why do they ask?

[Lewisc]

The server asks if you're on DDP, I'm not sure why anyone would consider lying The server wants to tell you what's included, what's not included and doesn't want to have to ring up the check twice. Most restaurants let you switch from a soft drink to coffee with dessert. A few restaurants will charge for coffee. Next year the server will probably also explain that the gratuity isn't included.

Reservations asks so they can tell you if a restaurant is participating, if the restaurant requires two credits and in the case of dinner shows check the appropriate tier of tables. Initially the restaurants wanted to know because DDP tend to order more appetizers and restaurants were running out.

According to some servers the number of tables using DDP is frequently over 80% of the total. Some people are reading too many sinister motives into a simple question.

edited to say you're not calling your local restaurant, you're calling a central number that takes reservations for dozens of restaurants. That's not the same thing as calling ONE restaurant, where there isn't any question of a coupon applying.

 

[lilyv]

The server asks if you're on DDP, I'm not sure why anyone would consider lying The server wants to tell you what's included, what's not included and doesn't want to have to ring up the check twice. Most restaurants let you switch from a soft drink to coffee with dessert. A few restaurants will charge for coffee. Next year the server will probably also explain that the gratuity isn't included.

Reservations asks so they can tell you if a restaurant is participating, if the restaurant requires two credits and in the case of dinner shows check the appropriate tier of tables. Initially the restaurants wanted to know because DDP tend to order more appetizers and restaurants were running out.

According to some servers the number of tables using DDP is frequently over 80% of the total. Some people are reading too many sinister motives into a simple question.

This is a discussion of business practices. "Sinister" may be a tad strong.
I do feel sorry for servers if they indeed must explain to patrons next year that tip is not included. That certainly puts staff into a very awkward situation.

 

[Lewisc]

This is a discussion of business practices. "Sinister" may be a tad strong.
I do feel sorry for servers if they indeed must explain to patrons next year that tip is not included. That certainly puts staff into a very awkward situation.

It wouldn't be a good business practice of Disney to go ahead and make a reservation at Bongo's and then ask if the guest is on the dining plan. It doesn't make any sense to make a reservation for a tier 1 table at HDD and then ask if the customer is on the dining plan. It doesn't make any sense to make a reservation at a signature restaurant only to cancel it when the CRO tells the guest that restaurant requires 2 credits.

If your local restaurant had two dining rooms, one that accepted coupons and one that doesn't, they might ask if you're using a coupon.

It doesn't make any sense for the server to present a check only to have to redo it when the customer says he is on the dining plan. Some restaurants allow specialty beverages (smoothies) and alow a guest to swich to coffee with dessert. Some don't. It's good practice to ask so the server can explain restuarant policy.



I agree it won't be fun for the servers having to explain the exclusion of tips from the plan nor will it be fun explainng the automatic 18% gratuity on parites of 6 or more.

 

[wilde_oscar]

Well, sure, YOU can - but not every adult can read.

Wow!, you just don't get it. And you keep not getting it, and at this point you seem to be going out of your way to not get it.

Performing one's job for one's own convenience is 'gaming the system' how? There's no indication the server in any of the cases described demanded the dessert order at the same time as the meal order; in fact, at least one specifically told the Guest it was required so the server's job would be easier.

Um, Performing one's job for one's own convenience is exactly the point I am trying to make with the example of two tables one getting worked for the tip and the other a set 18%. Look at the examples others are using... if they called a local place for a reservation, would they be asked if they are using a coupon? Doesn't that sink in and fire up a light in your head even a little? The server insisting that desert is ordered with the entree? I mean come on, that is a prime example of the server not wanting to have to make extra trips to the table, because the 18% is a lock... Common, that has to be obvious.

Game the system? Mediocre service from a mediocre server is 'gaining the system' how?

You keep missing the point, further explanation is not really going create better understanding for someone that refuses to accept any ideas that are not their own, or do not fit with they world view.

Editor's note: reservationist is a word, or all those dictionaries are wrong and travel industry businesses have been seeking to fill non-existent positions for ages.
Almost any verb's active form, including strategize - which has been in use for at least thirty years - is created by adding the letter 's'. I do, however, concede to having misspelled 'transferred'.

English majors never cease to amaze me, they attack your spelling and grammar when their argument fails... though it is fun to watch them wiggle.

Although some game theoretic analyses appear similar to decision theory, game theory studies decisions made in an environment in which players interact. In other words, game theory studies choice of optimal behavior when costs and benefits of each option depend upon the choices of other individuals. Applying game theory to procedures and organisation in real life is often called gaming the system. This has a negative connotation and usually implies disingenuous behaviour" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaming_the_system

Take every post seriously, because if you see it on the internet it has to be true. How about this, I'll play in traffic, and you can have my 10 day park hopper passes... is that what you are looking for here? The OP question is why they ask. Which opens a Pandora’s box for discourse on many aspects of DDP. It has already leaked that for 2008 tips will not be included, I believe that this will improve service because the 18% not being a lock means they will have to work the table to get the tip. (Maybe it will not improve service? Maybe Earth will collide with another planet? Just because a thing is possible, does not make it probable) Appetizers will no longer be included in the base DDP. And there will be more levels of DDP, including a package for 3 sit down meals a day. WDW is a business, a fun business, but a business with profit motive. The reason they ask at every step of the process if you are on DDP has to do with profit motive. I was just trying to point out what those motives might be. Come on, how many times do I have to point out that the reasons that forums such as this are so successful is the sharing of ideas and experiences so that when you take your vacation of a life time, you can draw knowledge from others on how best to prepare know and what to expect. My experiences are different then (feel free to use a red letter) yours, I have a different world perspective. In a perfect world everyone would work hard, do their best, and there would be world peace. I don’t live in that world. My view is realistic and some times harsh, but the world is a harsh place. Let the door to reality creep open just a little… while you are the perfect server, or the perfect guest; the rest of us live day to day in a much different place

 

[salmoneous]

That is the kind of response I would expect form someone who doesn't live in the real world.

Last time I checked, I lived in the real world.

I guess you don't want your tips, or your Christmas bonus?

I wanted my tips when I worked as a server, and enjoy my bonus each year. But that isn't my motivating factor for doing a good job.

Socialism doesn't work.

Nothing we are discussing is even close to socialism.

You can ignore human nature all ya want, and provide all the training you want...

As has been pointed out to you, the majority of CM's you encounter at Disney provide fantastic service even though they aren't tipped. Tips aren't required to motivate people to provide good service.

if you have two tables, one a fixed 18% and the other you are working for a tip… if you have any self interest, you are going to work the table where the tip is not a guarantee harder.

Nonsense. I've actually waited on tables and it doesn't work that way. Providing good service to one table does not require providing poor service to other tables.

And, as has also been pointed out to you, people on the DDP aren't paying a fixed 18% tip. Lots of people tip more.

Pay is the reward for work.

Pay is one of the rewards for work. The vast majority of people do not work where the make the absolutely most money, but choose a job that balances pay with enjoyment of the job.

You must be great to cheat off of during tests, never being wrong at all.

I make tons of mistakes. Never said I didn't.

 

[theparsons]

But they DO need to tell you, in addition to all the standard information, how many DDP credits each Guest's meal will cost. That's 100% pointless for Guests not on the dining plan - but could well affect a DDP Guest's planning.
QUOTE]

Again, I would think this is only necessary at places that aren't the normal 1 for 1 use. Why would Le Cellier need to tell guests that they are 1 TS credit? Now, I could see at The Castle being sure guests realize it's going to cost 2 TS, same as being sure at places that DON'T take DDP like Rainforest, that it's not on the plan period.

An example...there is this one really delicious restuarant in town that does NOT give free refills on soda. That is SO unusual around our state that it's not only printed on the menu, but the server tells you that BEFORE you even place your drink order (usually very friendly, "we offer extra large drinks but just so you know, no free refills, what can I get you to drink".) Their glasses are shaped like old fashioned canning jars, so you get about 32 ounces, so they are larger than a standard glass at other places, but you finish that you pay for a second one! Using your statements, then should every other restaurant in town be reminding me that I CAN get free refills....hey, what a great marketing idea because us consumers drool everytime we see the word free right? (I swear that's how the marketers see us with the overuse and abuse of the word free, but I digress).

So I think only the places that have something outside the norm should even need to ask. But, hey, maybe it's marketing....word of mouth and all that.....hearing about a product (and DDP is just that to Disney...a product) multiple times makes it stick in your mind....so if you are there and somehow never heard of the DDP, being asked if you're part of that exclusive club repeatedly might make you want to buy it next time, Heaven knows overexposure has certainly worked for Disney....my girls can spot a Princess item at 500 yards and rush up to it with an "oooooo" everytime, even when they can't figure out what it actually is!! If it's got a Princess on it, they must have....thank goodness as they get older my consumerism lessons are starting to sink in, so I don't have to say no so often, now they just ooo and ahh and get over it.

 

[brivers222]

We used the dining plan last year got asked each meal if we were on the dining plan up front and if not asked, I made note of being on it for the wait staff so that he/she could tailor our meal to our plan. Had excellent top notch service AT EVERY meal.

Did it bother me that they asked about the dining plan up front? not in the least. Also we had ADR months in advance and with the menus being published online all the time we all knew exactly what we wanted for Appitizer, Entree and Dessert. I enjoyed ordering that stuff up front becuase to me there is all something to be said of the waitstaff constantly badgering a table to see if "you are all right"... makes for very uncomfortable circumstances, especially when they always seem to return to the table and ask you questions when your mouth is full.

The wait staff at Disney exceeded my expectations. Having the possibility of bad service because they were already getting a tip paled in comparison to the amount of food I was getting at such a discounted rate on the Dining plan!

 

[wilde_oscar]

Nonsense. I've actually waited on tables and it doesn't work that way. Providing good service to one table does not require providing poor service to other tables.

And, as has also been pointed out to you, people on the DDP aren't paying a fixed 18% tip. Lots of people tip more.

Not sure how I can make this more clear when it comes to the example I laid out, but never, have I ever, even come close to saying that the fixed 18% table has to receive poor service at the expense of the table that is being worked for the tip. You are really not getting it, you are seeing what I write and putting in words and meaning that isn't there.

Let's try again, shall we? The service will be different, not better, not worse, not poor, not throwing food, not throwing muses... but different... the glowing example is the server that has guests order dessert with the entree. Can ya grasp a little of that? Wow, I am amazed the extent to which people want to infer meaning that I clearly, and explicitly have explained many times... in every post in fact.

I realize that every one on the boards is, are, was an exceptional server that never had a bad day, never had a complaint, never gave less than 110%. The world would be great if that were always true, true of everyone... BUT THAT IS NOT THE REAL WORLD!

When we received excellent service with DDP we left an additional tip. But you miss the point when I use the example of 18% vs working for the tip. Ya just are not going to get the meaning and that’s ok. With the new rules... I will not be forced to tip poor service, which I believe will cause service to improve. If I am wrong you can have my 10 day park hoppers as well, while I play in traffic. Disney might be cutting costs by removing the tip, but I would guess they too are hoping for the added benefit of improved service when the 18% is not a lock.

And to make a more generalized point, yeah they ask if you are on DDP so that they can warn you what is and is not covered by DDP… ya got me on that one. But they ask so often, it seems there is more motives then just making sure you get what’s on the plan. I noticed it, others have noticed it, and that is the reason the OP asked the question.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Let’s try this again. theparsons posted

(like one right now gives you a discount ON CERTAIN ITEMS when the temperature goes over 100 degrees.....they constantly remind you that's on the discount list, like I can't read, lol).

to which my direct response was

Well, sure, YOU can - but not every adult can read.

which is fact. Not every adult, not even every adult who can dial a phone to make a reservation, can read. Being constantly reminded of a policy is understandably annoying - but in the example stated by theparsons (only), it’s likely that the restaurant is constantly reminding diners of the discount list because they have had problems in the past.

English majors never cease to amaze me, they attack your spelling and grammar when their argument fails... though it is fun to watch them wiggle.

English major? Accurately responding to the misguided and incorrect claim that ‘reservationist’ not a word (which was confirmed with actual dictionaries, not the Internet) is merely informational.

Feel free to dispute my posts, but stop attacking me.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Again, I would think this is only necessary at places that aren't the normal 1 for 1 use. Why would Le Cellier need to tell guests that they are 1 TS credit?

Great example! Occasionally, there have been posts on this board asking if Le Cellier requires one TS credit or two - not as often as the same question in reference to Coral Reef, but I don't recall (which does NOT mean it hasn't happened) the same question about any other non-Signature restaurant.

 

[wilde_oscar]

We used the dining plan last year got asked each meal if we were on the dining plan up front and if not asked, I made note of being on it for the wait staff so that he/she could tailor our meal to our plan. Had excellent top notch service AT EVERY meal.

Did it bother me that they asked about the dining plan up front? not in the least. Also we had ADR months in advance and with the menus being published online all the time we all knew exactly what we wanted for Appitizer, Entree and Dessert. I enjoyed ordering that stuff up front becuase to me there is all something to be said of the waitstaff constantly badgering a table to see if "you are all right"... makes for very uncomfortable circumstances, especially when they always seem to return to the table and ask you questions when your mouth is full.

The wait staff at Disney exceeded my expectations. Having the possibility of bad service because they were already getting a tip paled in comparison to the amount of food I was getting at such a discounted rate on the Dining plan!

Congrats on the great vacation... but your experience, while typical of many posts to the boards, is not everyone's experience.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Most Guests are asked during the reservation process if they are using/on a dining plan. When checking in at the restaurant, most Guests are asked if they’re on a dining plan. Once seated, most Guests are asked if they’re on a dining plan. This STILL, believe it or not, makes it possible that some Guests are NEVER asked. But I digress - sure, the same Guest is asked up to three times in relation to each meal (and the dining reservations CMs only ask once per call), but each Guest is new to each location at each meal. Someone telling the Hostess at Le Cellier that they’re using the DDP wouldn’t expect her to notify the Host at ‘Ohana when the Guest dines there three days later.

 

[wilde_oscar]

Most Guests are asked during the reservation process if they are using/on a dining plan. When checking in at the restaurant, most Guests are asked if they’re on a dining plan. Once seated, most Guests are asked if they’re on a dining plan. This STILL, believe it or not, makes it possible that some Guests are NEVER asked. But I digress - sure, the same Guest is asked up to three times in relation to each meal (and the dining reservations CMs only ask once per call), but each Guest is new to each location at each meal. Someone telling the Hostess at Le Cellier that they’re using the DDP wouldn’t expect her to notify the Host at ‘Ohana when the Guest dines there three days later.

Ah yes, but computers are magic.

 

[salmoneous]

The service will be different, not better, not worse, not poor, not throwing food, not throwing muses...

Since you are agreeing with the basic point that folks on the DDP shouldn't expect worse service, why the hostility towards people saying that? Anyway, since it seems we agree, time to move on, don't you think?