Avoid scenes when eating out; bring games with you to the restaurant to distract the kids.
Restaurant outings with the tots in tow can provide quality family time, but they can also be fraught with stress. Choosing the right type of restaurant and bringing enough activities with you can help make any family dining excursion a success. Once you and your family have decided which of Rhode Island's kid-friendly establishments to visit, either for the lively decor or the children's menu, take along some games or other distractions to ensure that your children are occupied and entertained.
Carrabba's Italian Grill
Playing with your food is encouraged at Carrabba's Italian Grill. As your brick oven pizza bakes, your kids are given pizza dough to play with while waiting for dinner to be served. Besides pizza, children under 10 years old can choose from chicken fingers, spaghetti, ravioli or even a grilled chicken breast off the "Bambini Menu."
Carrabba's Italian Grill
1350 Bald Hill Road
Warwick, RI 02886
401-827-8880
carrabbas.com
Fire and Ice Restaurant
This open-grill restaurant in the state capital boasts bright and colorful jester-like decor and provides special pricing for kid-sized meals. The children's dinner menu is divided into two age categories, one for children between 2 and 7 years old and one for children between the ages of 8 and 12. Kids of all ages can participate by choosing what ingredients to include in the meal and by then watching the food-making process.
Fire and Ice Restaurant
48 Providence Place
Providence, RI 02903
401-270-4040
fire-ice.com
Wright's Farm Restaurant
Wright's Farm's spacious dining rooms provide plenty of room for big family events and the fresh, family-style chicken dinners are available for any sized get-together. The children will be most intrigued, though, by the gift shop and toy store on the premises where kids can find the "Just For Fun" department full of games, puzzles and licensed toys to either enjoy before dinner or purchase to bring home. You can also take with you Wright's Farm brand chicken pies, pasta sauce, salad dressing and homemade fudge.
Wright's Farm Restaurant
84 Inman Road
Harrisville, RI 02830
401-769-2856
wrightsfarm.com
Dinner Table Activities
Bring along coloring books or print out free coloring pages online. If you only have crayons, the restaurant's paper napkins and place mats can provide plenty of coloring material.
You can take the educational approach and test your little Rhode Islander's state knowledge or quiz your tot on his or her favorite subjects. Print a list of questions from rhodeislandtrivia.com before leaving for the restaurant or download trivia applications to your smart phone and just bring that along.
You can also prevent boredom with just a simple deck of cards; cards don't take up much space in the car or on the dinner table. Go Fish, Memory and Slapjack are examples of games that the whole family can enjoy.
Tags: Wright Farm, Carrabba Italian, Carrabba Italian Grill, Italian Grill, children between, Farm Restaurant, Fire Restaurant