Bon Voyage breakfast - upselling to kids

[MakiraMarlena]

It is interesting that the OP is trying to put it on the server. Of course she is not happy that the kids ordered $16 worth of souvenirs with their dinner. But they are still little kids, and she is the parent, and even if she wants the kids to order their own meals, is up to her to let the kids know that she doesn't want them to order extra things.

What happened here was:

Kid: I'd like a lemonade please.
Server: OK, do you want the souvenir cup with that?
Kid: Yes! (now is the time for parent to say, no thanks, just the lemonade)

 

[brockash]

I’ve been pushing my kids (4 and 8) to order for themselves in restaurants. We talk in advance about what they’re choosing, but I like them to tell the server what they’d like rather than talk through me.


We were at the Bon Voyage breakfast the other day and had a server completely take advantage of the situation. My 4yo ordered, and then my 8yo dd asked for lemonade, and the server asked if she wanted it in the Ariel cup. Well of course she did! And then asked if she wanted the Ariel glow straw. Well of course she did!


Then the server goes back to my 4yo and asks him if he wants the Pasquale glow straw. Basically, she just sells them $16 worth of garbage with no mention of the cost, and no glance in the parents’ direction.


Now I know that some of you will say that I should have stepped in with a firm “no thank you”, but I felt like i was put in a bad spot. One, if I’m teaching the kids to speak for themselves, I don’t want to step all over that, and two, I honestly didn’t want to risk the meltdown of telling tired, hungry children that they couldn’t have what the server just offered up. Honestly i was a little stunned by the whole thing, so I let it slide. I even thought “well maybe she is gifting these items to them since she approached it the way she did”, but no, there was the $16 in additional cup charges, that I then had to carry around the rest of the day.


Has this happened to you? Wondering if I should comment on it to Disney? The lady at the gift cart in the front was a little pushy with the kids, putting the Pasquale wristlet on them, etc, so maybe it’s the restaurant’s leadership that is pushing the upsell really hard.

Yes, at the Plaza one time my son ordered s water to drink - really he just wanted a cup as he doesn't notice the taste, but the waiter automatically uphold him not just to the regular Dasani bottled water, but the fancy $5 bottled water... I didn't say anything either as I just felt like u in an awkward situation, but since then we've talked about being specific when ordering and feeling comfortable enough to ask questions etc

 

[chloelovesdisney]

I haven't read all the posts, but I think any questions regarding extra purchases should be directed toward the parents, not a child.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I haven't read all the posts, but I think any questions regarding extra purchases should be directed toward the parents, not a child.

Disagree. Any questions or clarifications should be directed to the person ordering. As suggested by other posters, a parent can certainly interrupt with an alternative response. In this case, the lemonade isn't on the menu except in the souvenir cup. Excited or not, tired or not, given that the orders were discussed in advance a parent could have interjected.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

Disagree. Any questions or clarifications should be directed to the person ordering. As suggested by other posters, a parent can certainly interrupt with an alternative response. In this case, the lemonade isn't on the menu except in the souvenir cup. Excited or not, tired or not, given that the orders were discussed in advance a parent could have interjected.

I don't find it appropriate for a server to direct this to a child in any case.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I don't find it appropriate for a server to direct this to a child in any case.

Okay, anyone who feels this way is free to order for the child. Clarifications or questions should be addressed to the person doing the ordering. A child ordering from a menu is due the same respect as an adult.

 

[sharonabe]

I haven't read all the posts, but I think any questions regarding extra purchases should be directed toward the parents, not a child.

Since you haven't read all the posts, let me inform you. This was not an EXTRA purchase. The only lemonade on the menu comes in either a Little Mermaid or Toy Story Cup and has a choice of two straws. The server was simply clarifying which one the child wanted.

 

[marikujawa]

Since you haven't read all the posts, let me inform you. This was not an EXTRA purchase. The only lemonade on the menu comes in either a Little Mermaid or Toy Story Cup and has a choice of two straws. The server was simply clarifying which one the child wanted.

The last sentence is just made up. It's not what the OP reported and you weren't there.

 

[kaytieeldr]

The last sentence is just made up. It's not what the OP reported and you weren't there.

What? This makes no sense. Whose last sentence? Yes, the server was clarifying.

 

[Dug720]

What? This makes no sense. Whose last sentence? Yes, the server was clarifying.

Exactly!

Because on the menu there is not an option for lemonade to come in anything but a souvenir glass. So without the child asking if she could get it in a plain glass, the default is the souvenir one - so the server WAS clarifying which of the cup/straw combinations the children wanted.

When studying the menu with the children, the OP should have read closely enough to see that the lemonade was only offered in the souvenir cups and made that part of the discussion. If it is not listed as a beverage option with those included, you would have to specifically ask if you could get it without the souvenir cup.

 

[Cinderella94]

The last sentence is just made up. It's not what the OP reported and you weren't there.

What? This is straight from the OP:

My 4yo ordered, and then my 8yo dd asked for lemonade, and the server asked if she wanted it in the Ariel cup.

So, that is what the OP reported. It's not the server's fault that the OP didn't see in the menu exactly what the child was ordering.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

Okay, anyone who feels this way is free to order for the child. Clarifications or questions should be addressed to the person doing the ordering. A child ordering from a menu is due the same respect as an adult.

My child orders for himself, but I would not appreciate a server trying to upsell him. I don't find that respectful.

 

[Cinderella94]

My child orders for himself, but I would not appreciate a server trying to upsell him. I don't find that respectful.

Anyone old enough to order for themselves is old enough to field questions. I can see a thread being started here quite easily, "I'm trying to teach my child to order for himself, but the server asked every follow up question to me instead of my child. How insulting is that?"

 

[chloelovesdisney]

Anyone old enough to order for themselves is old enough to field questions. I can see a thread being started here quite easily, "I'm trying to teach my child to order for himself, but the server asked every follow up question to me instead of my child. How insulting is that?"

A 3 year old can ask for pancakes, they can't field questions regarding extras.

 

[Cinderella94]

A 3 year old can ask for pancakes, they can't field questions regarding extras.

Well, that's when I step in as the parent and say "no, thanks..."

 

[Wubar]

My child orders for himself, but I would not appreciate a server trying to upsell him. I don't find that respectful.

NOT UPSELLING. Merely asking which cup the child would like their lemonade served in - it normally comes in a souvenir cup.

If you order a cheeseburger, I don't ask if you want cheese with it. You ordered a CHEESEBURGER. I would ask what type of cheese you want on it, but since you ordered a cheeseburger, I'm assuming you do, in fact, want some cheese with it.

 

[Cinderella94]

NOT UPSELLING. Merely asking which cup the child would like their lemonade served in - it normally comes in a souvenir cup.

If you order a cheeseburger, I don't ask if you want cheese with it. You ordered a CHEESEBURGER. I would ask what type of cheese you want on it, but since you ordered a cheeseburger, I'm assuming you do, in fact, want some cheese with it.

Exactly. The picture of how the lemonade appears in the menu, posted somewhere on page 2 or 3 of this thread, is critical to this discussion.

 

[sharonabe]

The last sentence is just made up. It's not what the OP reported and you weren't there.

The OP also did not report that lemonade only came in a specialty cup; that there is no mention of lemonade any other way on the menu. So is that made up too?

 

[Dug720]

My child orders for himself, but I would not appreciate a server trying to upsell him. I don't find that respectful.

How is it upselling when lemonade is only on the menu as coming in a souvenir cup which is extra??

The child ordered lemonade which comes in the $8 souvenir cup. The server was clarifying which cup.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

How is it upselling when lemonade is only on the menu as coming in a souvenir cup which is extra??

The child ordered lemonade which comes in the $8 souvenir cup. The server was clarifying which cup.

I'm going by the OP.