I think Splenda costs about 4 cents per pack retail, which is about twice as much as Equal or Sweet n Low. I don’t get why this should make any difference as to what the restaurant or deli or coffee place supplies to the customer. I like the taste of Splenda more and IMHO it’s lots healthier than the other two.
Within the last week my wife and I went out for brunch - about $40 for eggs and toast and coffee - but no Splenda. Then last night we went out for dinner - exactly $100 with tax and tip - and again no Splenda. And both of these places were happy to give us coffee refills and bread baskets as long as we wanted.
Feel free to comment in any way, hijack the thread to any other complaints about restaurants, food, cheapskates, whatever.
And BTW if anyone knows why they do this, I’d love to know.
Almost the same could be said with coke and pepsi, but you have the additional uphill fight that your ‘pepsi’ actually cost them more.
The best way to let them know is to actually let them know, ask to speak to a manager to increase your chances of your request getting to the correct ears.
I said IMHO…doesn’t that free me from having to back up what I say with cites? Actually I assume you meant the part about how it’s healthier, not which one tastes better. I tried to track that one down on the Internet, but it seems like there’s a lot of contradictory stuff out there. I just felt more comfortable with the pro-Splenda logic.
BTW I doubt that any of the three is even one per cent as dangerous as smoking cigarettes.
Were the eggs gold plated? Was the toast studded with gems? Did the coffee beans pass through the digestive track of a cat? I think you have bigger issues than the absence of a 4 cent pack of Splenda.
Not sure what you mean by that…Are you saying that I shouldn’t spend that much on brunch?
The ambience was very nice…I don’t mind paying for good things. I just think that if you’re going to all that trouble and expense to design and maintain a beautiful place then this shouldn’t happen.
I know, I know, I know…I think that’s the worst part. I always feel like Charlie Brown missing the football for the zillionth time. It’s like: “What was I thinking!?”
Reminds me of the episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm where Larry David checks into the NY hotel, and they serve him breakfast in his room that costs something like $42 (also for some basic eggs and sausage type deal).
And he complains, I love it! (because Larry David supposedly has about $400 mil in the bank. I know even if I was him, I would complain too!)
Surely your concern shouldn’t be the lack of your sweetener of choice, but rather the stress to your heart that your unnecessary frustration and rant has caused? Here’s a reason they might not have it - just because you like the taste of the stuff, enough to get worked up about it, it doesn’t mean you’re not a in a very small minority.
If it was all about cost, they wouldn’t offer artificial sweetners at all. The reality is that Splenda has rapidly become a full fledged player in the artificial sweetner market, and there’s no reason a high end restaurant should offer only 2 of the 3 major brands. You should absolutely talk to the manager and express disappointment that they chose to not offer such a standard coffee sweetner.
If you’re worried about Splenda pilfering (and it does happen), put in 2 packets per table. Then at least your customers know you serve it, and can ask for more as necessary.
The problem is that my wife and I rarely go to the same place twice. But I should give credit where credit is due: the McDonalds and the Dunkin Donuts near my office always have Splenda, and those are the only places where I’m a repeat customer, maybe because of that.
Pretty sure there was a thread that established that the chemical makeup for Splenda and Equal are identical. That said, the tastes seem different to me, also.
Hm. Personally, I choose sugar. A full sugar packet contributes all of 10 carlories to my daily intake.
Use of sweet n’ low etc to lose weight seems dubious.
But, hey that’s just me. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth anyway: as it is, I put about 1/5th of a packet into my tea. Or less.
I don’t mind if anyone wants to rant against people who spend too much on breakfast, or whatever. But I don’t think I have much interest in defending my position right now.
Prices in restaurants have gone up over the last year or so. Dropping $12-$15 at Dennys for one breakfast is not unusual* (assuming you don’t eat the $4.99 special), so $20 each for a Sunday brunch at an upscale place is not out of line at all.
While this is more than you will pay at Micky D’s for sure, but then they don’t serve your meal in styrofoam either.
*When I travel I often eat breakfast at Dennys. A lo carb omlet and coffee with a 20% tip are right at 12.00. There are other more expensive items on the menu.
I’m sure none of the sugar substitutes is as dangerous as smoking cigarettes. As someone who’s been a diabetic for her entire life, I’m just a little touchy when it comes to people criticizing my choice of artifical sweetener. If I had a dollar for every time someone came up to me while I was drinking a Diet Coke or a Diet Dr. Pepper, and gasped, “You’re going to get brain cancer!” then I’d be as rich as Croesus. Nothing’s been proven conclusively yet, and I’m going to keep sucking down my Diet Dr. Pepper (even though I use a teaspoon of sugar in my coffee.)