Pressure to order food?

[Crazy old Maurice]

Hello!

I was wondering if anyone has ever felt pressured at all to order things they don't want. For instance if maybe a family did not want 4 appetizers, or maybe no dessert at a meal, I know you could say no thank you, but was it easy to so or did you get the hard sell (like to drive up the bill)? My husband and I were discussing the pros and cons and we've read a lot of posts about too much food, etc. We were just wondering if servers were receptive to the no thank yous. Input?

Thank you,
Jen

 

[kentear]

I've never felt pressured. If I want it I order it, if not, I don't.

 

[bicker]

The CMs currently have a major incentive to get you to order as much as possible, since their gratuity is affected solely by that. I wouldn't be surprised to see some pressure, especially given that it costs you nothing to order extra food and costs them dearly if you don't.

 

[eliza61]

Hello!

I was wondering if anyone has ever felt pressured at all to order things they don't want. For instance if maybe a family did not want 4 appetizers, or maybe no dessert at a meal, I know you could say no thank you, but was it easy to so or did you get the hard sell (like to drive up the bill)? My husband and I were discussing the pros and cons and we've read a lot of posts about too much food, etc. We were just wondering if servers were receptive to the no thank yous. Input?

Thank you,
Jen

Actually, I've seen the opposite. I've seen guest pressuring each other to order every thing because they feel they must get the most out of their credits. I don't do the DDP so it is absolutely hysterical to watch (at least to me.) last August, I saw a family running around the WL gift shop trying to buy a bunch of water bottles because they had a lot of snack credits left and didn't want to "waste" them. In march a husband and wife were arguing loudly at Mama melrose in MGM because evidently she never ordered an appetizer and a desert and dear hubby was tired of her "wasting" the TS credits.

 

[Donaldsfan176]

The CMs currently have a major incentive to get you to order as much as possible, since their gratuity is affected solely by that.

But that would hold true for any restaurant anywhere.

 

[Mom of 3]

Just order what you want. We are a family of 5. Me, DH, DS10, DS7 and DS4.

Since there are 3 of us on the adult plan we will be ordering 3 app. because the other 2 boys will help eat them. If we get to full for dessert we will ask for it to go and eat it later in the evening with a cup of coffee in the room.

Remember to you can order a app, entree, dessert but you don't have to eat every bite, eat what you want and leave the rest.

 

[bicker]

But that would hold true for any restaurant anywhere.

No, not really. At most restaurants, the guest would have to pay more to order more -- not true on the Dining Plan.

 

[tmbrea]

This will be our first trip on the DDP. The last time we went was before DDP started. We never felt pressured to order extra food. DS was 11 and he and I shared most meals and we ordered an app for the table. Skipped dessert most meals. Taking 2 17y/o this trip plus me and DH. I like the option of having app/entree/dessert if we want and not having to worry about the bill. While I know the wait staff tips depend on what you order, as already stated....that's any resturant at any time, not just at WDW. By my way of thinking, disney makes money on those who don't order all they can have on the plan. I plan to order what I want and not worry about the rest. This is my vacation and I plan to enjoy, not have to worry about anything.....if I feel pressured it's "No, thank you not today", I have found this is polite and works well in most places with most servers.

 

[Tam1067]

Only once--at WCC--we didn't really want dessert, and the server kept telling us, "It's included, are you sure?" It wasn't pressure really. We ended up getting the dessert, waiting a really long time for her to bring it, and then not eating it because we were sick of eating by that time, and the dessert wasn't that great. This was the only time, though.

 

[lillygator]

we were never pressured to order anything we didn't want to...however we definitely felt the difference in service re the DDP....in a word....horrid!

 

[blanq]

We were never pressured. There were several times we decided to forgo an appetizer and/or dessert, and our servers were totally respectful of that. The only pressure I felt, and actually it wasn't really pressure as I saw through it and thought it was a hoot, is that it seemed that every server's recommendation was the most expensive item on the menu.

 

[Disneyhappy]

We felt pressure at 50's Prime Time and Concourse Steak House. At 50's we were all too full to order dessert and our server kept bugging us to try some of the different desserts. He wanted us to at least share a few. We must have declined about 4 times to different approaches. It was very uncomfortable. The same thing happened at Concourse. This time when the CM tried to convicne us for a third time, I got up and told the kids that we will wait for DH at the gift shop while he settles the tab. I know there is a financial motivation for them to push it but some servers need to learn where to draw the line. We always provide an additional generous tip for good service and because of the "pushiness", DH did not provide any additional tip to the CMs at these restaurants. I'm sure it must happen infrequently or we would hear more complaints about it in here.

 

[Crazy old Maurice]

Thanks for all the great replies everyone! I appreciate all the experiences you shared. We are still undecided about DDP. We just would like it for the convenience, not as a gorge fest--I am following some of the other threads to get some input. Or maybe we'll just "hold our noses and jump" and just give it a try. It's one trip, right?

Thanks again,
Jen

 

[Nancyg56]

No, not really. At most restaurants, the guest would have to pay more to order more -- not true on the Dining Plan.

I was able to support my family by waiting tables and I worked in several different environments. Most people do tip according the the total if the service was good so there was always an incentive to boost the bill by encouraging the guest to order an appetizer or add a dessert to their meal. While the food is included in the DDP so the guest is not charged more for the addition, most servers, no matter where they work will offer suggestions to their customers. It is a normal procedure and honestly, a guest would notice if an appetizer or dessert was not offered. Most don't notice if the steps are all followed, but will if one is missed. The message would be that the server was in a hurry to turn the table.

 

[bicker]

Most people do tip according the the total if the service was good so there was always an incentive to boost the bill by encouraging the guest to order an appetizer or add a dessert to their meal.

Absolutely. My point was that that's a lot easier, and seems a lot less predatory, when ordering an appetizer or adding a dessert costs the patron nothing at all.

 

[Nancyg56]

Absolutely. My point was that that's a lot easier, and seems a lot less predatory, when ordering an appetizer or adding a dessert costs the patron nothing at all.

You are right about that.

 

[zaztooe]

I'm personnally excited to be using the dining plan! We're going with our 17 and 13 year old sons! Boy can they eat now and they know the good stuff LOL MY DS(17) loves steak, lobster and crab legs. How nice it will be to not have to think about how much the final bill will be! I can say go ahead order whatever you like.. I will be tipping for good service.

 

[TreslovesWDW]

We never were pressured , but since it comes with it on the DDp I tend to not finish everything , just so I can have each. Maybe someone else wants to finish my appetizer or I eat it all and not finish my whole entree or maybe take dessert to go for later that night.

 

[englishrose47]

We had 4 adults and 1 child so often he didn't get an appie so he shared ours and there was always enough. He always seemed to get a dessert he liked though , usually a sundae!! We loved the DDp and wouldn't want to go with out it!!