A kids' hibachi birthday party on 30A: how we set up

Every enquiry for a children's birthday arrives with the same 2 questions underneath it, whether or not they get typed out. Is it safe with children around an open flame, and what happens in the gap between everyone arriving and the cake.

The honest answers are that the flame being out in the open is what makes it manageable, because everyone can see exactly where it is and be kept clear of it, and that there is no gap at all. The cooking is the entertainment. That is the whole argument for hibachi at a children's party, and it is the part a restaurant booking cannot give you.

The grill is positioned so children can stand at a safe rail and watch, rather than sit in front of a stage. Standing and watching is the entire point at that age, and a setup that puts them behind a row of adults wastes the thing they came for.

We need 6 ft x 4 ft of flat, level ground with open sky above it, and 3 feet of clear standing room on the chef's side that stays clear all evening. On a wooden or composite deck, heat mats go down under the grill as standard with a drop cloth around it. We have never damaged a deck and we do not intend to start. The space a hibachi grill needs covers the surface question in full.

The onion volcano happens when the birthday child is there and looking, not when the cooking sequence happens to reach it. That sounds like a small thing and it is the detail parents mention afterwards more than any other, because the alternative is a photograph of the back of someone's head.

Knife work slows down and gets more visible with children watching. The shrimp toss turns into a game, and we will throw to every child who wants a turn, which adds about 10 minutes to the evening and is worth it every time.

The hardest birthday shape is the one with young children and adults in the same party, because they do not want the same evening. The arrangement that works is 2 seatings: the children eat at 5:30 and the adults after, same chef and same station, run as 2 services.

It adds about 40 minutes to the evening and it is the right call almost every time. The children get the show at the hour they can still enjoy it, and the adults get an evening that is not organised around bedtime.

Children's plates are one protein with fried rice — chicken, steak, shrimp, salmon or tofu, and we keep the spice out entirely unless you tell us otherwise. Salad and hibachi vegetables come with every plate, the same as they do for adults.

Children aged 5 to 12 are $30 each and 13 and over is priced as an adult. What usually decides the number for a children's party is not the per-head rate but the $500 party minimum on the food total, because a table of mostly under-twelves fills a garden long before it reaches $500.

Every total below already includes the 7% Florida sales tax and the 20% gratuity, and there is no travel fee anywhere on 30A.

No, and it is the answer worth having before you plan around it. The grill is an open flame and it needs open sky above it, so we do not cook indoors, in a garage, under a screened porch, or beneath a low overhang, in any weather.

On 30A that is rarely a problem: a rear deck, a pool surround or a driveway all work, and most rental houses have at least 2 options. Condo balconies almost never work, being too narrow and roofed by the balcony above, and most buildings in Destin and Panama City Beach prohibit open-flame cooking outright. If the party is at a condo, ask the rental manager about a reservable poolside pavilion and send us its name.

If the forecast turns we talk to you the day before about moving the time, moving to a covered-but-open space such as a carport with an open front, or rescheduling.

Bring your own cake. We clear the station completely at the end of service, which gives you a clean table to put it on at the moment the party wants it, and we take everything of ours away with us. The kitchen is never used and the space is left as we found it.

If the birthday is somewhere we cook often, the town pages carry the setup detail: Seagrove Beach and WaterColor both take a lot of three-generation houses, and birthday hibachi party on 30A has the rest of it.

Is a hibachi grill safe with children at the party?

The grill is an open flame in the open air, which is what makes it manageable: everyone can see exactly where it is. We position it so children stand at a rail to watch, and we keep 3 feet on the chef's side clear all evening. On wood decking heat mats go down under the grill as standard with a drop cloth around it.

Can you do a kids' hibachi party indoors?

No. We never cook indoors, in a garage, under a screened porch or beneath a low overhang, in any weather, because the grill needs open sky above it. A rear deck, a pool surround or a driveway all work, and most 30A rental houses have at least 2 options.

How much is a hibachi chef for a kids' birthday party?

Children aged 5 to 12 are $30 each and 13 and over is priced as an adult, but the $500 party minimum on the food total is usually what decides a children's party. A table of 4 adults and 8 children lands on that minimum and comes to $635 all in, tax and gratuity included.

What do you feed the children?

One protein with fried rice — chicken, steak, shrimp, salmon or tofu — plus the salad and hibachi vegetables every plate gets. No spice at all unless you ask for it. Tell us about allergies on the booking form and those plates are cooked separately on a cleaned section of the grill, not picked out of a shared batch.

Can you run one seating for kids and another for adults?

Yes, and for a mixed-age party it is usually the right call. Children eat at 5:30 and the adults after, same chef and same station, run as 2 services. It adds about 40 minutes to the evening.