Spaghetti tacos. Peanut butter and pickle sandwiches. A cold baked potato.

Sound familiar? If you’re a parent packing school lunches, you’ve probably heard at least one truly bizarre request. And you’re not alone—according to a new survey of 2,000 U.S. parents, kids’ lunchbox dreams range from raw beets and crab legs to ketchup and cucumbers…and even a Salisbury steak.

Parents, meanwhile, admitted they’ve had to say no way to even wilder asks: beer (yikes), candy, ice cream, wings, sushi, soda, and seafood boils. (Yes, someone’s kid really wanted a seafood boil for lunch. Can you imagine the cafeteria smell?)

The survey, commissioned by Chobani, uncovered the lunchtime tug-of-war between what kids want and what parents want them to have.

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The Lunchbox Showdown: Parents vs. Kids

🍕 What kids say they love: pizza (93%), chips (93%), cookies (93%), fruit snacks (93%)—aka, anything that sounds like a party.

🍎 What parents try to sneak in: fresh fruit (92%), cheese sticks (86%), yogurt pouches (76%), and yogurt drinks (73%).

But here’s the twist: 90% of kids still come home with leftovers. Why? They’re picky (39%), want more snacks than “real food” (25%), or secretly prefer the school lunch (19%).

So what exactly is a good lunch?

• Kids say: a main + a snack (50%), something sweet (44%), juice (40%), and maybe water (33%).

• Parents say: a main + a snack (53%), definitely water (51%), juice (42%), and something nutrient-dense (39%).

Basically, kids want dessert, parents want vitamins.

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How Parents Try to Win the Lunchbox Battle

Most parents (51%) pack foods their kids actually like, while others try bribery (hello, lunchbox rewards) or hope peer pressure works—because if their friends eat it, maybe they will too.

And yes, 85% of parents would plan lunches with their kids…as long as the deal is: you picked it, you eat it.

Nutritionist and mom-of-four Frances Largeman-Roth put it best:

“Kids always want the things that taste good to them. Parents, meanwhile, want what’s healthiest. But in a lot of cases, those two things aren’t mutually exclusive.”

In other words, yogurt, fruit, and kid-approved healthy swaps might actually keep everyone happy.

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Weirdest Lunch Requests Kids Have Made

• Spaghetti tacos

• Peanut butter & pickle sandwiches

• Cold baked potatoes

• Raw beets

• Crab legs

• Salisbury steak

And for the record, beer, sushi, seafood boils, and wings were immediate NOs.

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So What’s the Secret to a Lunch They’ll Actually Eat?

• Get their input (but maybe veto the crab legs).

• Keep it kid-friendly and nutrient-dense—think yogurt drinks, fruit, cheese sticks.

• Remember: sometimes what they really want is just what everyone else is eating.

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What’s the weirdest thing your kid has asked for in their lunchbox? Would you ever pack it?