Restaurants in Melbourne now offering kids Hot Wheels cars to keep them well-behaved
Keeping kids out of trouble is hard at the best of times and heading to your favourite restaurant with them is just a nightmare, until now.In an effort to encourage parents to move away from rewarding good behaviour when out and about at a restaurant by giving their kids a smartphone or tablet to watch Peppa Pig or play games, toy car favourite Hot Wheels has a novel idea.
The On the Menu initiative sees a $3.50 Hot Wheels car appear at the bottom of the kids menu at Melbourne restaurants Atlas Dining, Tulum and Mornington Peninsula’s Rare Hare of Jackalope Hotel. As well as the car, kiddies will also be given a placemat designed by Kat Chadwick featuring a racetrack, which they can colour in too.
The campaign from Hot Wheels is based on research done by the toy maker, which found that while 98% of parents regularly go out with their kids to restaurants in Australia, only 5% are brave enough to take them to finer venues. While 46% of parents choose a fast food restaurant option when they are with their kids.
Jacinta Whitehead, marketing director of Mattel ANZ, said that Hot Wheels wanted to get parents to reward their kids with Hot Wheels instead of screens which has become more of a common practice.
"Children will be able to choose from a series of diecasts and will be given a unique dining racetrack (placemat) that they can then colour in and navigate around – something we believe is bound to keep them entertained.”
According to psychologist, Jocelyn Brewer, children are constantly absorbing everything around them and mimicking behaviours as they learn.
“While exposing children to new environments and contexts is valuable, it’s important we create realistic expectations and make it as fun and novel as possible. Engaging families and children with a range of activities and toys helps build family rituals and healthy social habits. Hot Wheels is a great example, as the cars are collectable, portable, they can help unlock imagination and creativity and spark interest across generations. They can also be a handy tool to start table talk as many parents will have their own memories of Hot Wheels growing up.”
So if you want to go to a nice restaurant for lunch or dinner and have to take the kids along too, check out Atlas Dining between March 3 and March 17, Tulum from March 17 to March 31 and Rare Hare from March 31 until Easter for the Hot Wheels On the Menu program.
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