Healthy Eating for Kids at Wendy's?

Nope. Not if you want a salad with a kids' meal.

We were at the mall yesterday, and LG got hungry.  It was past lunchtime, so I really couldn't blame her, and a hungry 4 year old is not a lot of fun to take around looking for school clothes.  Malls, of course, know this and build convenient food courts for their patrons.  So far, so good.  Mall food court food isn't exactly known for its nutritional and health values, but we have a few decent options.  So we go look at the new sub-and-wrap place.  No kids' menu, and LG has decided that she doesn't like provolone, which is the only cheese this place has, and she has to have turkey and cheese, not just turkey.  OK.  We'll skip the fact that she does like provolone, because that's a battle I'm not going to win at this particular time.  There's a Wendy's right next to the sub-and-wrap place, and she decides she wants chicken nuggets.  Again, OK, not the best thing in the world, but there's worse out there.

Normally when LG wants to go to Wendy's it's because she wants the mandarin oranges she can have as a side for the kids' meal (the alternative to fries).  But not this time.  This time she wants the chicken (and ranch...really, I think it's the ranch that's the appeal here) and a salad (again, I think the ranch is really the appeal, but am I going to argue with a 4 year old who ASKS for a salad?  Not a chance!).  OK, so they have side salads as an option for a side for the value meals.   So I order...and I think everything's fine.  Then someone behind our cashier says something to her, and the next thing I know, the cashier tells me that they can only give side salads with the regular value meals.  Kids only get to have oranges or fries.  What?  Isn't the entire fast food industry supposed to be frantically trying to prove that they have healthy food and they're not contributing to childhood obesity?  Apparently not Wendy's, or not this one, at least.

So I tell LG, "I'm sorry kiddo, they say no salad with the kids' meal," and I can see the tears starting and the tantrum building.  Great.  I look at the cashier, and to her credit, she does look sympathetic, and she glances over at the woman who spoke to her, who happens to be the manager.  The manager just stares back, and the cashier looks back at me.  Right.  No help there.  So, I tell LG, "Don't worry, you can still have a salad.  You just can't have it with a kids' meal.  So you have to choose...a kids' meal with oranges and the toy, or chicken nuggets and a salad we buy separately, but no toy."

To my surprise, and LG's great credit, she didn't even hesitate before she said, "I want the salad."  I have to say, I was very proud of her, but not so proud of Wendy's.