Every parent has been there.
The food arrives, but the kids are restless. Someone wants to leave before dessert. Instead of enjoying a night out, mom and dad spend most of dinner trying to keep everyone entertained.
Mick Carr believes restaurants can change that.
The founder and CEO of Grub Lab started the company after experiencing those same challenges with his own three boys. Like many parents, he wanted dining out to feel less stressful and more enjoyable.
“We set out to solve that problem,” Carr said.
Carr argues that restaurants often underestimate the value of families. While operators may focus on selling a $5 kids meal, they’re really serving a family that could spend well over $100.
“Family entertainment is just overlooked,” he said.
For independent restaurants especially, Carr believes that’s a missed opportunity. Owners are busy managing staffing, food costs, inventory, and everything else that comes with running a restaurant. Creating memorable experiences for kids often falls to the bottom of the priority list, even though it can have a direct impact on whether families return. That’s the gap Grub Lab is trying to fill.
Why Families Come Back
According to Carr, 93% of family dining decisions are made or influenced by kids. Shawn Walchef didn’t hesitate to agree.
“My daughter and my son dictate where we go eat,” Walchef said. “If they’re happy, then it’s easy for me and my wife to be happy.”
Carr pointed to companies like McDonald’s as proof that experiences matter. Kids remember more than the food. They remember how a restaurant made them feel. Independent operators may not have the marketing budget of a global brand, but Carr believes they can still create memorable experiences that keep families coming back.
That’s why Grub Lab goes beyond coloring pages and crayons. The company creates branded, interactive kids menus that combine games, augmented reality experiences, and familiar entertainment brands with each restaurant’s own logo, menu, and messaging. The goal is to keep children engaged at the table while giving independent restaurants an affordable way to create the kind of memorable family experience typically associated with much larger brands.
Removing Friction From Hospitality
Carr repeatedly returned to one idea: friction.
When dining out feels difficult, families don’t come back. But when children are engaged and parents can relax long enough to enjoy another drink, dessert, or simply finish their meal, everyone wins.
“If we can help mom and dad have an extra beer, a wine, a dessert, and it’s a great experience, they’ll come back,” Carr said.
How Parents Really Think
Carr also pushed back on the idea that parents simply want to hand kids a phone. He argues families aren’t trying to avoid technology, they’re trying to avoid mindless consumption. Interactive experiences that encourage creativity and engagement are very different from endlessly scrolling videos, and restaurants have an opportunity to become part of those positive family memories.
For Carr, that’s what hospitality is all about.
Not just serving food, but creating experiences that strengthen communities, give families a reason to return, and help independent restaurants compete by making every visit memorable.
