2

3/12/2009 9:37:13 AM

This is standard in Europe, and the cans of soda are smaller than our cans of soda. This, along with portion-size, are why Americans are much fatter on average than Europeans.

3/12/2009 9:37:22 AM

yea. and they look at you like you're crazy when you ask for ice

3/12/2009 9:38:33 AM

Quote :

"Most places LOSE money on sodas and tea."

not true

3/12/2009 9:43:53 AM

I pay 89 cents for a Big Gulp at circle k.

3/12/2009 9:44:19 AM

Quote :

"but you can also choose not to patronize any restaurant you please this thread is like the special olympics "

um, that was the whole premise of the thread


and there is absolutely no way on God's green Earth that restaurants lose money on Coke. I suggest a course in remedial addition and subtraction for anyone who thinks otherwise.

3/12/2009 10:12:25 AM

I know back in the day, at the jersey mikes i worked at the cost of the paper cup customers put soda in cost as much as the syrup contained in it. Each drink cost us about .20/.25 and refils about 10 to 15 cents. It could be done, but it was really hard to drink 1.49 worth of soda.

3/12/2009 10:34:00 AM

LOL

sodas are the biggest markup that restaurants have

the syrup in each soda costs ~$0.05 and then the rest is carbonated water

Also HUGE markup on glasses of wine too...paying $6-7 a glass for a bottle that they probably bought for $4-5

[Edited on March 12, 2009 at 10:39 AM. Reason : f]

3/12/2009 10:38:09 AM

Quote :

"if i had realized i was getting assraped for 40 cents"

Quote :

"this is the title to my autobiography"

I almost spit my food onto my computer. so hilarious!

3/12/2009 10:46:23 AM

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/ConsumerActionGuide/10ThingsYourRestaurantWontTellYou.aspx?page=1

very interesting article

3/12/2009 10:47:22 AM

Quote :

"I don't understand why more adults like myself simply don't drink soda at restaurants. I mean, there are very few foods that "go with" the taste of flavored sugar-water. You wouldn't order a cherry kool-aid with your steak, would you? ...Not to mention its only nutrient value is empty calories. Grow up -- liquid candy is NOT an everyday food. Beer, wine, water, and tea for the win. "

are you gay?

3/12/2009 10:49:12 AM

Fucking communist.

3/12/2009 10:54:11 AM

i went to a restaurant/bar in Hoboken, NJ over christmas, and 3 of us were drinking beer while one of us was drinking cola. (not coke, not pepsi)

the waitress kept bringing more colas out and did not say anything about charging for them, and by the time she left, there was a 2 dollar charge for each one. I refused to pay that part of the tab, and i didn't leave a tip because the waitress did not inform us, and the service lacked in a couple other areas.

then the dick bartender had the audacity to follow us out of the restaurant demanding we leave a tip. i told him that a waitress who gives me poor service and is rude does not deserve one dime of my money.

3/12/2009 11:08:24 AM

This free refill thing is really only a southern thing. almost anywhere else makes you pay, so that is why you wont see a sign saying "no free refills." and why places that do have it say "bottomless" or "free refills." Your ignorance should not be taken out on the waitress and restaurant.

3/12/2009 11:12:03 AM

^^^^
are you serious?
Soda is good, but it's simply not an everyday beverage -- it's junk food, and to a lesser degree, a medicament.
I'll occasionally flavor my jim beam with some coke, but why the fuck would I drink it with most meals?
"Excuse me sir, would you like some jelly beans with your filet mignon?"

3/12/2009 11:15:45 AM

i hope you're trolling

3/12/2009 11:19:58 AM

Quote :

"i went to a restaurant/bar in Hoboken, NJ "

Most restaurants in NJ don't (didn't?) do free refills.

3/12/2009 11:21:52 AM

Quote :

"This free refill thing is really only a southern thing"

so is free cups of water

3/12/2009 11:21:59 AM

Up here in NY, unless it's a chain restaurant (applebees, tgifridays, etc), a diner, or you can see a fountain drink machine accessible to customers, it's pretty safe to assume you don't get free refills...

having said that, a lot of waiters and waitresses just top off your drink without asking, and just "forget" to add that to your bill.

3/12/2009 11:25:33 AM

I know Teds will give you some ice and a couple bottles of coke for you to pour yourself. It wouldn't take a rocket scientist to understand that you would have to pay to get any additional bottles.

3/12/2009 11:37:31 AM

refill this beer for .40 please

3/12/2009 11:45:47 AM

Quote :

"the waitress kept bringing more colas out and did not say anything about charging for them, and by the time she left, there was a 2 dollar charge for each one. I refused to pay that part of the tab, and i didn't leave a tip because the waitress did not inform us, and the service lacked in a couple other areas. then the dick bartender had the audacity to follow us out of the restaurant demanding we leave a tip. i told him that a waitress who gives me poor service and is rude does not deserve one dime of my money."

Nice.

3/12/2009 11:58:11 AM

Quote :

"I've learned to live off of water."

3/12/2009 12:02:37 PM

Quote :

"yeah, but when ive spent 80 dollars on FOOD, spending 10 more for 4 very small cokes is pretty irritating."

Quote :

"Also, if you can spend $80 on food and lose your shit over $10 in beverages, then you should really be going out to eat at cheaper places."

THANK YOUUUU!!!!!! Nor should you be bitching about $10 after you just were WILLING to spend $80 on food.

Quote :

""I've learned to live off of water.""

Exactly! Maybe the OP should too as to stop her bitching.





[Edited on March 12, 2009 at 1:29 PM. Reason : .]

3/12/2009 1:24:12 PM

Quote :

"if you can spend $80 on food and lose your shit over $10 in beverages, then you should really be going out to eat at cheaper places."

3/12/2009 1:46:52 PM

I love how everyone is telling the guy that just helped finish February's food cost analysis how much money the restaurant he works at makes on sodas and tea. We give free refills and we make very little between the two (tea makes up for sodas, so we normally end up making money).

Selling soda is not the key to making money. It is a huge markup because if you don't then you have no chance at making any money. If you want to make money off of sodas and tea, you fucking charge for every glass the customer gets.

I am still lost on how you can go spend $80 on food and just drink diet cokes, but i guess that's just my mindset.

3/12/2009 2:36:14 PM

knowledge bombs being dropped ITT

3/12/2009 2:40:01 PM

I drink like a fish.. Places that charge per drink do not get my business anymore

3/12/2009 2:41:43 PM

A good meal is worth $40 per person.
Soda on the other hand is not worth $2.50 per 8 ounces.

If you can't understand the difference between quality ingredients put together by a highly skilled chef and a mix of carbonated water and syrup then I feel for you; I really do.

It's not about being too cheap or too poor; it's about expecting to get what you pay for and choosing not to make a purchase that doesn't satisfy that expectation. Assuming this restaurant is in Raleigh and not up in Yankee shitholeland I think the menu should indicate that you're paying on a per glass basis. To not do so, knowing that free refills are the norm in this region, is misleading.

3/12/2009 2:42:00 PM

Quote :

"Willy Nilly All American 1455 Posts user info edit post ^^^^ are you serious? Soda is good, but it's simply not an everyday beverage -- it's junk food, and to a lesser degree, a medicament. I'll occasionally flavor my jim beam with some coke, but why the fuck would I drink it with most meals? "Excuse me sir, would you like some jelly beans with your filet mignon?""

what? pretty much every person I have ever met drinks some sort of soda (diet) with every single meal... here in the last few months I have noticed a lot of people just getting water but for the most part its still diet coke.

3/12/2009 2:47:20 PM

^ Still though, if you're gonna spend $80 on really ANYTHING, why bitch about $10 more?? Seriously.

3/12/2009 2:48:44 PM

I usually get water and coke if I go out to dinner, but I only go out a couple of times per month. Whether it's a BBQ sandwich or a burger, sometimes you just need to feel the burn. Neither water nor beer gives my mouth the tingly feeling of a coca cola.

^ See my previous post. A really good meal for $40 every once in a while is not wasteful IMO. It's not like you have to spend that much every night.

[Edited on March 12, 2009 at 2:50 PM. Reason : l]

3/12/2009 2:49:06 PM

Quote :

"A good meal is worth $40 per person. Soda on the other hand is not worth $2.50 per 8 ounces. If you can't understand the difference between quality ingredients put together by a highly skilled chef and a mix of carbonated water and syrup then I feel for you; I really do."

exactly

OH YOU CAN'T AFFORD A $80 MEAL IF YOU CARE ABOUT $10 FOR SODAS!!!!1

that's such bullshit

3/12/2009 2:50:41 PM

look, you people... drinks in restaurants today have free refills. that is standard practice. when there are not free refills, it needs to say so, or else the patron has a right to complain. it's not about the money. clearly if someone eats at a restaurant and has a 80 dollar tab, they can afford 10 more bucks.

3/12/2009 2:51:10 PM

All i gotta say is crab. legs.

3/12/2009 2:51:24 PM

Quote :

"clearly if someone eats at a restaurant and has a 80 dollar tab, they can afford 10 more bucks."

it's not a matter of what one can afford. it's a matter of getting ripped off...which is what's happening if you get charged $10 for soda without any notification on the menu or by the server.

3/12/2009 2:54:15 PM

i bring my own soda fountain when i go out.


I'm Big Business and i approved this message.

3/12/2009 2:55:27 PM

I'm gonna disagree here; just because other places practice free refills doesn't mean another restaurant has to notify you that they don't have the same policies.

The fact she assumed it was free was her own fault.

However, it was dumb of the waitress as she probably paid for it with a poorer tip.

[Edited on March 12, 2009 at 2:58 PM. Reason : ]

3/12/2009 2:55:44 PM

I like places where you pay for each napkin

they cost money you know and they dont have to let you know that is PPN

3/12/2009 2:57:02 PM

If you didn't ask before your first refill, it's your own damn fault.

[Edited on March 12, 2009 at 2:58 PM. Reason : asdf]

3/12/2009 2:57:52 PM

If they bring it out in a can or bottle, then you assume its pay per refill.


If they just fill up your glass, you assume its free refills

3/12/2009 2:58:43 PM

hahaha

but that's the thing....it's NOT standard practice

one might argue that it's the customer's responsibility to as if the refills are free if they're THAT worried about it.

3/12/2009 2:58:48 PM

its standard practice in Raleigh NC, which is where she was...

3/12/2009 2:59:39 PM

I thought she said she was in vermont?

3/12/2009 3:01:05 PM

Hell I dont know, she asked for a list of Raleigh places so I assumed she was in Raleigh. If she was in Vermont and wanted to know places in Raleigh then I guess shes retarded

3/12/2009 3:03:09 PM

some of you are stupid if you dont think restuarants make money on soda. I dont give a damn free refills or not, when you charge 1.59 or higher for a soda, you def. make money, esp with a washable glass.....

no question that is where restuarants make money...and this is going from someone i know personally who owns 6 restuarants...

[Edited on March 12, 2009 at 3:08 PM. Reason : ,]

3/12/2009 3:06:40 PM

I don't remember either. I just assumed Vermont cause she mentioned her husband. Dude lives in canada....


I'm too lazy to go back and read/find reference.

3/12/2009 3:07:04 PM

i drink like 6 diet coks if they keep bringing me refills

I, like most, assume that soft drink refills are free

3/12/2009 3:07:16 PM

Quote :

"it's not a matter of what one can afford. it's a matter of getting ripped off...which is what's happening if you get charged $10 for soda without any notification on the menu or by the server."

exactly

3/12/2009 3:11:10 PM

set em up

3/12/2009 3:12:19 PM