Planning your family night out? The key is spending quality time together doing things the entire family will enjoy. A night out is one of the best ways to do this, so what should you do? Find out how much you will be forking out for the whole evening beforehand. It’s worth pulling on some away team moves and finding this information ahead of time so that you can plan accordingly. Here are some tips on how to plan the perfect family night out.
Check For Meal Prices Online
Some restaurants may not include snacks and drinks in their meal prices, while others may bundle everything into the price. Make sure to check meal prices online before heading out or arrive early enough that you can still order if the prices are higher than expected. If it is included, go for either a starter or dessert as well. Avoid places like over-priced fast food chains wherever possible unless you want to pay extra for less quality food – try your local family-owned restaurant instead. Not only will this save money but you will be eating much healthier too reducing the chance of nighttime junk food cravings creeping up on you later. Some restaurants charge a lot for adults but offer discounts to kids so be sure to check out their online menu for up-to-date prices before you go. Family-friendly places are fine but if your kid just wants a quesadilla and you have to pay $15 for it then that’s not cool.
Plan Family Night Ahead
A lot of people think that their family will be happy with whatever choice they make when it comes to dining out. Well, those people would be wrong. A lot of planning needs to go into your family night out as there is a possibility you will end up eating at a restaurant that nobody really likes and everybody ends up complaining about the food anyway. In order to avoid this from happening, plan ahead and find somewhere everyone can enjoy going to if possible. If you want to eat fast food then fine but think about what others in your group may want first since you’re all going for a meal together after all. Also, remember that places like restaurants may not allow kids without an adult so don’t rely on this being the fallback plan. There is nothing more disappointing than getting everyone together, only to realize that one of them has already got other plans. Plan ahead by checking if all members are able to make it at least 24 hours before the outing actually happens.
Check Dinner Time And Location On The Calendar
If both parents work 9-5 jobs then there is probably only one convenient time for family dinner, which can get old fast. Make sure everyone knows the best times and locations in advance so they don’t make plans on those days or times. It can be difficult to adjust family dinner times if everyone has already been doing the same thing for a long time, but it’s worth trying as a few adjustments here and there can make a big difference. If people work different hours for you then this doesn’t apply, obviously.
Check Availability Of Family Friendly Locations
Not all locations are going to be kid-friendly so make sure that your chosen eatery is somewhere that you would feel comfortable dining with young kids. Not only do they allow children of all ages but also have high chairs and changing facilities? It’s not just about making the little ones happy either – it’s about making life easier for everyone else too. Places like McDonald’s may be more child-oriented than other options but you should know that they aren’t really the best choice when it comes to dining out. Most of them serve their food on paper so you can’t even get a knife and fork if you want to eat something like a burger and fries. It’s not exactly classy and despite their attempts to appeal to families, it’s just not worth the money for what is basically fast food.
Ask Friends For Recommendations
Your friends might know of some amazing family eateries that you never would have found yourself. If they recommend a restaurant, try not to make them wait too long to hear back from you or they might get offended and stop telling you about places. Even if the place they recommend doesn’t happen to be somewhere you go on a regular basis, it can still be worth trying out since they obviously knew it had enough potential to last far longer than just one visit.
Choose Business Hours Wisely When You Go Out
If you and your family members all work 9-5 jobs then there is no point going out for dinner at 3:00 pm in the afternoon. Chances are that everyone will either still be at work, school, or asleep anyway so this won’t exactly help your cause of allowing everyone time together. Do some research into local business hours before choosing a date and time for dining out otherwise you may end up regretting your decision for a long time to come.
In conclusion, planning ahead can be difficult when you’re used to just grabbing the kids and heading out the door at any time. The result may well mean that you choose not to go out for dinner at all, but once everyone has got their act together it will make life a lot easier when you finally head off for your chosen meal.