Whenever I order drinks, I always ask them to go easy on the ice. I am not really a fan of getting drinks with ice stacked from bottom to top. I am OK with less drink just not the load of ices.
Today I saw this - they are now charging people who want less ice. Why?
do we get a discount if we ask for extra ice
Sorry. Extra ice is going to cost you an extra $0.50.
They’ll charge you for it even though they’re maxing the cups with ice already.
I imagine they normally put in maximum ice to minimize the amount of drink that you get. So less ice means more drink, thus the upcharge. Not saying I agree with this. It's cheapskate AF.
But what they're saying is just dont add more drink and leave the drink less full because theres less ice. Then they aren't losing money on ingredients, and I still have less ice
Then people bitch that their cup isn't completely full like it is when they get normal ice. I see it all over social media all the time. People ordering light/no ice to try and get more drink, then they bitch when it's the same amount of liquid but not full to the top (because there is light or no ice).
I am not saying everyone who orders light/no ice is like this, but a lot of people are because they think they are "pulling one over" on the restaurant. I'm not surprised that places start charging for light/no ice and then filling the cup all the way with drink of choice to avoid the negative backlash from those trying to beat the system.
my local coffee stop charges the same for hot coffee and iced coffee so it actually creates the opposite effect where it's more cost effective to buy a hot coffee then pour it over ice at home
You pay extra then for a "customized order".
Next up "Oxygen tax" you know, cos you were breathing while waiting.
https://preview.redd.it/2y7mivl6n96g1.jpeg?width=1427&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9359a146c9b6b1cf1201848884b9ed801ac3480c
Always surprised me that lollygagging is way cheaper than standing.
Jokes on them I’ll hold my breath until I walk out the door
They charge extra for that
No you just get extra mold
Actually it's another $.25 for extra ice , it comes in an extra cup, which also costs another $.25 for the cup so another $.50 and then of course taxes
You add multiple ice option, they end up paying you.
Nope. Not even much room left for extra ice anyway.
2% for repeating the order twice.
Vote with your feet
I know you mean to walk away but I’m going to interpret it as a roundhouse kick.
Given their username, those are both very generous interpretations
lol I thought the first comment was funny but this was gold after looking at the username
The ol Roadround (House)
So kick coffee cup in the store?
I assumed you heard the price then started frowning and tap dancing in front of them
"Order for Dalton? You need to pay an extra $0.25 for the extra sug-"
If the cup is filled to the same level you actually have more drink, justifying the quarter IMO.
Chuck Norris style
Yeah kick them in the face next time
Instructions unclear. Feet voted for different parties now they can't even agree on which way to go!
Less ice = more coffee.
Ice is basically free, while all of the other ingredients are not.
I don't even want "extra coffee'" I just don't want ice in my drink
I like to savor them but the ice waters it down
Technically, having less ice will water it down a lot faster than having lots of ice. Picture a single icecube in a glass, it will melt a lot faster than if it was in a glass full of ice.
I'll rephrase it as I want 0 ice
Watering down faster or slower is often not the concern if someone wants less ice; it’s ratio of water to beverage. If I had an ocean of coffee and one ice cube that melted immediately, I’d never notice it. If I had an ocean of coffee and a second ocean’s worth of ice in that coffee, and took a little bit of time to drink it, I’d just have an ocean of gross coffee.
The poster you’re replying to is saying they like to savor the drinks. Less ice means less water in the drink overall. They’re likely savoring the drinks beyond the time it would take a full serving of ice to melt completely.
[deleted]
I have seen shops that measure the amount of coffee in a drink with a graduated measuring cup.
Yeah I know, economically this just makes sense. They budget the cost of the drink with the ice at the original level.
How tight are the profit margins? Is it really so tight that light ice merits an upcharge?
There isn't much profit margin on a cup of coffee. I have had several clients over the years that had coffee shops and cafes.
Not saying I don't believe you but that's just crazy because a grande mocha at Starbucks is $5.65 for example, which seems pretty typical. Really feels like it just can't cost that much especially with Starbucks famously underpaying and understaffingEdit: yeah I understand the errors in this comment, thanks for the info
Payroll, taxes, lease expenses, equipment purchase and maintenance, supplies, and other overhead and operating expenses are all calculated in. Profit margin on a drink is around 10%, so that 5.65 mocha only nets the company around 57 cents after all of that is accounted for.
I have another client that manufactures renovation items. The retail cost vs the cost of producing a door, for example, nets a 60% profit margin, but when you calculate advertising, transportation, maintenance, software expenses, etc it take the net profit to roughly 15-20% depending on the style. They charge for modifications, as well, even if it is removing something because then waste and waste disposal is added in, as is the time spent creating the customization.
Yeah I had a friend who ran a coffee/snack food truck and the coffee was a loss generally. Made their money on the pastries.
People automatically think that if you own a business you are a greedy gazillionaire.
Then they turn around and go to Starbucks instead of a local shop.
I make it a point every time I'm down where they are to visit bc they sold the truck and now have two retail spots. Best donuts I've ever had.
Mm yeah I see your point bill edit my comment
Have you been paying attention to anything the last year? Coffee is the most expensive it's ever been.
The stable genius did finally acknowledge that maybe tariffing coffee from the world's largest producer because they're prosecuting his criminal buddy is stupid. But that was only a few weeks ago, so it will be a while before that impact is felt.
I mean, if 4 people get light ice you've basically comped a drink. Or 5 people, or however much ice is taken out. Unless they're measuring the coffee part and just not filling the cup then that'll get around and suddenly everyone wants light ice as they get more.
This is so lame . How much “ extra “ coffee are you getting? Is it advertised as a 12 or 16 oz coffee ?
If I have to deal with the pettiness I will simply not patronize your shop . I bet they expect a tip for doing their job also .
That seems to indicate that they, unlike some others, will actually fill your cup if you ask for light ice and therefore you are actually getting more product than someone who got regular ice.
then they should call it an "extra ounce" fee or just fill the cup less
I agree.
I am glad to be one of those who likes just plain, black coffee. So much easier to do at home, and I don't have to try to be a chemist to replicate my favorite cup!
Light ice means the cup contains more coffee product than usual. For Starbucks and other companies, they measure portion sizes including the ice. It’s like going from a medium to a large when you get light ice. Or they just don’t fill the cup any higher.
Yes, how about they just don’t fill the cup higher so you can see just how much they’re actually stiffing you on coffee with all that ice!
Cause then people complain about their half filled cup and its a bad look brand wise to send people out with their half filled cup.
Now we’re getting somewhere. Transparency is key.
Which was what I am used to - my cups aren't filled up any higher and that's OK, but no matter the cups, it's always stacked to the brim with ice first. I am actually buying ice and a drink.
Correct - that’s what you ordered. You aren’t ordering a coffee, you’re ordering a combination of these items to create the item. Removing an item wouldn’t have it replaced with another from the recipe, like removing ketchup from your burger doesn’t mean they add another patty. The recipe for your iced-whatever calls for X-oz of ice, and that is what you ordered and purchased. Modifying the size modifies how much of each ingredient - including the amount of ice..obviously none of this is rocket science nor something anyone doesn’t understand.
The issue is you can’t explain the absurdity of expecting another burger patty when you asked for no ketchup to a customer who has that mindset to begin with. Charging a “stupid tax” to avoid having to explain things to irrational people is the reality we live in now.
Let’s be real, this is just yet another front of what we all know as shrinkflation
It’s harder to make cups smaller without noticing. Especially since they are usually sized by ounces
So how do you make a 16oz coffee smaller? Ice
I don’t think anyone here has a problem with ice in their drink or the idea of having to pay more for extra of certain things. It’s that 5 years ago itd be a inch or two of ice and now it’s a full cup of it
Because your cup was designed with that amount of ice and the corresponding amount of liquid. If you fill it with less ice, either you get more liquid (and whatever it is, the liquid will cost more than ice and most coffee shops operate on low margins that can't withstand giving everyone 10-20% extra for free) or they give you either a smaller cup (cue complaints) or a non filled cup (cue even more complaints)
You could try to explain to every customer requesting this that less ice still gives you the same coffee, it just looks less filled etc, but honestly you gave hundreds of customers a day and no one gets paid enough to do that, nevermind that will still lead to complaints.
You simply can't win. The fact you can request less ice and make a non standard product is already a win, any you get more coffee this way. The main fail here is to list the less ice as an "add-on" rather than call it coffee deluxe or some BS and charge a bigger premium.
Whats the point of going out anymore.
Edit: The stupid thing is the cost to produce the ice is greater than the small amount of extra whatever they would use to top the cup up with.
Ohhhh, you don't want to go out? That'll be an extra dollar. I'll shoot you my venmo, thanks
hi venmo here, we’re gonna need a portion of that plus a convenience fee. i’ll send you my paypal.
Remember to include a line for tip, convenience charge, and round up campaign
TIL ice costs the same as coffee.
Where did you come up with this lol ice significantly cheaper than coffee
Everyone's defending it saying if they add more product it's fine.
But these coffee shops started adding more ice so they could add less coffee to begin with.
Literally just "marking it up, just to mark it down and call it a sale."
Bingo!
Y'know how you could prevent that? Take that measuring cup you use to put coffee in the drinking cup, read what it says, write that on your menu.
Yeah. It’s a cost cutting measure. I don’t like ice in my drink because it dilutes whatever I’m drinking leaving it tasting bland or just nasty.
But then again I’m not buying iced coffee to begin with. Usually it’s soft drinks that I order without ice.
Some places just fill up with water if you go light ice.
If I ask for light ice though it's really because I want less ice. Not my fault products are designed to shortchange us in the first place by literally watering shit down
You mean that coffee shop you used to go to ?
What kind of coffee shop is this?
Blended they charge?
Heavy cream is a dollar?
Less ice means more expensive ingredients. Otherwise you’d complain that it wasn’t filled up all the way and post it here.
Well then there's more actual coffee, so yeah, it would cost more.
It’s such a disgusting practice.
Customer is paying for X.oz of product, not x+ice. If customer wants 16oz of product, with ice, then you put it in a bigger cup to compensate.
Capitalism failing yet again.
It’s only capitalism if you return to keep buying it.
The choice is truly ours.
I think I'd find a new coffee shop
IF they're adding extra product (coffee/drink) in place of the ice I can understand it and that's not terribly unreasonable a price. Tbh that 'extra sweet' seems less justifiable than the 'give me more coffee/drink' price.
You get 4oz of drink and that’s it!
At least no ice isn't being charged. I'd do that.
Time to find a new spot
I mean clearly it was wrong for them in the first place to add tons of ice to reduce how much product you get.
But now that the cat's out of the bag and they are already doing it, they can't allow people to say no ice as a workaround to get more drink than other people.
Not defending it,, it just seems like they are stuck now their decision so I get why they are doing this, even if it's a crappy thing to do
Heavy cream is 1.50$?
Don't go there
Yeah the other day I ordered a burrito at a heath food place and it was like 20 bucks, I was expecting a big burrito. It was not and they give you HALF!
Happens a lot at bubble tea places - pay extra for no ice!
No ice will costs me?
Are there tariffs on the ice too
What about no ice? 50 cents more?
A lot of calories in ice.
diabolical.
No ice it is
Of course they do
Back during the Great Depression, did people know it was going to be the Great Depression? Or was it more like the gigacope we are suffering under now?
Guys it’s time to be self sufficient, you don’t need to go and buy coffee every day. Make your own stuff and thrive. This is why corporations have all the money just pure laziness.
Starbucks started this but didn’t actually execute. Shame on these people.
I want septuple ice. Apparently that's free, so, yes.
They are charging for effort. That used to be included in pricing.
Doughnut shops charge extra when you pick your own doughnuts now as well. Its 100% bullshit.
Now hold the fvck up, when you're getting a dozen and you have to get their picks or they charge more?
What dystopian Dunkin' Donuts land is this place?
Edit: don't fill half the box with the dry vanilla cake donut that no one wants to eat unless it's 1:30pm and you haven't gone to lunch yet and it's the last one so you'll eat it to calm the hunger pangs.
Gimme some jelly filled, Boston creme, creullers, chocolate covered, some festive holiday jimmies
Yup. The local places just started doing it.
"put my ice on the side"
Only because you let them.
start to order a coffee, ask for little ice, get told about charge , tell them nevermind, they say okay normal ice, you say no nevermind about the order. then you walk out and never return
Are they giving you more coffee? I worked at a coffee shop years ago and if someone ordered light ice they got the same amount of coffee / milk just with less ice. Some people just don't like watered down coffee drinks.
And that's why I make my own espresso in the morning and whenever I want. Coffee shops are so expensive I mean for what you pay for one medium coffee, you can make roughly 50 cups of your own.
Vote with your wallet.
I'd do the same. People will still buy coffee at silly prices
I can't think of anything other than them filling the drink to the same level with light ice and charging for that.
If they dont I cant think of any reason to charge more?
Tell them to enjoy the quarter and you will be going elsewhere
No, sorry, it’s diet ice, not less ice. ‘Light’ ice has less calories.
Can I get ice on the side
I would immediately let them know they are no longer receiving my business, and walk out.
“Then don’t fill it all the way, I’ll add more milk when i get home”
Ask if the ice can be in another cup?
No ice it is.
I'm okay with it as long as light ice does not mean only fill it half way with ice. I want an inch or less.
I'd stop going there
NO ICE!
“Ice on the side”
lol if I get charged more because I want less or no ice, then that business can fuck off. I don’t like watered down drinks, and unless I finish the mf in 5 mins, it’s gonna be watered down.
Another good reason to brew your own coffee.
That would be my very last transaction at that shop.
Usually non-dairy milks are more expensive than extra heavy cream.
Order extra ice 3x.
Throw in garbage.
And a buck fifty for cream?! See ya later.
Just . . . no. If you get a hot, 16-oz. latte, you get 16 oz of the drink. If you get iced, those 16 oz. are displaced, but you're charged the same price. You should not be charged extra for claiming back lost liquid.
$1.50 for cream is more egregious
The lesson is voting for people that make all things more expensive is bad.
There's a Thai place across the street from me that does this with their Thai Iced coffee/tea.
I'd be okay with getting a smaller amount of the drink to compensate for having less / no ice. I get no ice in my drinks because it takes me so long to drink it all the ice melts. I'll buy a drink put it aside while I'm working and periodically take a sip. I hate having a watered down drink by the time I get to it.
Oh hell no
Don’t go
As they say Less is more.
https://preview.redd.it/1gmzklgoaa6g1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=26f88fe1748c6b8862618352d48ef2fe17e81629
You want less of something? Obviously you have to pay more for it!
Sounds like a good way to get me to go easy on the tip.
Get regular ice, then dip your hand in, pick out some cubes and throw it on the table/counter.
When I forget to tell Starbucks “light ice” with my grande whatever.
I was charged $0.50 for no ice in a medium drink at sonic. Then to make it worse they left out my cherries. Haven’t been back. F them.
Vote with your dollar
Simple, don't spend money there anymore.
It doesn't have a "no ice" charge. Time to start ordering it that way. Lol.
You're paying for coffee, not ice. Ice should be free, whether you want it or not.
I’ve seen this at a lot of Bubble tea places
I'm only on with this if I get more coffee with the light ice. If you just take the ice out and still pour the same amount of coffee into the cup I'll be irritated.
Tell a manager that's why you're not going there anymore, and then don't go there anymore.
Id skip this shop for shizzle
Less ice means more coffee. Capitalism has reached new levels of insolence :(
"oh I see I have to pay if I ask you to go easy on the ice, how would it fill if I remove it myself AS SOON AS I get the drink ?" And you dump the ice on the counter.
So that means more coffee right?
…right?
Less ice means more coffee
Because to fill the cup you have to put in more of the drink. This sint really new to places but it is unusual to see it listed
You know full well you ordered light ice so you can get more coffee.
One shop I have visited in the past would actually put the drink in first, and it's already at the desired measurement. The amount of added ice will then depend on how full the cup is. But lately it's the opposite - fill the cup first with ice and then add the drinks after. Some ices are bigger, taking up more room. So in retrospect, you are actually getting less drink than you used to pay for.
Edit to add: The wild thing is, even after adding the ice after pouring in the measured liquid first, the cup still gets full without ice stacking the cup. So basically adding ice first is taking away more drinks.
Also, the main reason I ask for less ice is that I am a fast drinker and am annoyed with having a cup full of ice after I am done. I don't even drink the diluted water so I am basically throwing away the ice they give me anyway. Most times I am just dropping the cups filled with water in recycled bins.
that's not how Starbucks does it, not when I worked there anyway. The iced cups literally had a line on it to where we would fill the liquid, and then add ice afterwards. So everyone always got the same amount of liquid. Frapps got filled all the way to the brim.
I’d argue the smaller ice like sonic takes up more room. Less space between
It does mean more of the drink and less frozen water. I think it’s fine
Technically that’s more liquid than they normally serve, it is extra.
Maybe because use extra milk or whatever to compensate for the lack of ice?
Yup. Coffee has a high profit margin but can add up when youre a cafe
Better to just increase you prices to absorb the cost. People understand prices are increasing and wont think twice paying an extra 40 cents, most wont even notice.
Obviously, people notice this charge, and as it's not intuitive why less costs more, people just wont come back.
Because less ice means more milk, syrup, and coffee. Those things cost money and the cost of the drink is based off of their profit margin for a drink with the volume of ingredients used normally when there is more ice. It's the same reason that a lot of places will charge you if you ask for one drink to be split into 2 cups - the cost of the drink accounts for the COGS, which includes one cup, not two.
Seriously, it's easy to spot anyone who has never been responsible for finances in a business based off of viewpoints like these. They expect the business to pay more so they can have something their way.
Do they fill to the top? Light ice means more drink
Go to another cafe, priceless.
I would never go to a place that charges me extra to not have my drink watered down
It sounds like the drink comes standard with a certain amount of ice, and with this they're giving you more product and less ice.
so give the same amount of product by filling the cup less.
I think this is the best answer personally, though customers absolutely do complain if their drink is a little low in the cup.
People would complain more
Peoole complain about this. I bet you could negotiate to get that without the upcharge. Most people that ask for "light ice" want the former, so now it's the default here.
So they would charge more for no ice?
Yes, it means more drink which is usually more expensive than the ice.
apparently i am playing devils advocate based on responses in this thread… but yes, they should charge more to meet your “expectations” of ordering light ice
“light ice” isn’t a cheat code to “more of the good stuff”
you would complain if you got a cup that was now half full simply due to less ice.. you know this.. they know this.. so they charge more to meet your expectations
call me crazy, but if you truly wanted light ice (ie: no side benefits of it), then you’d be ok with this small up-charge considering how much more beverage you get? that, or you are saying you are ok with a glass half-full?
edit - upon re-reading, you did say you are cool with a half-full cup. i won’t delete my comment though, because i feel you are the minority OP
If they actually fill the fucker, a quarter for it ain't bad.
My husband and I were at a restaurant that charged him for having his pickle, tomato and onion from his burger on the side, 50 cents each. We got that taken off our bill and just never went back.
He has bad luck with asking for no tomato, onion or pickle and getting it anyway, but for some reason never has an issue getting them on the side, lol.
They clearly want their customers to go elsewhere. It would only be polite to oblige.
They’re basically charging you for the crime of wanting… the actual drink you paid for 😂
Restaurants figured out “ice = free filler” and “less ice = more product” so now they’re just openly monetizing it instead of pretending it’s about preference.
https://i.redd.it/4u8krlwn0a6g1.gif
It's because less ice means more drink.
Well, light ice means more product in the drink. So its not without justification if you think about it.
Yes, because they’re pouring more drink into it so yeah, that makes sense. Don’t want to pay extra for things make it at home.
I think that actually means diet water so not too bad as that can be quite expensive
What the heck is 'diet water'? Isn't all water 'diet'?
Yeah, that just sounds like a massive scam.
On another note, I need to go refill my pure gluten-free locally-sourced all-natural vegan sugar-free dairy-free carbonated water from the Himalayas.
And yes, it is both locally sourced and from the Himalayas. Don't ask.
Um, you’ve already added $5 in extras. What’s another .25?
That is the ‘Extras’ menu, not OP’s order. JFC.
The amount of people defending the practice is wild. The business has the cup sizes displayed usually and you go in thinking, I want this drink in this cup size. And then the business wants to dilute your drink with a bunch of ice so they can save money on product. If you choose not to have your product diluted you get charged more? That's some shady business practice and I'd even say false advertising. Yeah, it's only a quarter but it's the principal.
I’d vote with my wallet and walk out.
this would be enough for me to never go there again, where is this place? what’s the name?
This makes sense. Most people only want them to go easy on the ice because they want them to go heavy on the product.