WASHINGTON 鈥� Five years ago, co-founders Ype Von Hengst and Robert Giaimo decided to revamp the menu of their regional chain restaurant to include fresh and locally sourced ingredients 鈥� and they didn鈥檛 stop there.
Vegan, vegetarian and lower-calorie menu items followed.
鈥淚f you start fresh and local, a whole bunch of other things come out of that,鈥� Von Hengst says.
The gradual change eventually hit one section of any restaurant鈥檚 menu that鈥檚 traditionally reserved for fried, fattening and preservative-laden food: the children鈥檚 menu.
鈥淲hen I see kids that have mobility issues, that saddens me,鈥� says Von Hengst, who is the restaurant鈥檚 executive chef.
鈥淲e can absolutely get rid of this obesity issue that we have in the world if we all want to put a little bit more effort into it and serve them healthier options.鈥�
To develop the new-and-improved children鈥檚 menu, Von Hengst decided to go straight to the source. He invited 20 kids and their parents to the Rockville, Maryland Silver Diner location for a taste test. The lessons learned, he says, were invaluable. And one dish, in particular, produced eye-opening results.
Von Hengst came out of the kitchen with a 鈥減late of beautiful brown rice and steamed veggies and a low-sodium teriyaki sauce over a beautiful piece of salmon鈥� to a sea of skeptical parents.
But the kids dug in.
鈥淎 lot of kids said, 鈥極h my gosh I love this. I wish that mom would serve me this.鈥� So there were a lot of lessons learned for both parties,鈥� Von Hengst says.
Dishes 鈥� such as grilled bison sliders made with bison from Maryland鈥檚 Gunpowder Farms; a chicken pizza quesadilla, made using a multigrain tortilla, low-fat cheddar cheese, chicken and vegetables; and Pennsylvania-raised turkey with cranberry, orange and ginger sauce, potatoes and mixed vegetables 鈥� hit the menu. And of course, the reduced-sodium teriyaki salmon with brown rice and vegetables made the cut as well.
In addition to adding items to the children鈥檚 menu, Silver Diner took a few things off. In 2012, french fries, sweet potato fries and home fries were removed from the menu鈥檚 list of sides and extras. Sodas and lemonade also were eliminated. (Although, parents can still request these unlisted items for no extra charge.)
鈥淲e鈥檙e living in a free country, so if you want them, we have them for you,鈥� Von Hengst says.
Researchers at Tufts University鈥檚 heard about the changes instituted at Silver Diner. They reached out to the restaurant and asked to study its impact.
The researchers obtained the restaurant鈥檚 sales data from six months before the menu changes, and data detailing six months of sales after the changes 鈥� about 350,000 children鈥檚 meals were ordered in that time.
鈥淭he results were really impressive,鈥� says Christina Economos, director ChildObesity180. 鈥淎fter the menu changes, nearly half of the children鈥檚 entrees ordered were from the healthier kids鈥� options, compared to 3 percent before the changes.鈥�
Orders of french fries dropped from 57 percent to 22 percent, and orders of strawberries jumped from 29 percent to 63 percent.
Economos says the data, , shows what needs to be done聽to help reverse the trend of childhood obesity.
鈥淲e know for a fact that a pretty large percentage of children eat out on a daily basis 鈥� about 30 percent. And we also know that when children eat out, they tend to over-consume calories. 鈥� Children who consume quick-serve food, compared to those who don鈥檛, are consuming 130 calories more per day if they鈥檙e between the ages of 9 and 13,鈥� she says.
鈥淕iven that kids eat out a lot, they鈥檙e over-consuming calories, any changes we can make to reduce that consumption is important.鈥�
Economos hopes other restaurants follow Silver Diner鈥檚 lead 鈥� especially since offering healthier dishes doesn鈥檛 hurt business. In fact, Silver Diner鈥檚 revenue grew after the menu changes and exceeded that of other leading family dining chains.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e really pioneers and I think they鈥檙e setting a great example in the industry, and our hope is that consumers continue to buy these foods and that shows a demand, and then we can see the supply change accordingly,鈥� she says.
Silver Diner Chef Von Hengst isn鈥檛 surprised that his healthy food generated more business. He says customers are always asking for healthier options, and he鈥檚 constantly trying to satisfy their demands 鈥� even at a traditional diner.
鈥淲e are a place where you get pancakes and where you get scrambled eggs, but we鈥檙e serving Amish eggs and if you want to have pancakes, they鈥檙e made fresh with unbleached flour,鈥� he says.
Von Hengst says he also hopes other businesses join him in the movement to makeover restaurants menus.
鈥淔or the longest time, we wanted to get this convenient food, and I鈥檓 glad that day has passed, that day is over, and we need to all be held accountable as restaurateurs to serve our kids and to serve our guests healthy and better food,鈥� he says.
鈥淲e all have this moral obligation to feed our kids better and to give them better food because they are the next generation.鈥�
Watch the 2012 Silver Diner kids taste test:
Editor’s Note: Silver Diner is a paid advertiser on 草莓传媒.
