Board 8 > Do small restaurants offer free refills where you live?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I've been thinking about this. I tend to eat at chains a lot because I feel like the smaller restaurants tend to nickle and dime me a lot. Of all the local places around me, I can only think of one that offers free refills that isn't a table service restaurant. Everything else is a chain or offers table service. In some cases, even fountain drinks accessible to customers has a sign demanding as much as $1.50 to refill a drink. In addition, most of those places also charge anywhere from $0.50 to $2 to use a credit card. It was even at the point where a local steakhouse (where they serve steaks you cook yourself) started charging $1 (IIRC) for mini cups of steak sauce. Though I realize that things cost money, I don't like feeling nickle and dimed, so I tend to go to chains more often than not, unless I'm not being charged for every little thing.

I live in Los Angeles County, CA. How about you? Do you have free refills when you go to a small, local, non-chain restaurant?
---

refills? lol I'd be lucky to get a drink that isn't watered down piss
---

where i live no restaurants do this, small or otherwise.
---

idk I never buy drinks
---

Generally, most places have a soda fountain and yes it's free refills. Although I know of a few very small places which sell cans instead, and those aren't "buy one, take as many as you want"

turbopuns2 posted...

Generally, most places have a soda fountain and yes it's free refills. Although I know of a few very small places which sell cans instead, and those aren't "buy one, take as many as you want"

Oh yeah, I exclude those in general because cans and bottles are expensive in comparison to a paper cup, water, and syrup. I also don't count non-soda things like alcohol, coffee, smoothies, milkshakes, etc.

That said, I sometimes wonder if cans and bottles are excuses to have a no free refill policy.
---

KingBartz posted...

idk I never buy drinks

Pretty much I get water 95% of the time.
---

Most of the time, yes. Most small restaurants have fountain machines. Tea and coffee is generally refillable as well. The only type of restaurant this doesn't usually apply to are Asian variety restaurants. A lot of these don't offer refills of any sort that isn't water.

I don't see how people can drink water with a meal. I enjoy something that can cleanse my palette between courses or even breaks in eating.
---

The hell is a free refill?
---

Most small places with fountains I go to do free refills, definitely anything where you fill the drink yourself. One place I go to charges like 50 cents, I think, and has a credit card minimum.
---

MobileBlade posted...

The hell is a free refill?

it's an american thing.
---

I wonder if other countries have drinks at a reasonable price. I think the free refills thing comes from the fact that drinks are generally overpriced (but that's how restaurants make profit), but cost barely anything to provide. Therefore, refills are often free because despite the few cents of cost, they still provide a ton of profit, while making customers happier and more satisfied with their visit. If the food is cheap, the drinks pull in profit, and the refills are free, you're more likely to be profitable because more people will buy soda.

If a soda costs about 10 cents to provide, and the customer pays $2, that's still $1.90 in profit. If a refill using the same cup costs 5 cents, that's still $1.85 in profit. If a business charges for refills, I don't buy a soda, and they lose the whole $2 in revenue. Or I don't buy anything from them, and they lose whatever I would have paid for food too.
---

I used to work at a place that did free refills and one day a guy came in with an empty gallon jug and immediately started filling it at the soda fountain without buying anything

when we noticed him and told him to stop he dumped the entire gallon jug on the floor while staring my co-worker dead on and then ran off

but to answer the question it's about 50/50
---

It's almost always free, in my experience. The only time you have to pay is when it's in a bottle or can. Given how competitive the local culinary scene is, most restaurants realize they have to do them for free or risk losing customers who will go elsewhere over that.
---

some of the local mexican restaurants only give cans of Soda

but if its from a fountain, its usually free refills

HOWEVER

every third restaurant they charge you another drink if you decide to switch beverages

apparently moving their arm slightly to the right or left to get another soda when refilling a cup is worth 2-3 dollars
---

Yeah, even since my city went all communist with soda/tea/other drinks last year. Drinks cost a lot more upfront though.
Good thing I live near the border and almost never dine within the city limits.
---

Punnyz posted...

every third restaurant they charge you another drink if you decide to switch beverages

apparently moving their arm slightly to the right or left to get another soda when refilling a cup is worth 2-3 dollars

Free refills are the standard pretty much across the board where I live except for smaller Asian places - but what Pun said here is also true and it's SUPER WEIRD to me.

Like I can understand charging more if you're switching from a fountain drink to like, milk or beer, but getting re-charged for switching from one soda to another is just odd.
---