Less caviar, more chicken nuggets as budget-conscious adults downsize to kids menu in growing trend

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, Da...