Soup Plantation in San Bernardino, CA

Foodie Baby

My Grandma wheeled me down the salad bar in this cool chair that leans back and buckles (I didn't get buckled, haha!) and I got to see all of the food I could eat.
It made me really happy to see my options and anything I expressed excitement about, my mom put it on the plate.
I ate beets for the first time, and they were so good it was the first thing I finished on my plate.
And the only thing, but that's because I filled up on apple juice.

Mommy

I dig Soup Plantation for having a varied enough menu anyone could be happy eating there.  They have seasonal offerings and if you sign up for the emails you get coupons, which are a good deal.
Soup Plantation and Sweet Tomatoes, I guess, are the same thing, but I've never been in a ST to make sure.
Do they have those in SoCal?
Kids three and under are free, which made Foodie Baby's plate (he hardly ate) completely free. Of course, he got a boxed apple juice, which wasn't (bring a sippy to make it a free meal).
The salad bar has a variety of everything, including kid-friendly pastas, baked potatoes and of course lots of vegetables. This could be a good change to try to sneak something new o a plate and see if they will try it without preparing it at home. A lot of the vegetables are already cut up small, perfect for finger food. (Try stuff like peas, beets and raisins.)
If you had a small one, you could navigate the line by yourself pushing the aforementioned seat with you. With Foodie Baby, I would have been very slow if it had just been the two of us- I was holding up the line just building our two plates! So definitely, try to have a second adult with you to share the load.

I would also suggest not going at peak dining hours- the office desk crowd comes in droves at lunchtime, an early or late lunch would be a better and easier choice.
The staff if helpful, although when its busy it's harder to flag them down. The first time I cam I had someone carry my tray for me (I was holding Foodie Baby) and then go get a highchair for me while I waited at the table.
 again, during the lunch rush it would be hard to get the extra help.
They have very small ice cream cones so a dollop of soft serve in a cone is a special treat! I smear a little on the top- Foodie Baby enjoys eating the cone just as much as the soft-serve vanilla.

ChecklistChanging table in bathroom
Wooden high chairs available, some places could accommodate a stroller
Seating is tables and booths
Kid's pricing for salad bar- under three gets a free meal
Variety of drinks available including juices, milk and a self-serve soda fountain

Jason's Deli in Riverside, CA

Foodie Baby

As you can tell from previous post, I am quite the grilled cheese connoisseur.
Whatever a connoisseur is.
This place make the best! I danced in my seat when I ate it, making the wheels on the high chair scoot away from the table. It was fun!
There's also little ice cream cones here. I ate all of my vanilla soft serve and finished the cone, or as my buddy would say, my 'ice cream and cookie'.


Mommy

After going over the top family restaurants again I had a craving for Jason's Deli, so I went with a mommy friend and her son during a play date. The only one in California sits on the Moreno Valley/Riverside border in a large shopping area.

Jason's touts an healthy menu of sandwiches, soups, salads and wraps and has a salad bar with organic options.
I love getting the salad bar, which has a variety of veggies, dressings, and other items like tuna pasta and three-bean salad.
And the french onion soup- adding a cup of soup to the salad bar is only 99 cents.
The kid's menu has a variety of options, mostly standards like various sandwiches, mac n' cheese, and pizza, and as with the rest of the menu, vegetarian menu items are marked.

Both the Kidwich and J.D Pickle menus include the options of organic apple juice, organic milk or chocolate milk or a fountain drink in a sturdy plastic cup. The Kidwich menu items also come with organic apples, organic carrots, fresh fruit, chips or a pickle.

There is also a salad bar option on the kid's menu, which could be good for someone who would like a lunch of grape tomatoes, uncooked vegetables like broccoli, cucumber and carrots, edemame, dressing, and pudding (we cheated and brought a couple things from the salad bar to the table. The crackers were perfect for keeping the two toddlers entertained while waiting for their meals.)

Foodie Baby wasn't into the red pepper hummus, but his friend really enjoyed a bite of chocolate mousse and both boys enjoyed gingerbread muffins from our plates.

When the boys' food came there were extra napkins next to the plates- a must- and plates were cleared for us occasionally (we got second helpings at the salad bar.

There is a self-serve soft serve station, and the boys both enjoyed a touch of vanilla on cake cones while we had bowls with chocolate sauce.

The iced tea selection boasted four different kinds including black currant and melon pomegranate green tea.

 To the left- a Kidwich grilled cheese on whole wheat bread with a fruit side. Foodie Baby has already grabbed the first piece.
Below is a box of apple juice and a cheese pizza off of the J.D. Pickle menu.

Jason's Deli is also special because it has a gluten-free menu, including a grilled cheese on gluten-free bread (more expensive than traditional menu grilled cheese).

To navigate Jason's might require more than one adult, depending on what you order. Since I went with another adult, we both went through the cafeteria-style line together and then picked a table, taking turns hitting the salad bar while the boys chugged their juices and eagerly awaited their lunches.

Everything but the salad bar can be brought to table- you get a number to place at your table for someone to bring the food on a tray.
The room is a large cafeteria-style room with tables that seat four to sic and booths that line the room.

The highchairs are strong molded plastic with wheels- they could be hard to navigate in the crowded room (even at lunchtime, I haven't seen one yet) but are a breeze around the sides and the booth seating. A stroller could also be accommodated at the tables on the sides of the room.
The employees are busy but friendly, helpful with menu questions and greeting young children (I had one stand and talk about her son with me on her break when I had eaten at Jason's before with Foodie Baby).

Jason's Deli also offers pickup ordering and catering.

Checklist

Changing table in the restroom

Molded plastic high chairs with wheels available

Most of seating is tables and chairs, strollers can be accommodated in some areas.
Kid's menu and gluten-free options available
Kid's menu items come with choice of organic milk or chocolate milk, organic apple juice or a fountain drink in children's cup