# Restaurants that take your drink to refill it **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 11, 2009, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-take-your-drink-to-refill-it/492779 "2009-04-11T22:45:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-take-your-drink-to-refill-it/492779/21 "2009-04-12T20:02:01Z")
Moving thread from IMHO to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![fighting\_ignorant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ac8455/32.png) [@fighting\_ignorant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fighting_ignorant)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-take-your-drink-to-refill-it/492779/22 "2009-04-12T22:13:35Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > For that matter I can NEVER understand how people can eat food without having a drink to go with it. Whenever I go out to eat with my dad, for instance, if his beer or water is empty and he’s waiting for a refill, he will go right on eating fries, bread, spicy stuff, etc, sometimes for up to five minutes until the drink is refilled - with NO liquid at all. > > If I try to eat even more than two bites of any substantial kind of food without water to drink along with it, I get a choking, dry-heaving type of feeling immediately. I MUST have a drink along with my food. I noticed the same thing a few years back… it came on gradually so I didn’t really think about it until one day I just realized I could literally not eat most foods unless I gulped water. I went to the doctor, he ordered an upper endoscopy, and they found I had a certain type of acid reflux where you don’t feel the acid, but it does damage anyway, and my esophagus had swollen quite a bit. If left untreated this can cause serious damage such as cancer, ulcers, etc. Definitely see a doctor about this. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-take-your-drink-to-refill-it/492779/23 "2009-04-12T22:19:06Z")
Y’all don’t need **me** in this thread, do ya? Thought not. Okie-Dokie 🙂 I’m gone!🙂 Q ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2009, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-take-your-drink-to-refill-it/492779/24 "2009-04-12T23:22:35Z")
> [@vandal](#): > > No napkins? So how did they expect you to wipe off your hands and mouth? In the same way as people manage when they eat a meal at home? (I’m presuming there was a source of running water available…) ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-take-your-drink-to-refill-it/492779/25 "2009-04-13T01:33:06Z")
> [@vandal](#): > > No napkins? So how did they expect you to wipe off your hands and mouth? They weren’t really concerned about it. ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-take-your-drink-to-refill-it/492779/26 "2009-04-13T05:13:18Z")
> [@bathsheba](#): > > The MOST important thing is that they ASK FIRST!!1!! Otherwise it’s just 100%!! **RUDE and LAZY**!!!11!! **Yeah!** And don’t do it _ **OUT OF ORDER** _ either!!!111!!!oneoneone _ **I was HERE FIRST** _ 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-take-your-drink-to-refill-it/492779/27 "2009-04-13T05:23:45Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > For that matter I can NEVER understand how people can eat food without having a drink to go with it. Whenever I go out to eat with my dad, for instance, if his beer or water is empty and he’s waiting for a refill, he will go right on eating fries, bread, spicy stuff, etc, sometimes for up to five minutes until the drink is refilled - with NO liquid at all. > > If I try to eat even more than two bites of any substantial kind of food without water to drink along with it, I get a choking, dry-heaving type of feeling immediately. I MUST have a drink along with my food. Yikes! Other posters have pointed out that you may want to get this looked into. I agree that it is not normal. A lot of posters have indicated a preference for having a drink, but you really ought to be able to eat without one if need be. I don’t really care that much about the drink, and will frequently not order a drink and forget about the water completely. I’m trying to get into the habit of drinking more water but I very really feel the need to while I am eating. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-take-your-drink-to-refill-it/492779/28 "2009-04-13T15:56:36Z")
Whether you drink a lot or not during meals appears to be entirely a matter of personal preference, unless it gets to the extreme of an actual reaction. I’m in the take in liquid after every bite of food category. My wife can forget to drink throughout an entire meal. That’s not pathological, it’s just normal human variance. That means that if I need a refill during the meal, and I usually do, I don’t eat until it comes back. I hate that. Sometimes, though, even ordinary non-alcoholic drinks have to come out of the bar and there’s always a backup at the bar. Drink refills are pretty low priority for restaurants, especially free drink refills, so I sorta get it. But I still hate it. And yes, not having a drink being better for your digestion is an old wife’s tale. It’s better to drink, actually. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-take-your-drink-to-refill-it/492779/29 "2009-04-13T16:21:38Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Whether you drink a lot or not during meals appears to be entirely a matter of personal preference, unless it gets to the extreme of an actual reaction. I think it was the “choking, dry-heaving” part that had people concerned–at least that’s what has me concerned. I generally don’t drink until after the meal, if at all. ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-take-your-drink-to-refill-it/492779/30 "2009-04-13T17:52:49Z")
Man, apparently I’d freak out a bunch of people. I usually just get water at a restaurant\* because I only will maybe drink 1/4 of the glass most of the time. A good portion of the time there will be a couple of sips taken, but other than that it’ll be just about full at the end of the meal. - Used to get a diet whatever pop, but I’ve just about eliminated pop from my diet. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-take-your-drink-to-refill-it/492779/31 "2009-04-13T18:09:36Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I can understand wanting to have a drink on hand if you’re eating something spicy, but this is the first time I’ve heard of someone not being able to go without a drink for even a minute or two. I wonder if your salivary glands aren’t working correctly. > [@vandal](#): > > That’s actually not normal. I would get that checked out. > [@Cicero](#): > > Yes- you may have hiatus hernia problems. > [@Antigen](#): > > Seriously? Needing a sip of liquid for almost every bite? Seems a little weird to me. > [@Driver8](#): > > Yikes! Other posters have pointed out that you may want to get this looked into. I agree that it is not normal. > [@fighting\_ignorant](#): > > I noticed the same thing a few years back… it came on gradually so I didn’t really think about it until one day I just realized I could literally not eat most foods unless I gulped water. I went to the doctor, he ordered an upper endoscopy, and they found I had a certain type of acid reflux where you don’t feel the acid, but it does damage anyway, and my esophagus had swollen quite a bit. If left untreated this can cause serious damage such as cancer, ulcers, etc. Definitely see a doctor about this. Ummmm . . . shit. I have the same problem as Argent Towers. I cannot eat anything without sipping liquid while chewing. And lately I’ve been going into coughing/throat-clearing fits for up to an hour after every time I eat. That’s happened a couple other times over the last few years and lasted a month or two each time. What exactly did you say to your doctor, and what exactly was the condition? I have a problem with the doctors in my area. First of all, they always give you a nurse practitioner when you schedule an appointment, and to be honest, a lot of them don’t seem to know what they’re talking about. You can request an actual doctor, but then they rush into your patient room 45 minutes late with an attitude like you’re bothering them, ask you what’s wrong, stop you halfway through your description and write you an Rx, and then rush out. I’ve been to at least a half dozen doctors offices since living here and they all operate this way. It’s really frustrating. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-take-your-drink-to-refill-it/492779/32 "2009-04-13T18:13:34Z")
> [@bathsheba](#): > > The MOST important thing is that they ASK FIRST!!1!! Otherwise it’s just 100%!! **RUDE and LAZY**!!!11!! > [@Tamex](#): > > **Yeah!** And don’t do it _ **OUT OF ORDER** _ either!!!111!!!oneoneone _ **I was HERE FIRST** _ WTF? ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-take-your-drink-to-refill-it/492779/33 "2009-04-13T18:15:08Z")
Just so you people know, I may have exaggerated it a little bit. It isn’t painful for me to eat food without drinking water, it’s just uncomfortable. And I can’t enjoy the food unless I have water. I don’t literally choke or get dry heaves if I eat without water - I just get a slight feeling that feels a little like those two things. It also usually causes me to hiccup. Theoretically I could eat a whole hamburger and fries without a drink - I could do it, it would just be unpleasant. I would be hiccuping a lot, probably, and afterwards I would slit someone’s throat for a drink. But it wouldn’t be the end of the world. At a restaurant, though, I want my drinks to be topped off consistently. I can’t enjoy the dining experience at a restaurant if I am forced to eat my food without a drink. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-take-your-drink-to-refill-it/492779/34 "2009-04-13T18:29:09Z")
> [@snailboy](#): > > I don’t really have this problem. I may have exaggerated a bit in my first post. Most foods I can eat for a couple of minutes with no major problems, but it feels better to have some liquid to mix it with. Drier foods, especially cheeseburgers, tend to give me the hiccups. If cheeseburgers are “drier food” either we are going to very different types of places for our burgers, or your usual food is soup. Or, I guess, you have them burned to buggery in which case I have no sympathy for you. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-take-your-drink-to-refill-it/492779/35 "2009-04-13T18:56:36Z")
One of the only times I’ve not left a tip was the time I was eating at a mexican restaurant. I ordered a margarita at the same time I ordered my meal. As usual the drink came first. By the time the food came, I had finished my drink. The waitress gave me the food, and then disappeared for half an hour. I ate the entire plate of food looking out for her to wave her over to order another drink, or at least a glass of water. By the time she checked on me again, I was done. No drink for the duration of the meal. I explained to her why I wasn’t leaving a tip and complained to her manager. And of course that restaurant is no longer ever my first choice for a place to eat. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-take-your-drink-to-refill-it/492779/36 "2009-04-13T19:35:05Z")
> [@bathsheba](#): > > The MOST important thing is that they ASK FIRST!!1!! Otherwise it’s just 100%!! **RUDE and LAZY**!!!11!! > [@Tamex](#): > > **Yeah!** And don’t do it _ **OUT OF ORDER** _ either!!!111!!!oneoneone _ **I was HERE FIRST** _ > [@KneadToKnow](#): > > WTF? [Start at post #247]([http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=509580&](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=509580&) page=5) and follow the insanity… ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-take-your-drink-to-refill-it/492779/37 "2009-04-13T20:05:50Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > One of the only times I’ve not left a tip was the time I was eating at a mexican restaurant. I ordered a margarita at the same time I ordered my meal. As usual the drink came first. By the time the food came, I had finished my drink. The waitress gave me the food, and then disappeared for half an hour. I ate the entire plate of food looking out for her to wave her over to order another drink, or at least a glass of water. By the time she checked on me again, I was done. No drink for the duration of the meal. I explained to her why I wasn’t leaving a tip and complained to her manager. And of course that restaurant is no longer ever my first choice for a place to eat. I think I would have hunted down a manager after about 10 minutes. It might have been just that one waitress, so I would have given the restaurant another chance. If I got the same treatment, then I would have crossed that place off of my list of places to eat. ---
**Author:** ![snailboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/97f17d/32.png) [@snailboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snailboy)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-take-your-drink-to-refill-it/492779/38 "2009-04-13T20:10:53Z")
> [@villa](#): > > If cheeseburgers are “drier food” either we are going to very different types of places for our burgers, or your usual food is soup. Or, I guess, you have them burned to buggery in which case I have no sympathy for you. The patties and cheese may not be dry, but the bread pretty well absorbs liquids. I’m just taking a guess that the bread absorbs a lot of gastric juices inside my stomach and the reaction is hiccups. Maybe it’s actually for some other reason, but I know I get hiccups when I eat ham/cheeseburgers really quickly without drinking, especially ones that aren’t dripping with grease. I haven’t noticed it for any other food. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-take-your-drink-to-refill-it/492779/39 "2009-04-13T20:21:49Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > [Start at post #247]([http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=509580&](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=509580&) page=5) and follow the insanity… Jesus wept. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2009, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-take-your-drink-to-refill-it/492779/40 "2009-04-13T20:27:53Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > [Start at post #247]([http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=509580&](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=509580&) page=5) and follow the insanity… Because this is becoming a common problem… We’ve had the option to set the default post count for a page to 200 for, oh, a year or two. So when you tell people page 5, or set the URL to page 5, I see posts starting with 801, not 201. 50 posts per page is not the standard any more. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-take-your-drink-to-refill-it/492779.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/restaurants-that-take-your-drink-to-refill-it/492779.md?page=3)