And it's clear that eating out is a crucial part of the experience for this influential group. Shopping Centre assembled a panel of four young shoppers - 14-year old-Rhys from Merton; 13-year-olds Imogen from Alton and Erin from Uxbridge and 12-year-old Annabelle from Brighton - to talk about what works, and what doesn't, when it comes to shopping centre catering.

The meeting took place at Leon on London's South Bank, which describes itself as "the future of fast food" and the youngsters were joined by industry experts Ted Schama of leisure agent Shelley Sandzer, Caroline Bridge, senior property manager at Capital Shopping Centres and Leon's co-founder Henry Dimbleby.

The discussion began by asking where and when the panel dined out. "I eat out once or twice a week," said Erin. "Once with the family and once with friends. With my friends I like to go The Chimes in Uxbridge." She said her favourite places to eat were KFC, MacDonalds and Nando's.

Rhys said he dined out once or twice a month. "With my friends I like eating near the cinema in Wimbledon. I also go there with my parents sometimes. We go to MacDonalds. It's easy to get - it's everywhere - and sometimes we go to Pizza Hut," he said. "Nando's is more of a sit-down meal and it's more expensive. But a lot of other restaurants are for adults."

"I go out with my mates -a couple of times a week," said Imogen. "But if my parents are paying I'd go somewhere different. I don't like kids menus - the adult menu has more choice."

"I normally eat out with my parents," said Annabelle. "When we're shopping we go to Debenhams in Churchill Square. You can choose your ingredients and they make your sandwich for you. I like seeing them being made."

"That's a bit like Pizza Express," agreed Imogen. "I go there with my friends for special occasions."

Both Imogen and Erin said they would expect to eat out as part of a shopping trip. And it's clear that the catering offer does affect the choice of shopping centre. "I go to Centre Court because it has MacDonalds," said Rhys, while Imogen chose Festival Place because of its Pizza Hut. "I like The Chimes because it has lots of food, but The Pavilions across the road only has a KFC and a café," said Erin.

Healthy eating is now supposed to be on the syllabus at every school, even though Jamie Oliver's campaign on school dinners seems only to have been met with limited success. So do the young people consider the health implications of their dining choices?

"If you're in MacDonald's health just goes out of your mind," said Erin. Rhys added: "If I was choosing on just one thing it'd be the cost." But Erin added: "If there was organic food on the menu I'd probably choose that."

The panel members were then asked if they'd seen any restaurants elsewhere that they'd like to see in their home town. "I really like Rainforest Café," said Rhys. "And when I went to Australia I thought Mango Jam was really child-friendly. It wasn't just what they served, it was the way they spoke to you."

"I went to a restaurant in Amsterdam which was like Subway only healthier," said Erin. "You could choose the bread you wanted and the ingredients, and it was really bright and friendly."

"We went to a really nice place in a shopping centre in Orlando where they made really fresh hamburgers with fresh bread and organic meat," said Annabelle. "It had a salad bar and its own small games arcade."

CSC

Capital Shopping Centres has been taking a long hard look at the catering offer across its portfolio, in response to changing consumer trends.

Senior property manager Caroline Bridge says: "Lifestyles are changing and longer retailing hours are needed to accommodate these. This in turn requires a broader catering offer that takes the customer from breakfast, coffee and a snack and lunch on the go, to supper with a drink in the evening until late."

As a result shopping centres now need much more than a food court and the most recent completed exercise in this approach is the Boardwalk at Lakeside which opened last year with 14 new food offers. "It is now possible to choose from a Krispy Kreme donut to an off menu choice from Strada, with Hannah Banana providing a revolutionary new concept in entertainment of children." says Bridge.

Next up is a project to remodel the foodcourt at The Mall, Cribbs Causeway into 'The Avenue' - a mix of four cafes and four restaurants, blending high quality fast food with a casual dining experience.

Leon

The new Leon on London's South Bank is the eighth in the chain, which was launched in Carnaby Street in 2004. Founded by Henry Dimbleby - son of food writer Josceline Dimbleby - John Vincent and chef Allegra McEvidy, Leon uses only organic produce, sourced from specialist producers and this means the menu changes with the seasons.

But the emphasis is still on fast service and an informal environment, while Dimbleby is a firm believer that eating healthily should not mean sacrificing taste or fun. "Take our meatballs for instance: the lamb comes from Devon and we visit all our farmers before we buy from them.

"We want to be known as 'that place that has good food' not 'that healthy place.'"

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