Alively debate is brewing around town, and it has nothing to do with politics or sports. It starts every Tuesday around dinnertime.
Tuesday has traditionally been the slowest night of the week for restaurants. To fill empty tables, many owners have turned to one of the oldest promotions in the business: Kids Eat Free.
Locally, both Rolling Smoke BBQ and Esters have embraced the idea. At Esters, kids receive free meals with the purchase of an adult entrée, and balloon artists add to the excitement, creating a family-friendly atmosphere designed to bring parents through the doors. The strategy isn’t unique to Wheat Ridge—restaurants across the Denver metro use similar promotions because they work.
The economics are easy to understand. Taking a family of four out for dinner has become an expensive proposition. Add the cost of a babysitter, and many parents simply stay home. Kids’ nights remove one of those financial hurdles while giving families a chance to gather with friends without breaking the budget.
From a restaurant’s perspective, every occupied table helps. Independent restaurants continue to battle rising food costs, labor expenses and fierce competition. Owners are trying just about everything to keep the lights on and customers coming back.
But there’s another side to the story. Not everyone wants their Tuesday dinner accompanied by balloons popping, children racing between tables, or iPads playing cartoons at full volume. Some diners quietly admit they’ve changed their routines altogether, avoiding restaurants on Tuesday evenings or choosing somewhere else. Has restaurant etiquette taken the night off?
Most parents do an excellent job supervising their children, but it only takes one family to change the atmosphere for an entire dining room. One recent scene summed up the frustration perfectly. After children repeatedly popped balloons, startling nearby guests, their father simply shrugged and said, “I have no control over them.” That probably won’t earn him Father of the Year honors.
The challenge isn’t kids. It’s courtesy. Restaurants deserve credit for welcoming families, and parents deserve affordable opportunities to enjoy a meal out together. At the same time, other paying customers deserve the chance to enjoy their dinner without feeling like they’ve wandered into an elementary school playground.
Maybe the answer isn’t choosing sides.Perhaps Tuesday simply becomes what movie theaters have long embraced: know your audience. Families know where the fun is. Diners seeking a quieter evening can try someplace they’ve always wanted to visit. After all, every local restaurant could use a little extra business.
In a way, Tuesdays may become Wheat Ridge’s unofficial “Try Somewhere New Night.”
Whether you’re chasing balloon animals with your kids or searching for a peaceful corner booth, remember why these promotions exist. They’re helping local restaurants survive in an increasingly difficult business.
Because at the end of the day, a full dining room—even a noisy one—is still better than an empty one.
