Cup of water at McDonald's now $.20 ?? (Edmonton)

ShirleyE785283 wrote: ↑ Stopped by McDonald's and ordered food but no drink. Said I wanted just a cup of water. Manager said that would be $.20. I said I never had to pay before. He said now you have to. OK, forget about the water; just paid for my food. This happened at the McDonald's on Gateway Blvd & 80th Ave in Edmonton. Drove to another McDonald's (109 St & 63rd Ave) - got a cup of water for free along with a cup of coffee. No charge. So what is the deal ? Managers and staff charge if they want to ? Or is someone having a bad day ?

Interesting first post here on RFD....Is the restaurant not entitled to be compensated for the cup & time to fill the cup & water?

Do they give you a cup and the water is dispensed from a self serve machine?
I figure not all of them have self serve machines either.
Or maybe the water is dispensed from behind the counter and maybe just a charge for the cup?
At the McDonalds close to me, once saw a woman walk off the street,take one of those small ketchup cups and headed to the self serve drinks dispenser.
She filled one of those small cups and had a gulp before exiting and continuing on her way. Lolz

I do not eat fast food often but you would be surprised at how many people pick up a used cup from the garbage or use an old cup from their last visit
and steal free drinks at the fountain or ask for free coffee refills at these places.

EyeGasm wrote: ↑ I do not eat fast food often but you would be surprised at how many people pick up a used cup from the garbage or use an old cup from their last visit
and steal free drinks at the fountain or ask for free coffee refills at these places.

Hopefully this is not someone I kissed recently or ever would in the future.
As an aside, I see quite a few older men especially, searching through the trash bins in TTC subways.
Many of them don't look like bums, and are even well dressed sometimes.
Maybe searching for some Mc Donalds cups maybe.
Especially at places like Dundas West where there is a Mc Donalds attached to the subway station.

I don't see anything wrong with charging .20 cents for a cup of water. I hate McDonald's but hey someone has to pay for the cup.

Maybe he was having a bad day

Just go to Starbucks where it's still free to get any size cup of filtered water (the same water they use to make coffee).

gh05t wrote: ↑ As an aside, I see quite a few older men especially, searching through the trash bins in TTC subways.
Many of them don't look like bums, and are even well dressed sometimes.
Maybe searching for some Mc Donalds cups maybe.
Especially at places like Dundas West where there is a Mc Donalds attached to the subway station.

Probably looking for cups that still have the sticker on them... 7 stickers = free premium McCafe drink....

EastGTARedFlagger wrote: ↑
Probably looking for cups that still have the sticker on them... 7 stickers = free premium McCafe drink....

Yes, that's what they are doing. I even seen people pick up McDonalds cups in parking lots just for the sticker.

They are just recuperating the minimum wage increase to $15.

jackrabbit000 wrote: ↑ They are just recuperating the minimum wage increase to $15.

Alberta's $15/hour minimum wage starts October 1, 2018,

https://www.alberta.ca/minimum-wage.aspx

EyeGasm wrote: ↑ I do not eat fast food often but you would be surprised at how many people pick up a used cup from the garbage or use an old cup from their last visit
and steal free drinks at the fountain or ask for free coffee refills at these places.

Labour is the most expensive component of those fountain drinks.
I guess restaurants don't mind this kind of theft, in the same way grocery stores probably would prefer to give free plastic bags rather than have those plastic baskets stolen left and right.

tk1000 wrote: ↑ Alberta's $15/hour minimum wage starts October 1, 2018,

https://www.alberta.ca/minimum-wage.aspx

Yeah I know, should have said going up to $15 or recuperating the Oct 1, 2017 $1.40 increase.

Rachel’s going to make all of us pay more for everything. One more year to go.

Could just be a specific franchise doing it. Some owners are a lot cheaper than others. Some have dyson hand dryers in their bathrooms, others have vents that shoot out cold air. It's all over the place.

Big picture wise, 20 cents is very reasonable IMO considering the costs involved and impact this has on the environment. If this was my franchise I would charge for a cup for your impact on the environment and consider it on the house if you provide me with a reusable bottle to fill water up for you.

Things to consider:

1. Cost of cup
2. Cost of employee spending time on your request (and cleaning it up).
3. Cost of waste collection and disposal.
4. City mandated tax on disposal.

I work in waste disposal so the back end piece is huge for me. The amount of fast food garbage thrown all over the city is a disgrace. Restaurants need to send employees out in the parking lot every few hours to cleanup all the crap thrown all over their parking lots... and that's just capturing a small amount of it as a TON of fast food garbage ends up at bus stops, on the side of the street, etc.

Not many are aware but cities force companies like McDs to pay a substantial tax on a yearly basis to account for all of their waste that ends up elsewhere.

Not saying OP is going to throw his/her cup on the ground, but all things considered 20 cents is nothing when you consider the bigger picture.

Only on RFD would someone complain about a 20 cent charge.

EP32k2 wrote: ↑ Only on RFD would someone complain about a 20 cent charge.

And as their first post...

WorldIRC wrote: ↑ And as their first post...

My issue with OPs rant isn't even about the 20 cents. It's self entitlement thinking that business should be giving stuff away for free. As others have already said, cups and labour isn't free.

What irks me are those that ask for a second cup for their coffee at Timmie's because the cup is too hot to hold onto. Timmie's has the sleeves for that purpose but people would still rather have another cup and create more waste...

WorldIRC wrote: ↑ And as their first post...

if what i learned on twitter is correct, someone with that many numbers next to their name is a russian bot. way to go bot

Reminds me of the time I was in Starbucks and some lady came in and asked if the free refill policy would work if she bought the hobo by the door a coffee and he could come in all day for free refills.

It’s a Franchisee decision.

Looking to ensure their bottom line is as big & fat as possible.

If you had come in and ONLY wanted water, then I could see the thought process...
“they are in the restaurant biz to make money... not just give stuff away”

But, because you bought food too... I think they are being totally unreasonable.
A cup with water is something that a Restaurant (any restaurant) should be able to give their paying Customer for free

A lot of folks drink water with their meals... and then have a Coffee afterwards

This store IMO was being unreasonable. Such a stingy policy for a PAYING Customer.
I’d be boycotting this McDs if I was in your shoes
There are lots of others to pick from (or other Fast Food joints)