Sorbis/Shutterstock
Ever notice how fast-food chains always try and upsell you on bigger menu items? Well, one man from Texas did. Now, he's crusading against Burger King's dishonest upselling practices.
Burger King’s New Tactic
Savvapanf Photo/Shutterstock
From Burger King to McDonald's fast-food has never shied away from upselling, like mast restaurants. However, as Glen Tharp, from Houston, Texas, discovered, there's something dishonest about the way they do it. Every time he would head to Burger King, he noticed that the cashiers at the drive-thru always offered him the medium or the large option - never the small one! "The girl automatically said, 'Medium or large?' So I said, 'I only want a number 6.' And she said, 'medium or large' with a higher tone," Tharp explained to Click2Houston. "To me, it's not right to do that to the customer. I think it's dishonest... It's the principle about it." Especially since the medium size costs 54 cents more!
Of course, Click2Houston wanted to ensure that Tharp was telling the truth. So, the Click2Houston team decided to test the theory at seven different Burger King locations. Out of the seven, five offered a small, medium, or large combo. However, the other two only offered medium or large. That's 40%! "When we replied asking if a small was available, the employee said yes," the team members said.
Sadly, this types of dishonest upsells are nothing new...
The History of Upselling
Sombat Muycheen/Shutterstock
Click2Houstonare from from the first to expose fast-food upselling. In 2007, a writer for The Dispatch tried ordering a meal at Bojangles in Davidson County, North Carolina, and received the exact same treatment. When he ordered the Chicken Supreme combo meal for $4.99, the employee asked if he wanted a medium or large. He picked medium. "She asked for $5.86 and handed me a rather large drink [...] The combo meal I ordered for $4.99 was a small combo," the reporter said. "I was never asked that, only medium or large. What a scam!" There's a way around this: if you want a small, always remember to order or ask for a small when ordering. No reason to be rude to the cashier or hold up the line.
As you can probably guess, almost all fast-food joints do this type of upselling. According to industry magazine QSR Magazine, Carl's Jr. ranks number one in upselling, followed by KFC, Hardee's, and Arby's. "But of course, profit is the main objective, as suggestive sells drive higher check averages," the research said.
Sources: Food And Wine Magazine, The Takeout.
