This is a special message from Barilla.

Superman has nothing over the new hero of kids’ menus, according to foodservice users, whose ranks have been growing faster than a silver bullet.

A comforting, familiar choice that children will actually order, the item has the second, secret role of a parental favorite — something Mom and Dad can watch the youngsters eat without guilt or nutritional worries.

Restaurants don’t even need a phone booth for the transformation, just a place on the menu for whole- or multi-grain pasta.

The stealth-health hit has been rescuing foodservice operations from the dilemma of what to put on menus aimed at children. Do they stud it with selections the kids will like, or skew it more toward the parents’ sensibilities? In 85 percent of the times a family dines at a full-service restaurant, the youngsters and Mom jointly decide where to eat, according to a new study from Mintel, a leading research company.

The better-for-you pastas not only avert a struggle at that stage, but at the table, too. Operators say the selections eliminate the common flashpoint of youngsters insisting, “I want this!,” and Mom or Dad countering with, “Well, you’re not having it.” Parents give an enthusiastic yes to the grain composition, while the youngsters are happy it’s pasta, the second most prevalent kids’ menu choice, just behind chicken nuggets and ahead of burgers and grilled cheese, according to the menu research firm Datassential.

That’s why Bertucci’s Italian Ristoranti is using Barilla PLUS pasta made from multiple whole grains and legumes, says Stefano Cordova, vice president and executive chef of the casual Italian chain. A rigatoni marinara is completed with nothing more than tomato sauce, olive oil, basil, garlic, onions and a little Parmesan cheese.

“It’s really a complete, balanced meal,” says Cordova. “The parents know it. If you tell the kids, ‘Oh, this is a complete meal,’ they’re not going to go for it. But if you tell them, ‘Here’s a nice dish of pasta,’ they’re going to love it.”

As indeed they do. The only item more popular with kids, says Cordova, is Bertucci’s signature selection, pizza.

Pasta Pomodoro, a 28-unit regional chain, is similarly steering youngsters to pasta that just happens to be whole grain — after wielding the option as a hook for parents.

“We have a lot of restaurants in shopping malls,” explains David Bolosan, corporate chef for the family-friendly chain. “The parents are going to stand in front of us and look at the menu, and they’re going to stand in front of the other family restaurants and look at their menus. Are they going to pick us or the restaurant that doesn’t offer things like wholegrain pasta and organic apple juice?”

His assertion is borne out by research: Today, 60 percent of parents look for healthier options, including “hidden vegetables,” on kids’ menus, according to Mintel.

Once inside, “the trick is getting the kids to order the right thing,” says Bolosan. “We load the menu up with good choices. If they order a pasta, they’re [automatically] going to get a whole grain pasta.”

The full-service family chain, regarded by some as a fast-casual entrant because of its low prices, features a number of pastas for children. The choices include penne, spaghetti and ravioli, all available with one of four sauces: tomato, tomato and cream, cream, and butter and cheese.

The spaghetti is also available as a side to a kids’ menu signature, a “mini” chicken parmigiana.

Despite Pomodoro’s increased use of Barilla whole grain pastas, the emphasis on healthful choices is a soft sell — at least to the children. The kids’ menu doesn’t broadcast that the pastas are what they should be eating to please Mom and Dad.

Broad kid-appeal is a key factor for Joanne Kinsey, who offers pasta at least once a week to the 40,000 students in the 47-school Chesapeake, Va., district she serves as director of school nutrition services.

“It’s one of those sure-bet kind of foods,” she says. “We know we’ll have good participation because it’s popular.”

One of the aspects of pasta that appeals to her is its versatility. Kinsey’s department prepares a different menu on a four-month cycle for each grade, kindergarten through high school. Varying the pastas is not only critical to maintaining high participation, or the proportion of children who eat the lunch offering, but also meeting the differing tastes of the age brackets.

“We like to say our menus grow with the children,” with 12th graders having far more options than a kindergartener, Kinsey explains.

The diversification also enables the foodservice department to address the age-correlated sophistication of the students. Younger grades may be offered rotini with meat sauce, while middle-school children can have their pasta with Alfredo sauce.

One of the ways Kinsey is expanding the horizons of the students—and their parents—is by using more better-for-you pastas.

“Parents expect there will be pasta on the menus,” she explains. “The challenge we face in the menu planning is they tend to see it as a high-carbohydrate item.”

The Chesapeake district is trying to allay their concerns about health and balance by using more whole grain options. “We’re focusing on the nutritional aspects of the pasta we serve,” Kinsey says. “We show them there are nutritional values beyond that of a plain white pasta.”

The whole grain versions are more wholesome and parent-pleasing, but still provide the critical budgetary advantage of all pastas, Kinsey emphasizes.

“On the financial side of things, pasta is not only popular, it’s cost-effective,” she says, noting that the low cost is further sweetened by the plate coverage a pasta provides. “We appreciate that, so I’m thankful it will be a staple in our menu development.

“It’s a win-win,” she remarks, “and will remain so.”