Okay. I admit it. My family eats out more than we probably should. On average we eat out about 3 times a week. My husband and I both work and while I try to plan quick prep meals in advance, sometimes I just can’t face the mad rush. I get home at 5. The kids are ready to eat (seriously near death with hunger pangs) at 5:11.  They moan and groan and roll around on the kitchen floor. Not pretty.

So let’s talk about family friendly restaurants. Given the choice my kids will choose Chick-Fil-A. Everytime. What addictive element in those chicken nuggets anyway? I mean, they are good. But three times a month is about my limit. How do we get around this extreme preference? We stopped asking the children for opinions and just buckle them in the car.

Our criteria for a family night out. 

  • Must be within 5 miles of the house. Too long in the car during the witching hour tempts my husband and I to do shots at the dinner table.
  • Must have a children’s menu or at least offer one of these five items: cheese pizza, grilled cheese, mac n cheese, cheese quesadilla or chicken nuggets. (note the cheese obsession)
  • Must not frown upon audible whines, straw paper rockets or children who stand in the booth.
  • Must be reasonably priced.
  • Must not take more than 15 minutes to deliver the food once the order is placed. (We have homework, baths and bed by 7:45 people!).

Here’s our short list of places we like to go. 

  1. Brooklyn Pizza
  2. Charlotte Cafe (at the Arboretum)
  3. Formosa Chinese - odd but true that my kids love Chinese.
  4. The Lodge – a new restaurant at Colony Place. Worth checking out for certain.
  5. Salsas
  6. Moes
  7. Jason’s Deli
  8. Carmella’s Pizza – this is a new one for our list but climbing in popularity!

I’d love to hear about places that you enjoy. Clearly we could benefit from a little expansion.

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