Free Refills on Soft Drinks and other Beverages

[Waitman]

How about not refills, but drinks?

I don't much like flat water if I can have fizzy water. I will happily drink seltzer/soda water from a fountain or a bar gun - it doesn't need to be bottled mineral water. I don't want pop, or lemonade, or iced tea, I just want fizzy water. Most places understand that I want fizzy water rather than flat water and will happily provide such in place of water (as long as it's fountain, and not out of bottles). But some places charge. And they don't just charge once - they charge for each refill. (Note, I tend to sit at the bar most of the time, so these requests are made of bartenders rather than waitstaff.)

Yes, Domku, I'm looking at you when I say that. It has happened in other places, but lately it's been consistent at Domku.

So I don't get it - insight?

Are you drinking booze as well?

Personally, I expect to pay for anything that doesn't come out of a tap.

[saf]

Are you drinking booze as well?

Personally, I expect to pay for anything that doesn't come out of a tap.

Yes, and generally in good quantity. (And there are usually several people, all drinking booze.)

Tap, as in water faucter? If so, yes, I agree generally, but I just have a hard time thinking of soda water from the bar gun as more than water.

[Waitman]

Are you drinking booze as well?

Personally, I expect to pay for anything that doesn't come out of a tap.

Yes, and generally in good quantity. (And there are usually several people, all drinking booze.)

Tap, as in water faucter? If so, yes, I agree generally, but I just have a hard time thinking of soda water from the bar gun as more than water.

Yeah, when I wrote that I was thinking of the times I order club soda with lunch at a table, and assume that I'll be charged same as a coke. And, of course, if you're at the bar and that's all your drinking -- I think bartenders have a moral right to charge for tapwater if someone's taking up space at the bar.

But if you're paying good money for real booze, I'm totally in your corner. I suspect I'd get snippy and tip poorly in a situation like that. Nothing like being nickle and dimed to make you want to keep your folding money in your pocket.

[saf]

Yeah, when I wrote that I was thinking of the times I order club soda with lunch at a table, and assume that I'll be charged same as a coke. And, of course, if you're at the bar and that's all your drinking -- I think bartenders have a moral right to charge for tapwater if someone's taking up space at the bar.

But if you're paying good money for real booze, I'm totally in your corner. I suspect I'd get snippy and tip poorly in a situation like that. Nothing like being nickle and dimed to make you want to keep your folding money in your pocket.

Indeed - club soda at a table, especially with no other drinks, is effectively a coke. And were I alone at the bar drinking seltzer and nothing else, also agreed. Now, when there are 6 of us, 5 drinking beer/wine/booze and one drinking sprite, the one drinking sprite rarely gets charged and I very much appreciate that. (Our non-drinker tips quite well, as he appreciates the pop.)

It's just that it's happened several times recently, at 3 different places, where I order a drink with a seltzer on the side (and often food too), and the club soda is getting charged at $1.50 a glass, and it does baffle me.

[Pat]

It's just that it's happened several times recently, at 3 different places, where I order a drink with a seltzer on the side (and often food too), and the club soda is getting charged at $1.50 a glass, and it does baffle me.

At a place I did regular business, I would not expect to be charged for club soda on the side. At an unfamiliar place, I wouldn't be surprised if I got charged.