Dad’s hack for eating out with a family of six on $20 divides internet

Some called the strategy “child abuse”, saying the dad was “barely giving these kids enough food to qualify as a snack”.

Pilar Grace

3 min read

May 21, 2024 - 9:30PM

Lifestyle

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Remember the days when you had one baby and you could go to a café and order something just for yourself?

Maybe you’d share a bit of avocado or egg off your plate or splash out for a babyccino.

On frugal days you’d pack them a little snack box and no one minded because your baby was just starting solids.

Fast forward a decade and you’ve got a child (or maybe multiple children) who eat full grown adult-sized meals.

Sometimes they eat more than you, and taking them out costs a fortune.

Add into the mix a picky child who asks you to order them food and then refuses to eat it, and you’re going to wish you stayed home and fed them scrambled eggs and toast.

A dad in the US has a trick for feeding his family of six on a budget at restaurants, but not everyone thought the money-saving hack was clever.

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Dad divides internet with viral hack to saving money feeding kids at restaurants

Dad’s money-saving hack feeding kids at restaurants

Josh Mileham has four kids and he has a tricky way to make sure he doesn’t order too much food at restaurants, and also make sure his kids don’t waste what they’ve ordered.

In one viral TikTok that’s been viewed over 2.5 million times, Josh ordered Tex Mex fajitas with steak. The dish arrived as a build-your-own assortment of dishes: tortillas in a warmer, cheese and veg on a platter, steak, capsicum and onions on a sizzling hot plate.

As the camera panned around the table, you could see Josh’s four children, and none of them had their own dish.

Josh took a tortilla shell from the warmer, filled it with cheese and tucked it under the sizzling hot plate for a couple of minutes. Then he pulled it out and passed it to one of his sons. The boy took a bite and gave the thumbs up.

Josh’s hack is to split one dish between all his children.

In another video called “How to eat CHEAP as a family of 6”, Josh held up a plate with a pulled pork sandwich and hot chips. It was a mountain of food, and if he’d eaten it himself, he’d probably have regretted it.

“This thing is giant,” he said.

Then he pointed to a large basket of free bread rolls, plucking one from the top as one of his kids looked on.

“For all these starving little kids, you take the pulled pork, and you make mini pulled pork sandwiches. One, two, three, four,” he counted, handing them out before making two more for his older sons.

Even after doling out six mini pulled pork sandwiches, he had enough on his plate for his own meal. Josh also ordered a side of hot chips for the kids to share.

The total? $17.49 for Josh and four children.

Josh made one dish into five. Photo: TikTok/glazedepoxy

TikTok responds to money-saving dad

Some people called Josh a genius, saying they were going to try his trick, but others thought he was depriving his kids.

“The kids are still going to be hungry when their rolls are gone,” one person said. “Ridiculous. Don’t have kids if you don’t want to pay for them!”

“Just cook at home at this point. Embarrassing,” said another.

Some people said it would damage Josh’s kids in more ways than just a hungry tummy.

“My dad was like this, but worse,” one person said. “I’m 65 and to this day I still have issues with food security. It really does a number on a kid’s mind.”

“This is child abuse honestly,” said another. “You’re barely giving these kids enough food to qualify as a snack.”

However you feel about Josh’ money-saving strategy one thing is certain: portion sizes at American restaurants are way too big.