Significantly more kids are “loving” quick-service restaurants, according to a recent study conducted by Y-Pulse.
The study, a nationwide survey of 500 boys and girls between the ages of 8 and 13, found a significant increase in positive feelings about quick serve.
In 2010, 48 percent of survey respondents said they “loved” fast food. That response rose to 63 percent in the 2013 survey.
Y-Pulse cofounders Sharon Olson and Tami Cline presented the findings at the Culinary Institute of America, Healthy Flavors Healthy Kids National Invitational Leadership Summit held May 7–9 in San Antonio, Texas.
“It was not a surprise that kids like quick-service restaurants that offer a place to play,” Olson says. “But it was interesting to see that today their expectations of play include free WiFi.”
Among the positive attributes of the quick-service restaurant experiences noted by kids were healthy and customizable options.
Particular chains were singled out for great foods that kids love, as well as those that offered signature items that tasted “homemade.”
Fresh, great-tasting food and cleanliness were among the most common comments kids wrote in about their favorite quick-service restaurants.