Why?????
Do you ever feel like you are on display for all to see when you go out to eat with your kids? Like you are the entertainment for the evening?
You're up and down coutless times for bathroom breaks, maybe you forgot a sippy cup or diaper in the car, and, of course diciplinary measures... and forget about getting comfortable if there is any sort of salad bar or buffet involved!
The table is a mess, littered with napkins, straw wrappers, crayons, pieces of food, toys, extra cups, and probably toys.
It's a chance to teach manners in a new and different place. It's like your high school basketball team at an away game. Can we win even if we don't have the home court advantage?
You're maybe testing out new foods that you don't usually cook at home. It's not just a change of scenery, but also a change of taste. You may even discover that kids are more likely to try something new in a place that's new. Which can then open the doors to try these same foods at our own home.
It's something special (as long as you don't do it all the time) that makes them feel special (as long as you don't do it all the time). As long as you don't do it all the time, you're communicating, "We are taking you guys out to eat because we want to do something special and different as a family."
Personally, I would not want to go out to eat all the time, period. Personally, I'm a cheap skate and can't stand wasting that much money every day. I also, think you eat healthier at home. Most importantly, I think you have better conversations at home. Here is an interesting link to an article from TIME called The Magic of the Family Meal By Nancy Gibbs. It contains such quotes and statistics as, "A meal is about civilizing children. It's about teaching them to be a member of their culture." and "...kids who eat most often with their parents are 40% more likely to say they get mainly A's and B's in school than kids who have two or fewer family dinners a week."
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