What A 'Family Meal' Really Means In A Restaurant, And Why It's A Bit Confusing

Restaurants

What A 'Family Meal' Really Means In A Restaurant, And Why It's A Bit Confusing By Garrett Palm Sept. 28, 2025 6:09 pm EST

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Most people, when they hear the phrase "family meal," think of parents and kids sitting around the table for dinner. It looks different to everyone. For some, everyone is engaged and talking about their day or week, for others, it's chaos where one kid is doing homework, another is on their phone, one parent sits at the table while another is wrangling a 5-year-old who would rather be eating peach rings while jumping off the top bunk. Just like at home, family meals at restaurants look different from place to place, but generally, it's when everyone behind the scenes eats.

When I worked at the now-defunct Peels (know