NH First Lady Commends T-Bones Initiative

T-Bones Great American Grill and Cactus Jack’s are leading the path in New Hampshire in terms of healthy eating for children.

Last month, the Great NH Restaurant Group participated in the launch of the Kids LiveWell initiative, a program created by the National Restaurant Association and HealthyDiningFinder.com to help parents and children make healthier choices when dining out. Nineteen restaurant groups around the country participated in the event in
Washington, D.C.

“As a mother of young children myself and as a chef, I couldn’t be more honored and excited to be part of this initiative,” said Chef
Nicole Barreira.

T-Bones, the lone New Hampshire restaurant to participate in the national launch event, now offers Kids LiveWell children's menu items such as grilled salmon and BBQ chicken, as well as the restaurants’ signature, healthy In the Pink dishes.

“I applaud T-Bones restaurants for their efforts to improve the nutrition in children’s meals as part of the Kids LiveWell initiative,” said New Hampshire’s first lady, Dr. Susan Lynch. “Combating childhood obesity is not something that can be done single-handedly, and I commend T-Bones restaurants for encouraging children and adults to make healthy decisions and for giving them the opportunity to do so in their restaurants.”

T-Bones and Cactus Jack’s initially got on board with healthier menu options last year, after owner and CEO Tom Boucher attended the National Restaurant Association’s Board of Directors meeting, where the keynote speaker was First Lady Michelle Obama. Her own Let’s Move initiative aims to solve the obesity problem within a generation.

Boucher came back from the meeting inspired, and T-Bones introduced 16 In the Pink items to its adult and children’s menus. These items are 650 calories or less, 10 grams of fat or less, or 10 grams of net carbs or less.

“It’s important for restaurants to help lead the way in the fight against childhood obesity,” said Boucher. “Families dine out more than ever, and the staff at T-Bones and Cactus Jack’s knows how important it is to eat healthy, balanced meals at restaurants. We hope our Kids LiveWell and In the Pink dishes encourage families to make good decisions when they aren’t eating at home.”

“(We want to) help involve the kids in ordering these items and
be excited about ordering them,” said Chef Nicole.

T-Bones has also revamped TBonesLovesKids.com, its children’s Web site. The site now features a healthy dining quiz and tips, ideas on where children and their families can exercise near their home, kid-friendly recipes, links to other informational websites and more.

Great NH Restaurants’ owner operated locations include T-Bones in Bedford, Derry, Salem, Hudson and Laconia, and Cactus Jack’s in Manchester and Laconia. For more details, visit T-Bones.com.