Ah, the age-old question: Where should we eat? Some see this as a delightful culinary adventure. Others? A fast track to frustration, hangry outbursts, and potential family mutiny. If you have a large family, picking a place to eat becomes a high-stakes negotiation that rivals international peace treaties.
With food prices soaring, eating out feels like taking out a small loan. So, how do we navigate this treacherous terrain? Let’s break it down into three classic travel scenarios:
1. Road Trip – Where Dreams (and Dietary Preferences) Go to Die
This is easily the toughest scenario because your options are usually limited to fast food, gas station snacks, or that sketchy diner where the “E” in “Eats” is flickering ominously.
Picture this: Mom asks, “Do you want McDonald’s, Arby’s, or Burger King?” And then it begins:
- The oldest: “McD’s is gross.”
- The middle child: “I can’t eat at Arby’s.”
- The youngest: “I just want ice cream.”
Congratulations, you’re now in a full-blown family debate where the loudest child usually wins, and the quiet one just sighs in defeat.
To stop these endless debates, we’ve developed a system: we rotate food choices by kid, starting from the youngest or oldest. Parents narrow down the options, and whoever’s turn it is gets to choose. Everyone else? Deal with it.
For budget-friendly eats, we’ve learned a few tricks:
- Costco: The holy grail of cheap eats—$1.50 for a hot dog and drink. We can feed the whole family for $20, which is basically a miracle.
- Taco Bell & Del Taco: Party packs = bulk food at budget prices.
- Panda Express: Their family meal feeds our four girls, but when the boys are with us, we have to add reinforcements. Still, we can escape for under $65, which is a win for a family of nine.
2. Destination Vacation – Fancy Places, Same Hungry Kids
Your food plan depends on your lodging situation:
a. Staying in a Rental (VRBO/Airbnb)
If we have a kitchen, we only eat out once a day (usually lunch—cheaper than dinner). That means grocery shopping for breakfast and dinner. The menu?
- Breakfast: Cereal, oatmeal packets, granola bars, bagels—nothing fancy.
- Dinner: Simple meals like spaghetti, tacos, or sloppy joes— everyone’s happy.
As for choosing a lunch spot, we keep the road trip system: one kid picks the cuisine (Mexican, Italian, etc.), and then we use TripAdvisor or Yelp to find the best-rated option. Democracy at its finest.
b. Staying in a Hotel
Hotels add another layer of complexity, so we always try to stay somewhere with free breakfast. When feeding nine people, avoiding a $100+ breakfast bill is crucial.
Also, snacks are a must. Kids are always hungry—especially mid-afternoon when they’re too tired to function but still find the energy to whine about being hungry.
3. Cruising or All-Inclusive Resorts – Food, Food Everywhere
Cruise ships and resorts have buffets, fancy restaurants, and “exclusive” dining experiences. We’ve been on enough cruises to know that specialty restaurants aren’t worth the extra cost—because honestly, the main dining room food is just as good (or bad).
Our strategy:
- Cruise ships: Eat in the main dining room. They always have a special kids menu, but if your kids are like ours they’ll order off the adults menu anyway! And if it’s terrible, hit up the buffet afterward.
- All-inclusives: Some let you eat at the specialty restaurants for free, others charge extra. If it costs more? Hard pass. If it’s included? We’ll try it—worst case, there’s always the buffet.
At the end of the day, finding a place to eat as a family is a mix of strategic planning, compromise, and occasionally bribing kids with dessert. If all else fails? Costco hot dogs for the win.
