Editor's note: This article appeared in the June 24, 2009, edition of Quirk's e-newsletter.

It appears that today's kids are no longer won over by a toy nestled between their chicken nuggets and fries or by the kids' menu. Though kids' meals with toys and kids' menus at fast-food restaurants continue to be the most popular options for children younger than 13, both offerings have experienced sharp declines, according to Consumer Reports on Eating Share Trends, a study by The NPD Group, a Port Washington, N.Y., research company. In 2008, among kids under 13, orders for kids' meals that included a toy were down 11 percent, and orders from kids' menus were down 4 percent, compared to combo meals, which were down 2 percent, and 99-cent value menus, which were up 9 percent.

"Just as adults have moved to greater use of deals and value menus, there continues to be a shift in the way kids are ordering at restaurants or, in many cases, how their parents are ordering for them," says Bonnie Riggs, restaurant industry analyst at NPD. "What has gained in popularity is the use of value menus for kids' meals and snacks."

Riggs also says that there is more to the shift away from kids' meals and menus than the economy and saving money. "Kids today want more choices and sophisticated fare."

Contributing to the decline in the number of kids' meals with toys and kids' menu items ordered is that fewer kids are eating out. Both quick-service restaurants and full-service restaurants experienced traffic losses. In both cases, losses were heaviest with kids under six years old.