Table 2 Coding scheme for children’s menus at top 10 quick service and top 10 full service restaurants

1. Availability of a FV side dish

Whether there was at least one FV side available on the children’s menu (1) or not (0)

2. Prevalence of FV side dishes

The number of FV side dishes divided by the total number of side dishes on each children’s menu

3. Default status of FV side dishes

Restaurants were coded based on the default side dish options on their children’s menu:

1 = FV always the default

Included restaurants in which a FV was always the default side dish and restaurants in which there was no default, but all side dishes offered were FV

2 = FV sometimes the default

Included restaurants in which the side dish depended on the main dish ordered: some meals came with a FV side dish by default while others did not

3 = FV never the default

Included restaurants in which a non-FV was always the default side dish and restaurants in which there were no default side dishes (and possible side dish options included non-FV)

4. Types of FV side dishes:

Whether each of the FV side dish items listed below (n = 19 possibilities across restaurants) were included on the children’s menu (0 = no, 1 = yes, 2 = two distinct forms of that item were included as side dish options; e.g., corn on the cob and corn kernels).

• Apples

• Applesauce

• Mixed fruit

• Grapes

• Oranges

• Non-fried potatoes

• Corn

• Green beans

• Broccoli

• Carrots

• Celery

• Salad

• Mixed vegetables

• Pineapple

• Baked beans

• Cole slaw

• Berries

• Other beans

• Greens