New Market -- For most parents with young children, dining out without the kids at a nice sit-down restaurant is about as rare as a free meal. Getting baby sitters is too much of a hassle, and their services cost as much as an entree at an upscale restaurant.
But at least two restaurants in the Baltimore area -- Mealey's Restaurant in Frederick County and Vitali's in Harford County -- are offering harried parents another way to dine in peace. Both eateries feature on-site child care, a service being offered by a growing number of restaurants across the country.
At Mealey's in New Market, customers can eat downstairs while their children play upstairs under the supervision of a licensed Maryland teacher. The child care is offered Tuesday through Friday evenings and costs just $3 for the first child and $2 for each additional child.
"I would have paid three times that [fee] just to relax at the table and not have the kids there," said Liz Fromm, a Catonsville homemaker who took advantage of the child- care service at Mealey's recently. "It was just great."
At Vitali's in Edgewood, free child care is available on Wednesdays from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in a room stocked with educational materials. But Richard Vitali said few parents are taking advantage of the service.
"Quite honestly, it's been very slow to get started," said Mr. Vitali, the restaurant's general manager. "People applaud the idea, but we really haven't gotten the response we had hoped for."
While on-site child care at restaurants is still a novelty, more and more are trying the concept as a way of coping with changing American lifestyles, state and national restaurant associations say.
"It's certainly a marketing edge," said Wendy Webster, a spokeswoman for the National Restaurant Association in Washington. "It not only wins the hearts of parents but also childless patrons of the restaurant. When kids aren't having a good time in a restaurant, the parents aren't either -- and neither is anybody else."
Upscale restaurants in Chicago, New York and Denver have ventured into on-site child care with notable success, she said. Some convert empty dining space into playrooms; others contract with a neighboring day-care center to create a scaled-down bistro just for kids. Some charge fees for the service, others don't.
For many restaurants, providing customers with child care is out the question. It means using much-needed dining space and hiring extra help. And the profit margin for restaurants, Ms. Webster said, is slim -- 3 percent or 4 percent.
"Almost every restaurateur is cognizant of the importance of children in the market," Ms. Webster said. "They've adapted with chldren's menus, games and coloring books. But most restaurants can't afford to give up space that doesn't turn a profit."
For Jose and Pat Salaverri, owners of Mealey's, the baby-sitting service is as much a convenience for customers as it is a business decision. The couple noticed that customers were frequently canceling reservations during the week because of baby-sitter problems.
"People are so busy these days -- driving up and down the highway and going back and forth," Mr. Salaverri said. "We created space to accommodate their needs, and it gives us a few more customers during the week."
Mr. Salaverri also sees the availability of on-site child care as means to compete with the plethora of sit-down franchise restaurants opening up in Frederick County and elsewhere. Chain eateries are opening at a much faster rate than independent restaurants, state and national restaurant officials said.
The Salaverris spent about $5,000 to convert two upstairs rooms of the former 19th-century hotel into Mealey's Playroom. The second-floor rooms are carpeted, brightly lighted and decorated with wallpaper and pictures. There are plenty of toys and Disney videos to watch.
A licensed Maryland teacher attends the children, and parents are free to run up and downstairs to check on the kids. Kids are free to join their parents in the dining room any time.
"When I had four little kids, I would have given [a lot] to take the kids off my hands while my husband and I could have a quiet dinner," said Marcia Harriss, vice president of the Restaurant Association of Maryland. "I think it's a marvelous idea and I wish Mealey's all the luck."