Although kids' menus in most chain restaurants continue to leave a whole lot to be desired, if chicken strips are going to be in the cards for your kid anyway, and you're on a road trip and have no idea "what's good" and it's 7 pm any way and you smell imminent meltdown, you might as well check into the places that still give away free kids' meals. There are always caveats to this, however: for instance it's wise to know just what constitutes a "kid" (sometimes up to 12; often 10; in one place only 3 and under!). Plus, an adult meal typically has to be purchased to accompany the freebie, so if you're a breatharian you may be out of luck. I've always thought that ordering a drink should count as a meal, especially if it comes with a little paper umbrella, but maybe that's just me. Drink my dinner when I'm out traveling with the family? Why not ease the pain somehow if you can?
Again, the list on Motley Fool isn't stellar or gourmet by any stretch of the imagination, but if you're on the road with the family and need to refuel and maybe save a couple of bucks at the same time, check into these chain restaurants: Roadhouse Grill, Lonestar Steakhouse, Ceci's Pizza, and some others, one of which rhymes with "Lenny's" but I can't quite make myself utter it here.
