Business & Tech

Silver Diner Hosts Kid Critics

Restaurant taps tiny taste-testers to help revamp its kids menu.

Silver Diner held its first kids’ critic for a day tasting on Tuesday at its flagship .

Kid critics were selected based on submissions telling Silver Diner why they should be chosen to sample and provide feedback on the restaurant's new kids' menu. Children age 4 to 12 and their parents were asked to submit a 90-second video featuring the prospective critic explaining why they were right for the job.

Winners taste-tested new healthier versions of diner favorites and new menu items based on the “Tastes Good & Good for You” theme. The tasting included side-by-side comparisons. Silver Diner will use the feedback gathered at the tasting to give new menu items the tag of “kid approved.”

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Silver Diner co-founder and executive chef Ype Von Hengst's goal is to have 90 percent of kids’ entrees qualify as healthy and delicious.

“Based on internal research, we know 70 percent of kids choose what they eat when dining out,” Von Hengst said in a news release. “It’s key that we have healthier options that kids want to order, so they develop healthy eating habits at a young age.”

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The kids menu makeover removes soda and French fries. 

In 2007, Silver Diner became the first chain restaurant in the Washington metropolitan area to eliminate the use of trans fats from all of its menu items. The restaurant also claims to be among the first to sign on with the National Restaurant Association’s Kids LiveWell initiative. The chain's “Eat Well Do Well” program allows customers with frequent dining cards to contribute to nutrition and fitness programs at local schools.

After opening its first restaurant in Rockville in 1989, Silver Diner has expanded to 14 locations throughout Maryland, Virginia and New Jersey. The to a new home at Federal Plaza.


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