The Art of the Upsell
Order an apple pie and a coffee at a McDonald’s Drive Thru and they’ll ask you if you “want fries with that.” Regardless of whether or not it matches the meal, staff are trained to squeak an extra few pennies out of every purchase.
Supersize? Cheese? Appetizer? Dessert? No wonder we’re big fat fatties, restaurants are making it “cheaper” to eat more.
Over the next week and a half, you’ll notice another round of decent upselling with Dine Out Vancouver hitting the city’s restaurants. It was launched as a way to get people to visit restaurants during the lull after the Christmas holidays. The bait is pretty good too, a chance to eat 3 course meals at some high end fancy pants restaurants for $15/$25/$35.
If you’re taking the restos up on their offer, I’m sure you’ll find those aren’t the only “deals” on the menu. They’ll have some $45 and $55 prix fixe options as well. Oh, and don’t forget the wine pairings, they’ll serve that up for an extra $5 – $10 a course.
The press releases and websites will all trumpet a chance for a couple to sample some fine food for about $50, but once you’re tempted by the seared ahi tuna instead of the mixed greens, the Joie Noble Blend pairing instead of still water, the tax and tip – you’re lucky to get out for less than $100.
I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, I’m just saying Dine Out can be like a trip to Costco – all you want is a big ass jar of peanut butter, but you walk out with a tv, pool table, dvd player and 100lb bag of potatoes.
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