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?

I guess it would stop sharing! But I am very happy with water and don’t like fountain drinks so wouldn’t want to order endless refills of something I don’t like and don’t want.

No. A drink each

I've never come across this ever, 2 people might want a refill id never drink a refills so either have wine ( oo refillable wine) or water the rest of the table can order what they like.

Snobby or honest?

If you want a drink then pay for it

If it's the kind of place where there's a Coke/Pepsi drinks dispenser, then the restaurant will be paying literally pennies for the syrup used per drink, so won't "cost" them that much if people "abuse" it. Most of the cost will be the hire of the machine, power, providing a glass (with potential for breakage loss) and dishwashing the glass afterwards and serving/clearing the glass to/from the table (staff costs). So you're hardly costing them money by taking the Mickey a bit - it's more loss of profit than costing them anything.

Very different if it's the kind of place where you ask for another drink from the bar/waiter and they bring a new one to you at no extra charge, just because it's a kind of "bottomless" drink system.

Asking for tap water is cheap to you but sharing 2 refillable drinks between 5 people or bringing a drink in your bag is not cheap 😂

Yes this is the type of thing I mean. The syrup machines

The places I go to either refillable is the same price as just one drink or they only offer refill or juice / fruit shoot I’m talking chain restaurants

The syrup machines have a huge mark up on them and sneaking an extra few drinks out of one isn’t going to bankrupt a restaurant. But you will have staff checking out what you’re doing so it probably comes down to whether you are OK with a bit of a telling off if they notice.

All the restaurant staff what the rules are..?

Exactly they would profit more if I ordered 2 refills than only tap water 🤷🏼‍♀️

Yes, I know! But when I go to them I would rather just have tap water and would be unimpressed by any policy that everyone at a table had to order soft drinks.

I’ve never ever come across it though or heard of it from anyone except that post on here.

Anywhere I’ve worked has been pretty quick to share those sort of rules. Basic training. Any sort of all you eat/drink gets policed as otherwise your profit margins are being eroded.

Maybe its one of those things that's area specific - Im almost certain the local Nandos and Pizza Hut we go to know this goes on but just dont care, or they are scared of confronting anyone (area is a bit rough tbf)

Quite!

Everyone just having tap water = ok
Everyone just having tap water but two people also have refillable drinks, and the other two might have a bit of fizzy drink in their glasses = cheap 😆

Sounds like a good economy to me, like bringing your own drinks to the cinema instead of buying Sprite for giants 😂

DH sometimes has a few potatoes off me or finishes my wine if I'm full. Sorry madam, you must eat/drink up yourself! Can you imagine?

Oh really that’s interesting! Tbh I imagine it is the case outside of mumsnet 🤣

We always ask for table water - ie a jug. We will often then have one drink outside of water, although often I don't as I get fed up of diet coke as a T2 diabetic and want to save my carbs for the food - lol

Asking for a jug of tap water is better than 5 people sucking out of 2, communal glasses that get shared around the entire table! 🤢

ooh and in response to sharing refills - technically shouldn't share as for one person consumption usually

Not sharing refillable drinks really isn't an only MN thing.

It's just a thing.

I don’t mind sharing with my kids I’m sorry you have a problem with sharing with your own kids 😔

Well I doubt the people that do it would admit to it after how I’ve been slaughtered on this thread 😂 I spoke to a friend who said she brings a glass from home 😂 😩

I hate refillable drinks far too much but in the US it is refilled often without asking and then we often do share.

Last time I checked I live outside MN! Serving staff are on minimum wage and risk getting into trouble if a manager spots they’re letting people take the piss with unlimited food or drink. At least that’s how it worked when I did the job - admittedly I was never scared of anything more than a bit of lip from the people I spoke to, and when that happened I could tell a manager and run away.

My god!