You’re never too old for chicken nuggets.
Historically, kids’ meals have been a small section of the menu reserved for those with a small appetite and easy palates.
And adults claim to have felt shameful for ordering a cheese pizza from the child’s menu.
But as the associated fee of going out continues to climb, grown folks are proudly opting for less complicated, smaller meals — say hello to Pleased Meals for adults.
Blaming not only budget busting prices but additionally gargantuan portions on regular menus and other aspects like shrinking appetites while on trendy weight-control drugs like Ozempic, adult Americans are considering small — ordering 28% more kids’ meals than they did in 2019, in accordance with market research firm Circana.
Searches for youths’ meals peaked on Yelp in December 2024 throughout the same time-frame.
Ashley Garrett, a 33-year-old from Orlando, Florida, dislikes three things about eating out — overpaying, overindulging and coping with leftovers. Eating like a toddler, it seems, is the reply to her problems.
The self-proclaimed “kids’ meal connoisseur,” who dines out steadily, said she orders off the littles menu about five times every week.
The switch has helped her to construct a big TikTok following, watching her review lots of of the downsized dinners.
“For me, it’s perfect,” she told the WSJ, noting that she’s “joyful” with chicken fingers or a plain pasta dish.
For some, including C.J. Pearson, a retired special education teacher from Greensboro, North Carolina, selecting from the kiddie menu is how they’ve at all times ordered.
She’s long ordered kids’ meals at fast-food joints— justifying to the WSJ that it’s “cheaper, less calories, and sometimes there’s slightly prize or treat.”
Pearson, who grew up in a big family where small portions were the norm, finds adult-sized portions wasteful and expensive, she said.
For others, the smaller size is all the things — the undeniable fact that the offerings are cheaper is just an added treat.
Nonetheless, Dan Rowe, a restaurant investor based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is skeptical. “If persons are ordering off your kids’ menu, you’ve got other issues,” he insisted to the WSJ.
This latest demand for smaller, cheaper meals has fast-food chains on alert.
At the top of last 12 months, Wendy’s released “Boo! Bag” Halloween meals for adults, which included a Dave’s Single burger, small Hot & Crispy Fry, a small Frosty, a glow-in-the-dark Bone Chiller Frosty figure and a Boo! Books coupon sampler.
Previously, McDonald’s had been tinkering with the concept of adult Pleased Meals, which have included collectible toys.
