Why some don't like to mobile order?

[_19disnA]

I don't have an Apple phone...and I don't really want to get educated on Google Pay. My card always works...my phone is frequently dead. Yup, I'm not in my 20's...maybe if I was attached to my phone 24-7, I'd get on board Google Pay (although I doubt it), but I use my phone about once a week in normal life. This amuses my teens...but I like to see and talk to people, so if I'm not on my laptop, I'm not on the internet - I'm looking at faces and interacting with who is in front of me

Same here, my life doesn't revolve around my cell phone and I don't use it as a miniature PC when away from home. I actually think it is a bad idea to have so many things linked to your phone in the event it gets lost/stolen when out in public. Clearly those who are trying to sell you something try to make it SEEM like you just have to have certain apps/programs to run your life but most of use call that clever marketing. Things are advertised as 'secure' until there is some security breach and then it turns out it wasn't so secure after all.

I also would rather see people in person then have virtual friends online. When at home, I put my phone down and have other things to do. If doing yard work, for example, I never carry my phone............leave a message and I will call you back later. I find texting annoying and often times hard to get a context on what the other person is asking. Maybe good for yes/no type questions, but for a truly interactive conversation I prefer to talk on the phone. Some text me and then wonder why I don't reply instantly...............well I don't carry the phone at home or check to see new messages every 5 minutes.

When we were last ate lunch at Disney's BOG before covid, they had kiosks to do your ordering. Most of the Disney employees seemed annoyed that those of us inputting our order couldn't do it as fast they could. Maybe since they use it all day long they can zip/zip/zip though the screens and sub-menus, are familiar with the layout and know where everything is, but in looking around at others they were all doing it about the same as us and likely using it for the first time. It is even worse on those tiny cellphone screens and often times I find they aren't formatted for ease of viewing and there can be display or word-wrap issues. Touch the wrong part of your cellphone screen and it zooms off somewhere you weren't expecting, so clearly not my first choice for ordering...............LOL.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

We really liked mobile ordering when we last went to WDW in 2017 and for us it just didn't take long at all to do it. I know a lot of people have said they don't want to be on phones and I gather that's more of a compounding issues meaning when FP+ was around but I use my phone to take pictures anyways in fact most often that's why my phone is out.

Also when we were at DLR in 2019 we purchased MP on our phones right after getting through the gate, to put the necessary information wasn't long at all and off we went. We did use mobile ordering at DLR as well.

That said I'm almost always about "the less people know that's what you want" especially when it came to FP+ so honestly whether someone used mobile ordering or not isn't something I think about while there. I can see that the big utilization of it already since we went has impacted it so yeah.

As far as QR codes those became very big during covid as a matter of necessity so I hope people didn't just walk out of places during that. In my area if a restaurant was using paper menus they were supposed to dispose of them immediately afterwards..aka a lot of money used so I can't fault ones for trying to push QR codes. My in-laws request physical menus so I get it, my husband and I are totally fine with QR codes and based on some of the places we've been too where cleanliness has obviously taken a backseat with the menus (cause nothing like finding smeared whatever the heck it is on your menu ) there are times where being able to peruse on my phone is preferable.

I do think in this thread though there's a difference in trying to help solve a possible problem or explain why something happened one time and trying to convince someone to use it. I noticed some of the comments were taken as trying to convince someone to use it OR to give advice on something and it was construed as something that I didn't read it as. Sometimes people are just trying to pass along helpful hints or information

There's def. reasons why a preference for and against mobile ordering.

 

[Lilsia]

Actually, I always have Purell wipes with me and wipe down my phone and hands on a regular basis. Before we go in a restaurant, at the parks, we stop and use the restroom and wash our hands. If we are going to a restaurant outside of Disney, we'll sit and order, then take turns going to wash up. If the bathrooms are nasty, then we cancel our order, and leave (letting the manager know why). Dirty bathrooms in customer view usually mean lack of attention to detail, and things like that make me go "how bad is the back of the house?"......

I can tell you that after working in several food places, the kitchens are much cleaner then the bathrooms. People clean up the kitchen because it is their work zone, but no one wants to clean the bathroom because people are disgusting.

 

[Lilsia]

I'm with you OP. I used mobile order all last week and thought it was the best thing ever. It was especially nice in that they would restrict access to the actual sit-down area for people picking up orders so that there were tables available. There was no need for anyone in the party to seek and hold a table while everyone else went to order and get the food.

This is by far, the best thing to come out of Covid policies. I love that I am able to get a table and not have to walk around trying to find a table with my tray of food.

 

[Lilsia]

Same here, my life doesn't revolve around my cell phone and I don't use it as a miniature PC when away from home. I actually think it is a bad idea to have so many things linked to your phone in the event it gets lost/stolen when out in public. Clearly those who are trying to sell you something try to make it SEEM like you just have to have certain apps/programs to run your life but most of use call that clever marketing. Things are advertised as 'secure' until there is some security breach and then it turns out it wasn't so secure after all.

I also would rather see people in person then have virtual friends online. When at home, I put my phone down and have other things to do. If doing yard work, for example, I never carry my phone............leave a message and I will call you back later. I find texting annoying and often times hard to get a context on what the other person is asking. Maybe good for yes/no type questions, but for a truly interactive conversation I prefer to talk on the phone. Some text me and then wonder why I don't reply instantly...............well I don't carry the phone at home or check to see new messages every 5 minutes.

When we were last ate lunch at Disney's BOG before covid, they had kiosks to do your ordering. Most of the Disney employees seemed annoyed that those of us inputting our order couldn't do it as fast they could. Maybe since they use it all day long they can zip/zip/zip though the screens and sub-menus, are familiar with the layout and know where everything is, but in looking around at others they were all doing it about the same as us and likely using it for the first time. It is even worse on those tiny cellphone screens and often times I find they aren't formatted for ease of viewing and there can be display or word-wrap issues. Touch the wrong part of your cellphone screen and it zooms off somewhere you weren't expecting, so clearly not my first choice for ordering...............LOL.

I love texting. It was really handy before my grandma died when my sister and I were sharing her care. It is so much easier to communicate that way then to have to call every single time something came up.

 

[Alan1972]

I also love texting. I am not a young person.If you call me you had better be a 90 year old or higher relative,or on fire. calling someone for no reason is rude and a waste of time. texts are much less intrusive,I can answer them when I feel like it. if its that important text first and set up a time to talk.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I'm generally a big mobile order fan but it's not without it's issues from the technology side. The app is extremely glitchy.

Last fall, my app froze everytime I tried to submit my order at Regal Eagle. I finally approached the gatekeepers who pointed me inside to order. Once inside, I was stopped by another CM and had to go over the app issues again. I could SEE the CM standing all alone at the register but instead of letting me just.order.dinner. I had to stand with a huddle of CM's all around my phone as they prompted me to push the same buttons I had already tried, restart the phone, login and logout, and try it all over again before I was allowed to order at the register. Back in the height of social distancing, having 3 CM's standing elbow to elbow with me at my phone seemed ridiculous. No doubt they had been trained well to do everything possible to avoid someone ordering at the register.

Fast forward to this week when the MDE app no longer works on some Android phones, and it's a known issue as a pop-up comes up about it. My app is useless. We are heading to Disney for a staycation in 3 days and I literally CAN'T mobile order, much less do anything else. Knowing how ridiculous Disney is about the mobile ordering, we dug out an old phone, downloaded the app, and I can connect to WIFI once there to order. So frustrating that their technology is so bad that I have to carry two phones just to eat...

(fingers crossed Disney IT gets it fixed before then but I am not holding my breath!)

When it works, I think it's fantastic. But Disney IT (well, and technology in general) is unreliable and there has to be a better way to handle the glitches.

 

[shawthorne44]

I could SEE the CM standing all alone at the register but instead of letting me just.order.dinner. I had to stand with a huddle of CM's all around my phone as they prompted me to push the same buttons I had already tried, restart the phone, login and logout, and try it all over again before I was allowed to order at the register.

And that is ridiculous. Having mobile-ordering is one thing. Forcing that as the only option, particularly when it has real problems, is an entirely other thing.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

I can tell you that after working in several food places, the kitchens are much cleaner then the bathrooms. People clean up the kitchen because it is their work zone, but no one wants to clean the bathroom because people are disgusting.

I can tell you, that after managing everything from fast food to fine dining, over the space of 30 years, I'm not referring to dirty sinks, or trash on the floor. I'm referring to the things that buildup when not cleaned correctly daily....things like dried urine buildup on the wall beside/under the urinal or on the bolts that hold the toilet in place; gunk buildup around the sink taps. I also look at the dining area...dirty walls, dead flies and dust in the windows tell me they aren't doing a daily look through.

If the dining area, where guests can see, doesn't have the attention to detail, it doesn't reassure me they are following details in the kitchen. Are they cleaning the walk-in selves regularly? What about the ice machine? (that thing can get SO nasty) Are they cleaning the grease vents daily? Rotation of product? Proper labeling? Are they running the dishes through a complete cycle? Is anyone testing the sanitizing solutions? How can I trust any of that is being done if I can see 2" of dust on the windowsill, and dried ketchup on the wall where they sat me, or if there caked on dried urine on the bathroom wall?


I worked at an Auntie Anne's, many moons ago. It was an established location, in a mall. The office/storage was in the back of the mall, and the day I walked in to interview, it was bad. No rotation, no dates on boxes. They had a reach-in that was molded inside (storing the hot dogs and butter). The soda taps under the counter were caked with gunk. They struggled to change the sodas, because of the gunk. The hot dog water bath had a short circuit, and if you touched it when it was on, you got a jolt. The butter warmer kept the butter at 50F, which is the temperature danger zone. But the counters were clean, the pretzel hot box was clean, the floors kept swept and mopped......

 

[_19disnA]

Not clear how that relates to mobile ordering.

 

[Turksmom]

Not clear how that relates to mobile ordering.

A PP stated that they prefer in-person ordering, so they can judge the cleanliness of the restaurant before deciding to eat there

 

[Lilsia]

And that is ridiculous. Having mobile-ordering is one thing. Forcing that as the only option, particularly when it has real problems, is an entirely other thing.

I really think that the issue with ordering at the register is that they don't have a way to know what time slots are available. When you mobile order, it has a set number or orders allowed per time frame. I can easily see people trying to "skip" ahead if there is a long wait and just say that they "can't" mobile order to be able to get their food faster. It will become one of those cheats and become a problem. I like how they spread people out so that everyone has a seat.

 

[Lilsia]

I can tell you, that after managing everything from fast food to fine dining, over the space of 30 years, I'm not referring to dirty sinks, or trash on the floor. I'm referring to the things that buildup when not cleaned correctly daily....things like dried urine buildup on the wall beside/under the urinal or on the bolts that hold the toilet in place; gunk buildup around the sink taps. I also look at the dining area...dirty walls, dead flies and dust in the windows tell me they aren't doing a daily look through.

If the dining area, where guests can see, doesn't have the attention to detail, it doesn't reassure me they are following details in the kitchen. Are they cleaning the walk-in selves regularly? What about the ice machine? (that thing can get SO nasty) Are they cleaning the grease vents daily? Rotation of product? Proper labeling? Are they running the dishes through a complete cycle? Is anyone testing the sanitizing solutions? How can I trust any of that is being done if I can see 2" of dust on the windowsill, and dried ketchup on the wall where they sat me, or if there caked on dried urine on the bathroom wall?


I worked at an Auntie Anne's, many moons ago. It was an established location, in a mall. The office/storage was in the back of the mall, and the day I walked in to interview, it was bad. No rotation, no dates on boxes. They had a reach-in that was molded inside (storing the hot dogs and butter). The soda taps under the counter were caked with gunk. They struggled to change the sodas, because of the gunk. The hot dog water bath had a short circuit, and if you touched it when it was on, you got a jolt. The butter warmer kept the butter at 50F, which is the temperature danger zone. But the counters were clean, the pretzel hot box was clean, the floors kept swept and mopped......

Now you are talking about the whole place. That is not what you said in your original post.

 

[Cabius]

I prefer to use mobile ordering, but for my wife (pregnant) and mom (keto) we often had to order in person for at least some items. There aren't options in most mobile order places to get ingredients left off.

 

[NickC]

I haven't been faced with the decision yet, but, given the choice, I would order in person. I'm not a big fan of using my phone for everything. I'm actually trying to use it LESS, especially on vacation. The more stuff that WDW crams onto the phone, the less interested I am in going. I'm usually not overly chatty, but for some reason, I would always chat with CMs for a few seconds when the opportunity arose. It seemed like everyone who worked there was super happy and it added to the enjoyment of the trip.

 

[hedg12]

I can easily see people trying to "skip" ahead if there is a long wait and just say that they "can't" mobile order to be able to get their food faster. It will become one of those cheats and become a problem. I like how they spread people out so that everyone has a seat.

If Disney gave people the choice to mobile order or order face to face, there would likely be enough people ordering face to face at busy times to eliminate any time benefit. It would only be a problem if Disney continued to push mobile ordering as the main way to order. Kind of like fast pass vs. the stand by line.

 

[rainyvegandisney]

.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

I hope it is okay for me to ask this question. I am not trying to create an argument. I just cannot help but wonder why the thought of mobile ordering would turn some people off. Instead of having my own assumptions, I would like to pose the question here to get some real feedback. Moderator, if this post is not appropriate or too controversial, please feel free to delete the post.

For me, I would mobile order whenever I can. The pressure of having the cashier and people waiting behind me all waiting for me to place my order and to get out of their way is too much for me to handle. I would rather stay in my hotel room or a quiet corner in the park to place my order on the app and pick it up when it is ready. During my recent trip, I would order my family's breakfast when I wake up. Then I brush my teeth, wash my face, get changed, and leisurely walked down to the cafeteria where my breakfast is already waiting for me. Same thing for my orders at Ronto Roaster and at Docking Bay 7. I ordered at 9am for a pickup time between 12pm-12:30pm. I rode my rides, walked over to the restaurants while bypassing all people who were trying to order their lunch but had to wait for a long time. Once I stood in line for the Joffery's coffee cart at DHS. There were 8 people in front of me and there was no shade. I really wished that mobile order was available for that location so I could wait in the shade instead of under the sun..

That's just my take on the mobile order. I hope the mobile order is here to stay.

So many reasons that a cashier won't go away for good- food allergies, cash purchases, users that don't have a smart phone, visually impaired folks, MDE doesn't work--which we've had that on many mobile order.......the list goes on.

Totally tech savvy individual and I've been using mobile ordering since it came out but now that the parks are much more crowded and everyone now HAS to use it, you pretty much have to mobile order your meal two hours+ in advance if you plan to eat at peak meal times. I am not a scheduled person and now without FP+, my family and I might be in Liberty Square at noon or in Tomorrowland. We don't know what we'll be close to.

Sure, I can change it but what if at 11:30am I realize I want to eat in Tomorrowland, there's no pickup windows until 2pm and we're hungry. Not the end of the world, we can find something but mobile ordering is not always easy. And for all the reasons that you love, there is a counterpoint to each on why someone would not embrace it. It's great when it works but I'm looking forward to the cashier option returning as the CMs return to work so people don't use the app so much and won't bog down mobile order windows.

 

[shawthorne44]

If Disney gave people the choice to mobile order or order face to face, there would likely be enough people ordering face to face at busy times to eliminate any time benefit. It would only be a problem if Disney continued to push mobile ordering as the main way to order. Kind of like fast pass vs. the stand by line.

I think they're still be a huge time benefit. For example, we went to Volcano Bay with another family. We did MO and advised them to do the same. They (more precisely He) ignored my advice. Then he was ticked that "All those people who had mobile ordered got their food ahead." As if they were cutting. The plan had been for us to eat together and they left their stuff at our table. We finished and I had to wait for forever for them to return.

Mobile Order is like the Fast Pass line and the cash register is like the standby line. At any busy time, the in-person order line will get so long that people that can use mobile order, will.

The real problem is the people that place 6 lunch mobile orders because they "aren't sure where they'll want to eat." Those same people that hoarded ADR's and caused the dining no-show penalty fee.

 

[Dug720]

hrm valid point but I dont believe they have much out these days. Unless you stalk the mobile order section or when folks grab the food.

Honestly I don't recall EVER being able to walk up and see food before I ordered it other than popcorn or pretzels at kiosks. It's all prepared not only behind a counter but also a wall with merely a window through it.

You're exactly right - you'd have to stalk the mobile order section or wander around windows of the restaurants to see what the food looks like.