The kiddie meal is growing up. Rival Burger King, owned by Diageo PLC, started a program for kids aged 8 to 10 about two years ago. Placing a bet on a flashy toy can be dicey. Safety issues have also started to emerge, thanks to the involvement of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Fast-food executives seem mindful of the potential for trouble.
Toys are an appealing motivator.
Sea World theme park that quizzes kids on marine-life trivia, or challenges children to seek out matching sea animals behind the panels of a new game. We really believe there's an opportunity to raise the bar on kids' meals. At Wendy's International restaurants, the primary consumer is usually older. As such, he says, all the fast-food chains must compete for trendy trinkets. They can't just let McDonald's and Burger King have them all.