Silly Consumerist... The system let you post the story with a question mark in the link, so it tried to do a search instead. Ok, so it's probably like that on all Gawker sites. I suppose it's not too normal.

The ? in the link is messing up the ability to get here.

Of course if people don't know how to get here, how can they see this.....

The sad part is the contents of any non alcoholic glass is pennies and yet we are all stupid enough to pay $1.99 for 24 ounces (minus 8 ounces of ice) for $.08 of soda

I got in the habit of asking for no ice before my first trip to Mexico, and it's always served me well. Movie theaters, fast food restaurants, everywhere. The benefits are multitudinous! Get more drink for your buck, prevents that disgusting watered down taste, and I have sensitive teeth anyway.

FYI- Fruit juices are WAY more expensive than soda pop.

Water is free. That's usually what I get at a restaurant.

I worked at a fast food restaurant drive thru that had the same policy and it would make me furious to have to give customers a half-full cup of soda. The amount of ice we had to put in each cup was ridiculous as well.

My dad seems to have found a way around it--he asks for "light ice", and usually the server puts in half as much ice but fills the cup up--he gets his drink chilled but with more beverage, and he hasn't had the problem of "we'll only fill it halfway up if you don't order ice".

This guy is such a scumbag. As a former food service worker, I hated, HATED people like him. He's probably the same guy who can't make up his mind and constantly needs "just one more thing" causing me to come back and forth when I have a dozen other tables full of people that aren't jackasses getting pissed because I'm not giving them enough attention.

Seriously, EVERY restaurant has the "only fill it to where it would be if the ice was in it" policy and if you're that cheap that you need to get around paying full price for a $4 drink, just stay home and cook Ramen.

Ugh. Douchebag!

He's an ass. Those mixed drinks might have been non-alcoholic, but they are still considered as such and not just a fountain pull of juice, and thus are measured out using shot glasses and the ice is considered PART of the drink.

I can totally understand people who order no ice with soda at like BK takeout or other places where your not going back for refills and they shove so much ice into the fountain drinks that you barely get any soda. But this is NOT that type of drink, even a moron would know that, and he had a set of balls to think he was in the right about it.

@Red_Eye: Soda is cheap yes, real fruit juice (which is what this guy got) is expensive, especially for the kinds of fruit that where in this drink. Even OJ is 2-3 times the price of a equal amount of soda for restaurants since your buying REAL fruit juice vs a container of mix you add carbonated water to.

$4 for some juice?! whats it made of, ambrosia?!

@mopar_man:

I was in a coffee/sandwich place the other day and they actually told the woman in line in front of me that they couldn't serve her tap water ("due to health department restrictions"). Of course they had bottled water available for purchase.

I called bullshit on them, saying that it sounded more like a way to sell bottled water than any sort of "health department restriction." Besides, they're using that water to cook with, make coffee with, wash dishes with. Cheap bastards.

The dude in the story may or may not be an ass, but it wasn't very smart of the waitress not to warn him that he'd be getting less juice if he got no ice.

Although I'm with Meghann in strongly questioning the judgment of anyone who chose to spend their money at Bubba Gump.

...actually, you know, what, I am now reminded of this time when my boyfriend & I got caught in a ridiculous windstorm and he got a piece of gravel lodged in his eye. The Bubba Gump at Navy Pier had the closest restrooms to where we were (and he was pretty much blind & in a lot of pain) but they were totally rude to us about letting us use their bathrooms.

I'm not going to dump on the guy, but a restaurant is a business and it doesn't make sense to give away product for free. If a drink's price is based on getting four ounces of juice, that's what you can expect to get. Try ordering a steak with extra steak and see where it gets you.

I had friends that liked to go there when I was in Monterey. I never did because I thought an extra layer of fiction in that town was taking it too far.

"Seriously, EVERY restaurant has the "only fill it to where it would be if the ice was in it" policy and if you're that cheap that you need to get around paying full price for a $4 drink, just stay home and cook Ramen."

I hope I never get you as the person serving me...

I've been to many restaurants and I always say no ice. I cant think of a single time..NOT ONCE where they brought me a glass half full of my drink.

You're insane and so is any company that gives you half your drink because you didnt want it loaded with ice. We know the only purpose of said ice is to rip us off so get over yourself already.

If that happened to me I would pay for my half drink and leave. Not because im cheap but because if the place i choose to spend my money decides its ok to rip me off then they dont deserve me as a customer...and I'll tell every person I know how much your eatery sucks as well.

@Rajio: No its made of mango, pineapple and orange, two of which are relatively cheap (but still expensive, about the same as cheap liquor to restaurants in price) and one of which (Mango) is very expensive (almost 4-5 bucks for 16 oz) While Im sure the restaurant could get it cheaper, its not going to be THAT much cheaper.

To compare, soda is about 4-5 cents a glass.

All parties deserve a little something: The waitress? Hereby sentenced to work at Bubba Gump. The customer: Hereby sentenced to eat at Bubba Gump. (Actually, I agree with the customer on this one, but his punishment is for going in in the 1st place). Like my momma said, RUN FORREST, RUN!!!!!

I always get water in restaurants now. The drinks just cost too much.

@d0x: Be aware this is not a fountain drink he's talking about. He's talking about a mixed non-alcoholic drink, which no restaurant, especially a chain one would serve you twice as much of if you said no ice.

@acambras:

Amazing. I've never heard that before but I agree, complete bullshit. Then there's this article
about bottled water.

@The Unicorn:

The dude in the story may or may not be an ass, but it wasn't very smart of the waitress not to warn him that he'd be getting less juice if he got no ice.

I agree. When he said "No ice," she should have said "We can do that, but you won't get any additional juice."

As for the guy, fruit juice is not the same as soda and costs the restaurant a lot more. I would not expect to get more of something like that in exchange for no ice.

However, if it's a "spritzer," it should have club soda in it, and they could have always just topped it up with more club soda. Then the guy would have been pissed that it was so watered down, though.

@acambras:

that they couldn't serve her tap water ("due to health department restrictions")

Should have asked if that's the same tap water the staff uses to wash their hands.

I order no ice because I don't like ice. But the real question is, how was the drink described on the menu? That determines who's less wrong here.

In many parts of Europe, you have to ask for water. It's not even provided as part of the normal service.

@Yossarian:

Wow, sounds like you've got some anger issues. I hope I never get you as a waiter.

If every restaurant has this policy, they certainly don't enforce it. And as long as it's not a universal rule, the restaurants who do enforce it will get pilloried, and the waiters who enforce it will see their tips reduced.

Would it have made you feel better if she'd brought you 4 ounces of juice in a 4-ounce glass, rather than 4 ounces of juice in an 8-ounce glass?

And what if, after you called her on it, she'd explained that they typically provide bigger glasses to hold all the ice, rather than phrasing it as having provided you a smaller glass than usual?

This seems to be a totally behavioral reaction. Kind of like the shoe salesman who knew that when working with women whose feet were slightly different sizes, he should say that one foot was smaller than the other, rather than that one foot was larger.

But I could see on her face that this was a no-go. She'd rather bring me another drink... FOR FREE... then give me the drink I ordered... FOR $4.

She probably thought you were trying to get the $4 drink for free after refusing it on principle. The principle being that you should get more juice than other customers because you glass doesn't have ice in it. Maybe $4 is too much money for half a glass but you can't expect preferential treatment.

she should have served him the juice in a smaller glass thereby giving him the illusion of a full glass of juice without the ice.

The waitress should have put the juice in a smaller glass. Presto! It's not half a glass, it's a full glass.

she should given him the juice, with no ice, in a smaller glass thereby providing the illusion of a full glass.

If you worked in a place where "Forrest Gump" was played on an endless loop, you'd find ways to punish your clientele, too.

@lore: This is becoming more common in the US. There's a Belgian beer bar/restaurant I frequent and for a long time they had us asking for water. They recently stopped, probably due to customer complaints. Personally, I see nothing wrong with having to ask for water, as it gives you the option of asking for mineral water or something, instead. As long as they don't charge for tap water I'm happy.
@acambras: Wasn't there some big deal a few years back that businesses which serve food are required to have water available to customers at no charge? I figured that was why the movie theater I go to offers "courtesy cups" of water that are about 2 ounces. They don't have to serve you a full cup, they just have to make free water available. (They also sell bottled in 12, 20 and 32 ounce sizes.)

I'm having a hard time believing nobody at Bubba Gump thought to use a smaller glass for the customers ordering "no ice." Using an oversized glass (oversized compared to what you're serving) is just rude.

Isn't this akin to asking for no baked potato with your steak, then expecting a bigger steak in return?

I never understood why someone thought Forest Gump is a good concept for a resturant. I don't want to think about mental retardation, the Vietnam War, amputees and AIDS while I'm ordering hush puppies.

@anecdotal: Nah, he should have just realized that they were in a corporate restaurant and that the server didn't have a lot of choices on the matter. Don't hate the server because they are stuck with that the corporation tells them to do.

I used to work for Olive Garden and I hated always bringing a wine bottle to the table. One day a recovering alcoholic cussed and screamed when I showed up with a wine bottle (he had flipped his wine glass over, apparently that is the universal sign for "don't bring wine") but I wasn't trying to be ugly or anything, just doing my part in the corporation. I would have been fired had I not follow my directions.

Oh well... I usually order water myself... $4 for anything w/o liquor is crazy.

@Yossarian:

This guy is such a scumbag. As a former food service worker, I hated, HATED people like him. He's probably the same guy who can't make up his mind and constantly needs "just one more thing" causing me to come back and forth when I have a dozen other tables full of people that aren't jackasses getting pissed because I'm not giving them enough attention.

--

Well, it is quite obvious why are you a *former* food service worker.

The waitress was not very smart. I'm sure she lost a big chunk of her tip. If I were in the customers place I wouldn't have said a word, I would have just taken the $4 out of her tip. If you have a 3rd grade education, you can figure out that the restaurant will make a profit on that juice whether the glass is full or half full.

@Yossarian:

Wow. So I guess that you hate me because I have legitimate reasons for not asking for ice -- including sensitive teeth? I don't care what you think about my health problems. I asked for no ice and I expect no ice with a smile. Just like I expect you to not put pickles on my burger if I don't want pickles on my burger.

The customer asked you to not put something on his/her food and their reasons are none of your business. They have their reasons. Get over it.

@i4ni:

I used to work for Olive Garden and I hated always bringing a wine bottle to the table. One day a recovering alcoholic cussed and screamed when I showed up with a wine bottle (he had flipped his wine glass over, apparently that is the universal sign for "don't bring wine") but I wasn't trying to be ugly or anything, just doing my part in the corporation. I would have been fired had I not follow my directions.

Crap like that and this was what almost drove my fiancee to the edge when we started dating. She literally came home crying some night the customers where so nasty to her for doing her job.

One of the best was when a couple walked away from the restaurant and never heard their name called nor saw the pager buzz. After 15 minutes my fiancee sat the next person in line. Then they came back and where so pissed off that they missed their name they THREW the pager at my fiancee's head.

Guess who ended up being in the "wrong" in corporate eyes on that one. If she had not been such a good employee she would have been fired since thats what corporate wanted her to be despite following policy and being assaulted by a customer. Not only that, but the MacSack not only gave the customer who fucked up free dinner, but a GIFT BASKET at home.

This is in part why dicks like this guy and customers in restaurants in general make my blood boil sometimes. Yes your there to be served, but they are not your slaves and they are only doing what they are told to do. You want slaves go to a 5 star 4000 dollar a plate restaurant.

As for my fiancee? I got her a job as a secretary for the alternative education program in my school district. Dirtbag gangbangers and pregnant 16 year olds treat my Fiancee with more respect than you common restaurant customer and she hasnt come home crying from work in years.

@kerry: Speaking as someone in the business, providing water on request saves a lot of money and umm,water. It seems like a small savings, but when you factor in the washing of the extra glassware etc. it really amounts to something at the end of the year.

Regarding tap water, I'm always amused when I'm offered bottled water in New York (and Rome when I get there) since the tap water is so good.

Many you people are a lot of haters. Yeah, "Trick," asking for no ice and expecting a full glass makes a guy a real scumbag. Ooooh, it is soooooo hard not to add ice.

Who the heck puts ice in Juice??? Most of the breakfast places I go to serve fresh OJ in two sizes and the menu lists the number of ounces. The juice is normally served sans ice and they have to fill the glass because the menu listed the number of ounces.

I don't have to ask not to have ice in my beer or in my wine. There is no reason I should have to ask not to have it in my juice, but if I do they have to fill the damn glass. It is not hard liquor.

The restraint still makes a profit on a full glass of juice. Even juice doesn't cost them $3.95 wholesale. Being bitchy to a customer over the issue is just stupid.

...and the analogy to a steak--hold the potato is just silly. They say how many ounces a steak is on the menu, they don't get to consider the weight of the potato part of the steak and a 16oz steak can't be 8oz of potatoes.

@Falconfire:

And she didn't press assault charges why?

@acambras: I believe it is state law in Texas that any establishment that charges for drinks (soda, bottled water, liquor) must provide an accessible source of free water (whether by water fountain or by asking a server). I'm not sure if this is the case in other states.

@bambino:

Yeah, this coffee/sandwich place is very close to my office. I'm tempted to research the statute, print it out, and show it to them when they refuse to give me even a "courtesy" cup of tap water.

And Yossarian is not someone I'd ever want as a server. I am sick and tired of sullen servers who provide bad service and then get all pissed off when they don't get the 20% tip to which they think they're entitled.

I once had a waitress put ice in after I have requested 'no ice' and then she told me that truly, I would prefer it that way because she felt that the drink was too warm. I don't want my drinks too chilled - it hurts my teeth. It did affect her tip.

Most places are happy to give me a drink without ice. If they gave it to me in a smaller glass, I wouldn't mind. I mostly get water or soda so the added 'expense' is not too much in my eyes. Besides, with no ice, I usually don't need a refill because the drink size without the ice is enough for me.

My dad asks for no ice all the time and i have never seen him get anything less than a full glass. You could always just ask for a full glass and if she says no, take it out of her tip. Of course that's not fair to her if she's just following policy but it's also not fair to you to get half a glass when you ask for a full glass. I don't think it's too much to ask for.

Most of you all joining the consumer's side have never served tables before.

I suggest before saying the server is a dirtbag or the server is wrong should stand in their shoes for a few weeks and find out what it's like to be treated like the lower echelon of spit.

1) this guy wasn't getting ripped off. Chances are likely he was getting the same amount as one would with ice.
2) If he does this as a ploy to get more drink for the same price as someone who gets less, HE is in the wrong, and his anger over the 'principle' of it is unfounded and hypocritical.