Drinks in restaurants?

[SlushMountain]

Say a family of 5 go to a restaurant, is it acceptable to buy only 2 refillable drinks and share them or is that not allowed/ frowned upon? Last time I went we spent £20 on just drinks! What do other people do?

That's a lot. Do you not produce enough saliva or only eat dry food?

I rarely need to drink with food. However, I will have a tea or coffee after I have eaten.

The drinks are only refillable because they are for one person only and they will stop when that person has had enough. No you can’t do that. If you think it costs too much then some of you will just have to drink tap water.

Will your dc not drink water OP? Is that why you are so adamantly against asking for water. No one will judge you for asking for water - you are more likely to meet with judgement if you bring your own drinks or try to swindle the refillable system. Different countries do have different social rules around table water, but in the UK it is absolutely acceptable to ask for tap water and only drink that.

You absolutely can ask for tap water for the table, as in glasses, for all of you, and then two of you order drinks you can then share. Of course you can.
in the same way, if I wanted to share my starter with someone else at the table I could, it’s not up to the restaurant, how you eat (or drink)
But, you just have to be blasé. Don’t be apologetic. Just ask for it as if it is normal.

Why buy two? Just buy one drink. And go during buffet hours, you could just “buy” one plate and feed your family of 5. Heck invite the grandparents too and have an extended family day out.

I’d be way more embarrassed to order 2 drinks for a table of 5 than to order tap water. And Pizza Hut is so salty you need a drink to go with the meal, so just order tap water if you don’t want to pay.

I expect it’s CFs who do things like this that are helping drive Pizza Hut into the ground (ie on the verge of bankruptcy and staff cut back to the bare minimum).

But yes, of course it’s unacceptable.

Yeah but they expect you to pay per person
not buy 2 refillable drinks and share them between 5

If you can't afford to buy one soft drink per person then the ones not buying can drink tap water. But I'd just wait until I had more disposable cash and go out to eat less frequently. Rather than having to think of sneaky ways to get extra free drinks.

OP, it is 100% fine to ask for tap water. I do it everywhere from lower end chains to Michelin starred restaurants. Even when high end restaurants say “some water - still or sparkling?” I respond with “just tap water please”. I can completely assure you that the staff in Pizza Hut will not bat an eyelid at the request.

The key difference on whether sharing is Ok - are you purchasing a set amount of food/drink or access to a supply for one person. Buying one lemonade and sharing it is fine, buying one refillable drink that two people use is not. Buying one pizza and sharing between 2 is fine, paying for one person to go up to he buffet but two eating the food is not, even if they only eat a little each.

I would be far more embarrassed about cheating the system and using 2 refillable drinks for 4 children than just asking for some tap water for the table which is a completely normal thing to do! Even in high end restaurants we get a jug of water as well as our expensive drinks. Helps refresh you between courses.
And no it isn't the same as 2 kids sharing a plate, it would be the same as 2 kids sharing a plate at a buffet which you probably already know isn't allowed.
Yes drinks are expensive I get that.

If you don't want to pay, don't go out to eat/drink. Simple.

Buying a bottle of wine and asking for 7 glasses is fine.
Buying a bottle of coke and splitting it five ways is fine.
But refilling a glass that was for one person and refilling it several times so 5 people can share is not ok.
I am sure loads do it though.

As others have said its a nope.

I have in the past bought my kids a kids drink like apple juice and then when they finished it had a few sips of my refillable drink rather then buy another as they wouldn't finish it.

We always ask for tap water regardless of ordering drinks anyway!

To anyone that thinks it’s acceptable…. Can I ask why you’d bother ordering 2. Surely on your logic you should just order 1 for the whole table?

I don't think you are, but I've always done it for our 4 year old, the adults buy drinks though so maybe that's why it's never been mentioned, if it was three teens doing it VS 2 adults paying it would probably be noticed and commented on.

I don't really understand the stigma around ordering tap water though, it's free!

Just ask for tap water - there is absolutely nothing at all embarrassing about it, I do it all the time and so do lots of people? Would definitely rather do this than go without drinks at all!!!

Amazing

I think it's fine to have some of someone else's refillable drink as long as you don't take the mickey and keep going up for multiple refills for the whole table. I only have a few sips of DH's 7 Up and mostly stick to water.

Last time we went to Nando's with the wider family, the payer got 3 refillable drinks and the rest waters and no one even got a refill.

But, again, your analogy is off. Sharing your starter is fine because you are given a finite amount. The OP is asking about sharing refillable/unlimited drinks - sharing means that more is being drunk. The analogy with food only works if you're talking about a buffet or other all-you-can-eat type of menu.

If you don’t like the pricing structure of chain restaurants then maybe don’t go to them. I can’t think of anywhere I have eaten this year where water isn’t available either at a water station or by the staff bringing a jug and glasses to the table. Most of these places were independent or attached to galleries/parks though. Also have never had an issue in these places about sharing food if we have been upfront and open and polite.

Asking for a jug of tap water is absolutely fine and normal in a restaurant. It is a lot more normal than asking for loads of refills of Pepsi and then passing the glass around the table for your kids to take turns drinking from it, to be honest.

To be honest, if you're going to, eg, Nando's or Pizza Hut, they're not going to care either way and are probably not even going to notice how many refills you get or who drinks them, any more than someone in McDonald's notices if your kids share a milkshake. But if you're going to a chain pub restaurant or an independent place, then don't scam the refills deal.

It’s cheap and embarrassing to share drinks. Don’t go out if you can’t afford it.

And YABU for bossing someone around on the internet, who clearly enjoys treating her family to a meal of their choice.

I suppose your kids never get an ice cream from the van because "there are choc ices in the freezer"?

I was in pizza hut with my kids the other day and I ordered 3 refillable drinks, and they didn't bring the glasses over. They just had them all out already by the drinks machine and you get them and serve yourself! Not going to lie, if I went again and wasn't getting meal deals I'd probably let the kids share a drink!

Yes I do it everytime. 2 drinks between 4/5 or 1 drink between 2/3. Nobody has ever said anything.

I ask for tap water every time I eat out and have never had any sort of bad reaction from staff. If I were sharing a refillable cup between the kids I’d be very aware that this is something the staff probably watch out for and would spend the entire meal feeling a bit stressed!