# Free refills? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 26, 2009, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-refills/494376 "2009-04-26T03:03:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-refills/494376/121 "2009-05-01T17:23:17Z")
> [@I\_Am\_The\_Lorax](#): > > Did you copy-paste that or did you do an excellent job of mocking that woman? Did she ever come back? Or get banned or something? > > To the OP, most places around here have free refills. I even walked into Burger King with a McDonald’s cup, filled it up, sat down and drank it to see if I could. I could. Nobody tried to stop me. > > I have also been one of those Denny’s customers that sits with friends for two hours drinking coffee. But I tip about 300% on those occasions, _especially_ if **she ORDERS FOR ME_and refills it WITHOUT ASKING!!!11!!1!_** Copied. I wanted one of her earlier works so I chose page 5, which is about where I believe she started and bam! this was the first post of hers I saw. It was all one post. I even snipped a bit myself. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-refills/494376/122 "2009-05-01T17:23:50Z")
> [@I\_Am\_The\_Lorax](#): > > Did you copy-paste that or did you do an excellent job of mocking that woman? Did she ever come back? Or get banned or something? > > * * * Okay, it would appear I need to be let in on a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-refills/494376/123 "2009-05-01T17:24:55Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > Copied. I wanted one of her earlier works so I chose page 5, which is about where I believe she started and bam! this was the first post of hers I saw. It was all one post. I even snipped a bit myself. I was trying to figure out how a somewhat regular poster with such terrible writing skills had escaped my attention. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-refills/494376/124 "2009-05-01T18:18:27Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > Copied. I wanted one of her earlier works so I chose page 5, which is about where I believe she started and bam! this was the first post of hers I saw. It was all one post. I even snipped a bit myself. Who is this woman? Does she go on to rant about how her shrink refilled her on Zoloft when she wanted to switch to Xanax, because she was in the mood for Xanax, and in fact she has open bottles of both Zoloft and Xanax at home? ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-refills/494376/125 "2009-05-01T18:54:56Z")
> [@constanze](#): > > Whuh? I can assure it’s not this reason at all in Europe, because we have the custom of people sitting around for hours in a restaurant. Eating out is not about how to maximize profit for the business, but to have an experience. Yes, there are plenty of really nice restaurants here that are also about having “an experience” (although usually the bar tab means that the owners are happy that you are there for hours). Plenty of restaurants in fact encourage you to stick around, like the cafes and bistros that have comfy couches and books. However, most of the fast food places that serve fountain drinks are not based on that type of business model. McDonald’s is not generally considered to be “an experience” type of place. It’s business model is all about serving as many people as you can quickly and is very definitely about maximizing profits. That’s why they are called “fast food” restaurants to begin with. I’ve also seen time limits posted at the entrances to restaurants like Wendy’s and McDonald’s. Particularly in high-traffic urban areas or fast food joints that are really close to high schools. > [@constanze](#): > > Wow. You have to wolf down your food that fast? I wonder why people want to eat there. Bingo! In fact, many people DON’T want to eat there. I can honestly say that I can’t remember the last time I ate at a fast food joint that served fountain drinks, free refills or otherwise. I don’t like that kind of environment. I prefer a dining experience, not just a quick meal. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-refills/494376/126 "2009-05-01T19:01:46Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Okay, it would appear I need to be let in on a joke. It’s from this closed thread: > **[Bad tippers.](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=509580)** > > This is not quite a rant, more trying to understand this mentality. So, I am currently a waitress as I finish up school. Generally, I enjoy my job and my coworkers and don’t actually dread going to work. Plus, it pays the bills. But I, obviously,... The fun starts around page 5. Ed ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-refills/494376/127 "2009-05-01T19:26:49Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > It’s from this closed thread: > > [Bad tippers. - The BBQ Pit - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=509580) > > The fun starts around page 5. > > Ed I remember that thread. I think I quit it before it got to page 5. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2009, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-refills/494376/128 "2009-05-01T21:03:32Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > I remember that thread. I think I quit it before it got to page 5. Yeah, you’d have thought that a tipping thread couldn’t get much fresher here on the Dope. We’d really pretty much hashed out every angle there was. But if you quit reading before page 5, you truly missed one of the most amusing threads ever. I don’t recommend reading through it all. You’ll go insane. Besides which I think you’ll pretty much get the gist of the next 12 pages in one or two. But as it was happening, I couldn’t tear myself away from the saga, waiting for the next Springs1 update. We now return you to your regularly scheduled Free Refill GQ, already in progress. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2009, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-refills/494376/129 "2009-05-02T04:43:45Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > I know an Australian is not gonna sit here and try to tell me about the English language . . . Why not? What, exactly, does the fact I live in Australia have to do with my grasp (or, as you appear to be implying, lack thereof) of the English language? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2009, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-refills/494376/130 "2009-05-02T04:53:57Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > Why not? > > What, exactly, does the fact I live in Australia have to do with my grasp (or, as you appear to be implying, lack thereof) of the English language? 😕 Ok, I guess you can’t take a joke, so I’ll put it this way: People didn’t say “iced tea” where I grew up. They said tea or ice tea. It’s probably about the equivalent of you hearing someone walk around saying “Good day. Good day.” ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2009, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-refills/494376/131 "2009-05-02T04:59:20Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > Ok, I guess you can’t take a joke, so I’ll put it this way: People didn’t say “iced tea” where I grew up. They said tea or ice tea. Odd, but then “Tea” here exclusively refers to hot tea (you know, the stuff the East India Company made so much money off back in the day) and Ice Tea is a rapper turned TV star. The beverage you’re referring to is exclusively known as _Iced_ Tea, and you can also get Iced Coffee too. Mmm, Iced Coffee… 🙂 > [@](#): > > It’s probably about the equivalent of you hearing someone walk around saying “Good day. Good day.” We do get members of the Royal Family visiting sometimes, now that you mention it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2009, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-refills/494376/132 "2009-05-02T05:38:20Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Yeah, I don’t get that. Why would anyone order anything other than the smallest cup with free refills? Because when you supersize it, to get the largest fry size, you also get the largest pop size. 😃 Also, around here McDonalds currently charges the same price for all pop sizes anyway. $1, whatever size you want. It’s a limited time special, and they don’t do it in all areas, but they’ve ran this deal at least once before. > [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > Ice Tea is a rapper turned TV star Where do you think Ice-T got his name from? From the drink ice tea. Ice and iced are both acceptable variations. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2009, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-refills/494376/133 "2009-05-02T05:45:47Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Where do you think Ice-T got his name from? From the drink ice tea. Ice and iced are both acceptable variations. Only in the US, it would seem. I’ve never heard it used by anyone I know either in Australia or NZ. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2009, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-refills/494376/134 "2009-05-02T06:18:32Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > Only in the US, it would seem. I’ve never heard it used by anyone I know either in Australia or NZ. What about ice cream? Does anyone other than Mr. Burns actually call it iced cream? Well, and me when I imitute him exarctly. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2009, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-refills/494376/135 "2009-05-02T07:09:09Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > What about ice cream? Does anyone other than Mr. Burns actually call it iced cream? Well, and me when I imitute him exarctly. Only a few really elderly folks… when I worked in an Ice Cream Parlour (way back in the day, from the period when my recollections of my youth are presented in the style of a 1920s silent film) you’d occaisonally get elderly people asking for an “Iced Cream”, sometimes with a “Brown Derby” (chocolate dip) as well. But no, I don’t know anyone besides Monty Burns (and people parodying the sort of people Mr. Burns is himself a parody of) who refers to an “Iced Cream”. ---
**Author:** ![Screwballyou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f475e1/32.png) [@Screwballyou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Screwballyou)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-refills/494376/136 "2014-06-16T19:46:02Z")
@Constanze : All American coffee tastes like “fucking close to water” ? Don’t they have a Starbucks in Berlin ? I suggest that you do some research before you travel to America. Personally, I think that paying $5 for a tiny cup of anything without getting free refills, as in Europe, is complete bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2014, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-refills/494376/137 "2014-06-16T20:21:07Z")
**Screwballyou** , we usually allow reviving old threads in General Questions only to add new factual information. Since this thread is more than five years old, and the poster you are responding to hasn’t posted in almost two years, I doubt you will get much of a response. I’m going to close this. If you wish to discuss American coffee, I suggest you open a new thread in Cafe Society. Colibri General Questions Moderator [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/free-refills/494376.md?page=6)