Charged for Beverage Refill at Gordon Biersch

Now, what gives you the gall to think that everything would be free,
particularly if you changed your beverage??? Why should any refill be
free??? Insanity.

who says ALL refills are free? Oh I'm sorry.. YOU do, therefore they
ALL should be free refills. :eye roll:

The only way you can tell for sure if a refill will be free is if you
ask. Any time a server offers me a refill, if I'm concerned about a
charge, I ask how much it will be. And if I want a different type of
drink, I ask how much it would be to get that one instead.

I understand that you were on a date, and so you wanted to look like
money wasn't an object, but when you do that, you run the risk of
spending more than you anticipated. Next time, remember that
communication is the only way to avoid mistakes like this.

where i worked, this was a gray area. sometimes a customer would
order a soda and the second time around request a different kind of
soda or even tea or coffee. since they all cost the exact same we
could charge them or not. it may not be completely fair, but i based
it on how nice they were to me. nice people didn't get charged an
additional price. Jerks did.

I don't know that I would be requesting a coupon or gift certificate,
but I would be a bit peeved with the wait staff for not clarifying
your order.

You were asked if you wanted a refill, and your server said nothing
about the new charge until after the drink was delivered. That would
have been your cue to say "oh, I thought this was considered a refill.
My apologies, may I have a refill of my Coke instead please?"

you pay for the cup, not the drink. you can get a refill of any
fountain beverage without paying extra. shouldnt have left and paid
for it, too late now

I'm glad i'm not your date if your that cheap you dont want to pay for
an extra drink. Consider this...It's on TAP. if it was a normal
foutain drink I can understand but Gordon Biersch is known for the Tap
Root Beer...

I think it was just a miscommunication. Since the server said
something about it being a new drink or whatever, and the customer not
understanding that it was a new charge.

Server probably should have been more clear, but I honestly can't see
getting all worked up over a drink that's likely not more than 2, 3
bucks at the absolute most.

If you don't have the stones to bitch about it in front of your date,
then don't slink off to your computer to whine that you want a coupon
for your 2-3 dollars after the fact.

Maybe this is one of the reasons I'm broke all the time, but I just
can't see being so petty and cheap like this. I guess that's how alot
of cheapskates save money? Who knows.

Ah - I veered off on a tangent again, as usual. But thanks for posting
this and solving the mystery.

On the one hand, you did not order a refill, as many before me have
said. You ordered a new drink. To me, switching drinks without
specifically mentioning to the server that the original choice (Coke,
in this case) had something wrong with it means that you are ordering
a new and seperate beverage. And as others have stated, the fact that
it came from the bar makes it possible that it did come from a bottle,
not a tap, and was poured into a cup for your convenience.

On the other hand, the waitress should have notified you when you
spoke to her about the root beer if there was to be an additional
charge. Granted, if she asked about a refill and you requested a
different drink, she may have assumed you did not expect a free
refill.

I suppose, in the end, this is a good example of making a big stir
over something silly. I think bringing this up to the company so they
are aware that customers may percieve this differently is great, but
asking to be compensated a few bucks for a misunderstanding is a bit
petty.

the worlds cheapest man.


PS... as a bartender I can assure you they most likely had to open a
can, 99.99% of soda fountains do NOT carry root beer on the gun, we
open those from a can and put it in a cup. Same for most diet soft
drinks other than diet coke/pepsi.

I dated a guy like you years ago, he was so cheap he would actually
eat half his meals and then send them back saying they were awful, get
new ones then package them to take home for the next day or demand
them free, even if it was the best meal he ever ate.

needless to say we only had a couple dates.

How do you know the Root Beer wasn't in a bottle before the server
brought it to you in the glass?? A lot of times they do this- how
nice of them to pour your drink for you...

Hmmm......Who knows? Maybe they did it because it was a different
"flavor" of soda? Those greedy business owners...

One time when a bunch of us coworkers went to lunch, one of our
friends left his iced tea unattended for a few minutes; we
instinctively pour a pile of salt into the tea.

One slurp later, he "spewed all over the place". He of course asked
for a new tea. When the bill came, he was charged for two teas, but
nothing for the subsequent refills.

Here is the idea; two distinct cups = two charges. I am sure your Root
Beer wasn't put into your coke cup. If that was the case, you'd be
writing about your foul tasting drink instead of the $2 you were
charged for the second soda.

I hope they send you a coupon for a free drink; that way you'd have to
spend another $10 - $15 for another meal just to redeem it. In the
end, they are out about $0.25 (the actual cost to them) and you are
out the cost of the meal minus their profit. They win in the end and
your GF finds out what a cheapskate you are.

I think the operative word here is REfill - - being the refilling of
the same drink you originally ordered.

Maybe you had expected the root beer to be treated as a refill of your
original beverage (Coke) but obviously the restaurant didn't feel the
same way.

You ordered a Coke and then wanted a root beer - - two beverages, two
charges.

I can't believe you fired up your computer to write a letter
requesting compensation for the cost of one soda - - what are we
talking about? $2.00 tops?

But I will say good move not creating a scene in front of your date
over this situation as looking cheap never makes a good impression.

You didn't ask for a refill. You asked for a new drink.

I am with the restaurant on this one. You ordered a brand new drink.
Customers could sample every soda on the menu and only pay for one, if
they got a different soda each time. You are being cheap and petty
about this and are not entitled to a coupon or gift certificate for
any amount.

Refills usually apply to the same drink. If you got a refill of the
coke it would be different but getting a refill of a different drink
would make it not a refill, but an entirely separate drink. It can't
be a refill if you didn't have it before. I don't think you're a
scammer, I think you just didn't understand how refills work.

What I think may have also happened is that a lot of restaurants have
root beer on 'tap' at the bar. These are usually more expensive than
just a fountain Coke or Sprite. Root Beer comes out just like beer
beer does, and costs more to order an upkeep. Smile, those are free!

You got a new kind of pop. I have never been given a new flavor for
free. The menu prob. said free refill. But, I'm guessing it did not
say free refill of any new flavor. Chalk this one up to a learning
experience. It's only two dollars. I hope your date does not read
this on PFB cause it will prob be the last date you guys go on!

I agree, your root beer refill should have been free. If you were
going to be charged, you should have been warned of that in advance.
Lemonade and cranberry juice (and other juices) almost never have free
refills (juices are more expensive than fountain pop), so if you'd
ordered on of those, I could understand an additional charge.

I don't think you should be asking for any refund or a coupon or
anything. You really should have spoken up at the time. Consider it
a lesson learned.

Okay, I don't understand the replies to this one at all.

If all the soda comes from the same fountain, why does it matter
whether someone switches from Coke to rootbeer to Sprite? It's syrup
and carbonated water. Or am I missing something?

I just don't get it. Sounds like the restaurant was being very
picayune by charging him ~ especially with the vague statement by the
server. If she had said what she did to me, I would probably conclude
that she was explaining a delay in bringing me my drink, not telling
me that there would be an extra charge.

I just got back from a NASCAR race where I paid $7 for a 24 ounce beer
and $4 for a bottle of Pepsi, if 2 bucks causes you so much
aggrevation, maybe you should stay home and eat Ramen Noodles.


Grow up my friend; I am betting your date had a great time. She was
probably to afraid to consider appetizers or dessert; wouldn't want to
for you into Chapter 12.

Uh, aside from the thoughtful and sensible replies below, I have just
one question:

I checked the website, and couldn't find the cost of one non alcoholic
beverage. However, if my experience lends me any knowledge, a soft
drink couldn't have cost more than 2.00-2.50 at the very most.

Are you seriously telling me that you are quibbling over 2.00 and want
a gift certificate for that amount?

Damned good thing you didn't mention this in front of your date. I
would have gone running for the hills.

Be logical; in the grand scheme of things - was the 2.00
misunderstanding really worth getting upset about and writing a letter
asking for a refund over?

Man-up and move on. Lesson learned.

Ok, you did not get a refill, you got a new drink. The waitress
mentioned that you go to the bar to get it so it would show up on your
bill.. theres a BIG hint right there. Your just trying to get free
stuff when its obvious, by what the waitress said, that it would cost
extra. They shoulnd't give you anything. You admitted you understood
the extra charge.

If you didn't want to quibble about the bill in front of your date,
why? Is it because you thought your date might get the idea that you
are cheep and petty? I would say that should have told you to drop
it. Live and learn.

Nope, sorry. You got a new drink. New drink, new charge. Where on
earth did you get the idea that you could do a switcheroo and try to
get a drink refill, get another drink and not expect to pay for it?

Just because it was in the same cup (or probably a new cup) that your
original drink came in does not mean that it's free when you decide to
get a refill.

I'm calling shenanigans on this letter, 100%.

Peter,
Not to split hairs but your root beer was not a refill it was a root
beer.
I think you are correct in that you should have refused it upon
delivery even though you were as you state a little confused.
Charging for refills is a common practice and one best found out about
in the ordering process......
Caveat Emptor.
Here is a site for the chain.
BillR.

http://www.gordonbiersch.com/restaurants/index.php?pg=location&sub=loc
&location_id=17

You know, generally I say that if you don't say something at the time,
you're out of luck. In this case, though, I completely understand why
you would be leery of arguing the bill. I haven't been single for
quite some time, but as I recall men that quibbled over the bill on a
date generally didn't impress me much!

That said, while I understand your point of view, I'm really not sure
if I agree with you. I can see it from both sides, and I'm sure that
the restaurant's point of view is that you ordered two separate drinks
and were charged as such. One other thought: you did not see a
bottle, but is it possible that the whole "getting the root beer at
the bar" thing meant that it was poured from a bottle into a cup?

In any event, I hope your date went well, and that this experience
won't sour you on this restaurant in the future. Like I said, I see
your point, but if this was the only problem you experienced, it
really was pretty minor in the grand scheme of things. Good luck!

I should mention that refills are NOT free at every restaurant. I
think this is where to consumer has to beware and not make
assumptions.

In this case, I have to agree with the other posters; you ordered one
beverage that apparently was fine and decided to switch to another
one. This is not considered a refill; it is considered a new beverage.
I would consider this a lesson learned.

I'm not familiar with this particular restaurant but I've switched
drinks and haven't been charged. I can't recollect if I mentioned not
liking one drink for another but chances are that would be the only
time I'd deviate from my original drink.

Next time I dine out I'm going to try to remember to ask a few places
if that is procedure.

While I agree that surprises on the bill are unpleasant, I don't think
you should have been surprised in this case.

The problem is that there was no problem with your first drink. The
way your letter is written, you had a Coke and then you decided you
would like to have a root beer. You didn't mention there was anything
wrong with the Coke.

Therefore, you ordered two drinks, IMO. I hope the date went well.

Your last line said it all. "Refills are free" You did not get a
refill, you got a new beverage and were correctly charged for it.

The only time I expect to get a refill of a different beverage for
free is when the drink I originally ordered doesn't taste right for
whatever reason. Otherwise, I assume that if I choose to switch my
beverage choice I will be charged for it. Had it really been that
important to you, you could have spoken to the waitress at the time
that she told you the root bear would show up on your bill. I suspect
though that this would have been a terrible way of ensuring a repeat
date with that special someone you were with. So I say you learned
your lesson and suck up the what, $2? you lost.