Bon Voyage breakfast - upselling to kids

[JerseyJanice]

I just want to say that I think the OP was informative. I wouldn’t have thought two lemonades in souvenir cups could set you back $16.

I will be very careful about ordering drinks for my great nieces in the spring. They aren’t old enough yet to place an order, but I could envision a server pulling the same scam on an adult.

 

[BJ7644]

I just want to say that I think the OP was informative. I wouldn’t have thought two lemonades in souvenir cups could set you back $16.

I will be very careful about ordering drinks for my great nieces in the spring. They aren’t old enough yet to place an order, but I could envision a server pulling the same scam on an adult.

I'd recommend just asking the server directly what drink options are available with the kids meal right from the start. As a few others have stated, lemonade was always available in a regular cup in our experience, no matter how it was presented on the menu. Soft drinks, chocolate milk and sometimes different juices (POG!!) or pink lemonade as well. All were rarely, if ever on the menu as choices.

 

[sharonabe]

I just want to say that I think the OP was informative. I wouldn’t have thought two lemonades in souvenir cups could set you back $16.

I will be very careful about ordering drinks for my great nieces in the spring. They aren’t old enough yet to place an order, but I could envision a server pulling the same scam on an adult.

The lemonade did not cost $8 per kid; the souvenir cup is what cost $8. It's the same at EVERY TS restaurant; they all offer one drink in a souvenir cup and they are always $8-$10. The server did NOT pull a scam; they simply placed the order the child made.

 

[marikujawa]

I just want to say that I think the OP was informative. I wouldn’t have thought two lemonades in souvenir cups could set you back $16.

I will be very careful about ordering drinks for my great nieces in the spring. They aren’t old enough yet to place an order, but I could envision a server pulling the same scam on an adult.

I thought her post was informative too. But we thanked her by calling her a failure as a parent and labeling her as the type of person who doesn't take responsibility for her actions. I'm guessing that may be the last of her informative posts.

 

[kaytieeldr]

but I could envision a server pulling the same scam on an adult.

It's. Not. A. Scam.

 

[Allison]

There is no scamming involved.

 

[Allison]

I thought her post was informative too. But we thanked her by calling her a failure as a parent and labeling her as the type of person who doesn't take responsibility for her actions. I'm guessing that may be the last of her informative posts.

You keep saying she was called a failure as a parent. You are the only one I see saying that. Am I overlooking a post?

 

[mom2rtk]

The parent shouldn't be put in the position to have to look like a jerk. Sorry--they shouldn't.

If the parent isn't prepared to listen to the interaction between server and children, with a willingness to step in if needed, then the parent shouldn't let the 4 and 8 year old children do their own ordering.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I thought her post was informative too. But we thanked her by calling her a failure as a parent and labeling her as the type of person who doesn't take responsibility for her actions. I'm guessing that may be the last of her informative posts.

I'm going to disagree. Her post wasn't informative at all. It was the subsequent posts of people who informed everyone how lemonade is listed on these menus and how you should actually order it if you don't want the souvenir cup that were informative.

 

[mom2rtk]

Yes, the OP should have stepped in when things started going sideways, but if I had a dime for every time I thought of a better way to handle things after the fact, I'd be up there with Iger.

We've all been there. But the difference is that the OP was considering going a step further and complaining to Disney. I think if this had merely been a "buyer beware" post, it would have had a different reception.

 

[JerseyJanice]

Most everyone has felt scammed by waitstaff a few times in their life—where extras were suggested with no mention of any additional charge. It has happened to me in Disney and at other restaurants.

In this case, it was extra annoying because it involved the kids. A child would not know to ask if the waitress’s suggestions would cost more. The parent didn’t get involved and bam! $16 worth of plastic junk was charged to their bill.

I don’t blame the OP for being mad.

 

[marikujawa]

You keep saying she was called a failure as a parent. You are the only one I see saying that. Am I overlooking a post?

#35

 

[mom2rtk]

Most everyone has felt scammed by waitstaff a few times in their life—where extras were suggested with no mention of any additional charge. It has happened to me in Disney and at other restaurants.

In this case, it was extra annoying because it involved the kids. A child would not know to ask if the waitress’s suggestions would cost more. The parent didn’t get involved and bam! $16 worth of plastic junk was charged to their bill.

I don’t blame the OP for being mad.

Of course a child wouldn't know. That's why the parent has to be listening and ready to inject themselves if/when needed.

 

[marikujawa]

I'm going to disagree. Her post wasn't informative at all. It was the subsequent posts of people who informed everyone how lemonade is listed on these menus and how you should actually order it if you don't want the souvenir cup that were informative.

Oh, I thought people get to decide for themselves which posts are informative.

Even if we accept that only the posts you agree with are informative, how would we have come by that information if the OP hadn't posted about her experience?

 

[Allison]

#35

I kept missing that when I looked.

 

[piccolopat]

It is a good thing to teach children how to order for themselves at an early age (and with that how to behave in a restaurant). A part of this should be how to handle requests for extras like this. If the child isn't told in advance that extras are not allowed, the parent simply has to be a parent and say no. Saying no is a part of parenting and it shouldn't matter if you are Disney or your neighborhood Walmart. The server was doing their job and I find no fault with what they did based on the description here. Like others, we always offered our DD the option of using her money when she wanted something we thought was too expensive or not necessary. She was (and still is) a very adventurous eater and would look for the strangest thing on the menu to order and so we had to reign her in at times. There were times when a server was unsure whether her order was OK with us and looked our way. This happened twice in a meal in Maine when DD was about 4. At the start of the meal, DH & I were asked if we wanted a drink from the bar and we declined. As the waitress was walking away, DD said "excuse me, I'd like a Shirley Temple". After dinner, we were asked if we wanted coffee or tea and again as the waitress walked away DD chimed in with "excuse me, I'd like a decaf Cappuccino". She knew that she was allowed both but the requests were quite unusual for a child her age and so the waitress wanted to make sure these were OK. I wouldn't have expected a server to ask if a souvenir cup was OK if that's what came with the beverage and was listed as such on the menu.

OP, as others suggested, use this as a teaching moment for your kids. Let them know that when extras are offered, they should always ask you first unless they are allowed (and then expected) to pay for things themselves. Your efforts now will serve them well as they grow up.

 

[HopperFan]

I just want to say that I think the OP was informative. I wouldn’t have thought two lemonades in souvenir cups could set you back $16.

I will be very careful about ordering drinks for my great nieces in the spring. They aren’t old enough yet to place an order, but I could envision a server pulling the same scam on an adult.

It is on both the adult and child's menu that the lemonade is offered in a special cup and what it costs. There was nothing hidden nor did server attempt a bait and switch. Both the children and the parents had that info right in front of them. Child ordered it, parents said nothing so server had no reason to believe that this was a problem for them.

I thought her post was informative too. But we thanked her by calling her a failure as a parent and labeling her as the type of person who doesn't take responsibility for her actions. I'm guessing that may be the last of her informative posts.

Well you can probably count me in that too. She stated she wanted her kids to order and they had a discussion about what they would order, and it sounded like a good learning experience .......... until she didn't want to speak up when they ordered an $8 drink off the menu. My guess this was not approved in their discussion so yes a parent should have just spoken up at that moment to say that was not part of the plan. But rather she blames the server for her situation.

We've all been there. We all make mistakes and have situations with our kids we wish we had done differently. Where the OP would have been informative would have been to have said ................ "Well, we were all tired and I thought I had my bases covered when I let the kids order their meals. But, they ordered the lemonade in the special cup and not only did that go out of my budget but I ended up carrying them all day. FYI to parents, if you don't want those things, make sure your kids know in advance not to order because they are on every menu. Lesson learned."

The responses have come because OP is blaming server and wants to contact Disney to complain about them. They will have the ability to track down exactly who this server is, putting their job in jeopardy. Using the OP's own story, the server was doing their job. The responses are to respond to whether she should contact Disney, about something that was really her responsibility.

We've all been there. But the difference is that the OP was considering going a step further and complaining to Disney. I think if this had merely been a "buyer beware" post, it would have had a different reception.

THIS^ 1000%. Be upset with yourself, be irritated with your kid .......... but the server only wrote what the kid ordered and the parent said nothing. Parent's silence was permission. Don't be contacting Disney about your miscommunication (especially since OP said they discussed what they were ordering in advance).

Most everyone has felt scammed by waitstaff a few times in their life—where extras were suggested with no mention of any additional charge. It has happened to me in Disney and at other restaurants.

In this case, it was extra annoying because it involved the kids. A child would not know to ask if the waitress’s suggestions would cost more. The parent didn’t get involved and bam! $16 worth of plastic junk was charged to their bill.

I don’t blame the OP for being mad.

It was on the menu, both the adults and the childrens. The parents let them be ordered.

And to OP who thought they were pixie dust .......... no, when you get pixie dust it would be like ... child ordered normal drink expecting it to arrive in a regular glass. When it comes it is in a special glass and at that point server would tell you it's a "gift from Mickey" before you have a chance to say you didn't order that glass.

It is a good thing to teach children how to order for themselves at an early age (and with that how to behave in a restaurant). A part of this should be how to handle requests for extras like this. If the child isn't told in advance that extras are not allowed, the parent simply has to be a parent and say no. Saying no is a part of parenting and it shouldn't matter if you are Disney or your neighborhood Walmart. The server was doing their job and I find no fault with what they did based on the description here. Like others, we always offered our DD the option of using her money when she wanted something we thought was too expensive or not necessary. She was (and still is) a very adventurous eater and would look for the strangest thing on the menu to order and so we had to reign her in at times. There were times when a server was unsure whether her order was OK with us and looked our way. This happened twice in a meal in Maine when DD was about 4. At the start of the meal, DH & I were asked if we wanted a drink from the bar and we declined. As the waitress was walking away, DD said "excuse me, I'd like a Shirley Temple". After dinner, we were asked if we wanted coffee or tea and again as the waitress walked away DD chimed in with "excuse me, I'd like a decaf Cappuccino". She knew that she was allowed both but the requests were quite unusual for a child her age and so the waitress wanted to make sure these were OK. I wouldn't have expected a server to ask if a souvenir cup was OK if that's what came with the beverage and was listed as such on the menu.

OP, as others suggested, use this as a teaching moment for your kids. Let them know that when extras are offered, they should always ask you first unless they are allowed (and then expected) to pay for things themselves. Your efforts now will serve them well as they grow up.

YES

 

[Colleen27]

Of course a child wouldn't know. That's why the parent has to be listening and ready to inject themselves if/when needed.

Exactly. That's part of the teaching process, IMO. And it isn't just on upsell items - one that came up for us early on was the question about butter & sour cream with baked potatoes. Because the kids would sometimes want to default to "yes" without realizing that sour cream was that white stuff they refused to eat at home. Or clam chowder - they love New England style, hate Manhattan, and needed guidance with that as a follow up question to their order.

 

[kaytieeldr]

#35

"You failed to..." is not equal to, "you are a failure."

 

[marikujawa]

"You failed to..." is not equal to, "you are a failure."

Yes, in context, I can see how that makes a big difference.

I'm sure the OP will appreciate that.

Just curious: Did you think people were commenting on OP's parenting skills outside of the matter discussed in this thread?