be great if meals were more balanced to include fruit and vegetables as a standard as well as including a carbohydrate element.
- While some of the meat is British and all of it is farm assured, it would be great for them to include higher welfare accredited meat on their menu.
- Our secret diners would like to see a bit more variation on the menu, especially as the adults menu is a lot bigger.
"It's McDonald's.... You know what you are signing yourself up for. The kids enjoy coming, and it's fast."
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Hungry Horse - 46/100 - 2 Stars
Hungry Horse have a strong waste reduction policy, committing to a 50% reduction by 2030 and work to send zero waste to landfill. As a family restaurant, breastfeeding is welcome, however, our secret diners didn't rate this restaurant as being super family friendly as staff weren't very helpful.
Compared to 2019 league table: Up 6
Do they serve fresh food you can trust?
Do they offer a healthy choice?
How family-friendly is it?
Top marks
- As signatories of WRAP Food Waste Reduction Roadmap and working with organisations to map food waste, Hungry Horse are working hard to reduce their waste.
- In 2020 during the restaurant closures they distributed their food to foodbanks.
- The menu has lots of choice with a range of meat-free items, a variety of carbohydrates to choose from and fresh fruit on the dessert menu.
Could do better
- Hungry Horse still serve food containing E133 brilliant blue which is linked to hyperactivity, it would be great if they could remove this from their menu.
- It would be great if meat could be farm assured to make sure it meats minimum welfare standards and is traceable, especially as it doesn't all come from the UK.
- There is no policy to reduce antibiotic use in their supply chains and they are not monitoring their animal feed to make sure it's not contributing to deforestation.
- Our secret diners said the food didn't taste very fresh and staff weren't very friendly
"Couldn’t locate any high chairs and no one offered to get us one and he was settled on our laps by the time the food came"
"It was one of our least friendly restaurant visits I’ve done with the children! No welcome, no staff spoke to us until we’d been there for almost an hour, the food took an hour to arrive. The ladies toilets were out of order and no signs for breastfeeding. I was really surprised at the service for a well known family restaurant in the area."
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Pizza Hut- 43/100 - 2 stars
Pizza Hut make sure lots of vegetables are available through their salad bar but some of our diners said their kids came back with a bowl of nachos rather than any salad, meaning they might not have any veg with their meals! Bottomless fizzy drinks are also back on the kids menu.
Compared to 2019 league table: Down 2
Do they serve fresh food you can trust?
Do they offer a healthy choice?
How family friendly is it?
Top marks
- All meat is farm assured and eggs are all free range. But hardly any meat is from the UK
- There is a good variety of vegetables available to add as toppings to the pizzas and on the salad bar
- The menu comes with calorie information helping make informed choices.
Could do better
- Nachos on the salad bar encouraged kids not to eat their veg
- The bottomless fizzy drinks are back and our secret diners reported that the new 'flashy' touchscreen machines encouraged kids to drink more and try more of the different flavours
- Desserts are high in sugar and calories. A typical portion of ice cream from the ice cream factory contains over 46g of sugar (almost twice the NHS's recommended daily allowance for 7-10 year olds).
"I sent my 8 year old over to the salad bar (he usually loves eating veg) but he came back with a bowl full of nachos as they were at the salad bar, too. It just encouraged even children who normally eat healthily, to eat an excessive amount of food that was really not good for them at all"
"The fizzy drinks machine had a screen on advertising the different fizzy drinks on offer. It was touch screen and suggested that people should try different flavours. My son kept pestering to go back and try different ones "
"Dessert options were either ice cream and toppings or raspberry sorbet, so would have been good if this also included a fruit option"