Recipe for Entertainment

THE KIDS’ TABLE

By Sarah Frow

Sarah Frow, founder of this ingenious pop-up children’s corner service for pubs, restaurants, food halls and shopping centres, tells us all about her business and how its going to help us have a great meal whilst we are out and about.

How did The Kids’ Table get started? I came up with the idea when my son was about three and a half. He’d reached the age where he was out of a high chair and into everything. Gone were the days when I could go for lunch with friends, as I did every week in my pre-parent life. Many a time we’d attempt a lunch out and bail early because he was getting restless, as there was nothing more than a menu and half a wax crayon to keep him entertained.

Then we tried the few places out there that offer somewhere for parents to eat alongside a soft play area – but quite frankly they’re just not the kind of places I want to hang out in in my spare time. So I thought, ‘What if I could create a pop-up kids’ corner service for the places where my friends and I want to hang out?’. The adults would be able to have a good time and take a break from entertainment duties while the kids have fun too.

After a year of honing the idea, setting up the business and pitching to pub chains and restaurants, The Kids’ Table was born!

How does The Kids’ Table work? We pop up on a weekly basis at our pub and restaurant ‘residencies’. We take over a table and chairs in the corner of the venue and our team keep an eye on the nippers while they enjoy craft, games and face-painting. Which means Mums and Dads can enjoy a long leisurely lunch... and finish a sentence.

It’s also a boon for non-family groups who can reclaim their adult space and not be bothered by restless children running around, knocking their chairs and using under their table as a dinosaur den. The venue staff also thank us for ridding them of the problem of kids venturing behind the bar and tripping them up!

The fun is for 3 to 10 year-olds. During quiet periods, younger children are welcome to join in if accompanied and supervised by a parent or carer.

Do parents need to book? No – the service is first-come, firstserved and free to the venue customers. Simply book your table as normal and let them know you’ll be wanting to use The Kids’ Table so they can seat you nearby. We’ve never had to turn anyone away as there’s a natural rotation with children returning to their parents to eat.

What’s next on your agenda? Now we’re looking at all aspects of parents’ leisure time that are compromised when kids come on the scene. Any parent will tell you two main things you sacrifice when becoming a parent are the chance to socialise and exercise as much as you’d like.

So we’re speaking with fitness studios to give parents the opportunity to work out while the kids have fun too. We’re also branching into shopping centres with our ICON at The O2 partnership.

Ultimately our dream is to have a network of like-minded parents running their own Kids’ Tables at venues in their local areas across the nation, so this year we’re starting to franchise.