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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 simple palates.
And adults claim to have felt shameful for ordering a cheese pizza from the kid’s menu.
But as the cost of going out continues to climb, grown folks are proudly opting for simpler, smaller meals — say hello to Happy Meals for adults.
Blaming not only budget busting prices but also gargantuan portions on regular menus and other factors like shrinking appetites while on trendy weight-control drugs like Ozempic, adult Americans are thinking small — ordering 28% more kids’ meals than they did in 2019, according to market research firm Circana.
Searches for kids’ meals peaked on Yelp in December 2024 during the same time frame.
Ashley Garrett, a 33-year-old from Orlando, Florida, dislikes three things about eating out — overpaying, overindulging and dealing with leftovers. Eating like a child, it turns out, is the answer to her problems.
The self-proclaimed “kids’ meal connoisseur,” who dines out frequently, said she orders off the littles menu about five times a week.
The switch has helped her to build a large TikTok following, watching her review hundreds of the downsized dinners.
“For me, it’s perfect,” she told the WSJ, noting that she’s “happy” with chicken fingers or a plain pasta dish.
For some, including C.J. Pearson, a retired special education teacher from Greensboro, North Carolina, choosing from the kiddie menu is how they’ve always 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 a little prize or treat.”
Pearson, who grew up in a large family where small portions were the norm, finds adult-sized portions wasteful and expensive, she said.
For others, the smaller size is everything — the fact that the offerings are cheaper is just an added treat.
However, Dan Rowe, a restaurant investor based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is skeptical. “If people are ordering off your kids’ menu, you’ve got other issues,” he insisted to the WSJ.
This new demand for smaller, cheaper meals has fast-food chains on alert.
At the end of last year, 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 Happy Meals, which have included collectible toys.
