I went to dunkin’ the other day and asked for an iced latte with less ice because it’s winter and I wanted less ice. They gave me a cup that was halfway full of coffee. So I asked why and they told me they press a button on a machine, it fills it halfway full with coffee and then they add ice. So when you get a medium iced latte, you’re not actually getting a medium latte, you’re getting a small or a kids size nowadays of coffee, and then they just fill the rest of it with ice. If you ask for less ice, no screw you, you’re not getting the full amount of coffee that you paid for…
I have never heard of this in any other country. What the hell?
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If they have a machine, you’re getting exactly the full amount of coffee you paid for; you’re just not getting more by removing a filler that they normally include, and that some people like. Now, I’m not saying there’s anything morally wrong with gaming the menu at a giant chain if it can be done without fucking over the staff, or that it wouldn’t be shitty if Dunkin’ has done some sneaky shrinkflation, but there is a certain mechanical clarity here that I can’t get too riled up about.
Dunkin’ has done some sneaky shrinkflation, but there is a certain mechanical clarity…
I promise you that they have done just that: like every other corporation has. The mechanical clarity is imagined but provides a fine excuse. That machine is configurable - just like any other timed / measured device. Yeah you pushed the ‘small latte’ button … but is that the same small late that x franchise sells across the street (who owns the same machine but different size cups?) It’s software. Anyone who doesn’t think that dunkin’ - a profit driven organization - isn’t going to milk the customer for every penny they can get… is either daft or willfully ignorant.
edit: wording
Go to a real coffeeshop.
Man unless they state somewhere that each drink only contains x oz I’d be a cunt and tell em to keep pouring. After that: yeah last time I’m visiting that chain. Customers aren’t always right but in this case they probably are.
I’ve never heard of a country where places give you extra drink for free just because you asked for less ice, to be honest. I know some bartenders who joke about the people who think asking for less ice will get them more.
So with a soda fountain or similar soft-drink dispenser at most fast-food or fast-casual restaurants int he US, asking for light ice or no ice will still get you a full cup. That said, the general understanding here has always been (don’t know if it’s strictly true across time and space) that the cups cost more than the drink, and even if the particular place is not offering free refills or you’re ordering to-go, that’s a pretty normal expectation so being stingy with the Coke would reflect poorly on the restaurant beyond the value of saving a little bit of syrup and CO2.
Dunkin’ is definitely a massive fast-food chain, but a latte beverage, even iced, is kinda pushing the boundary of even what most Americans would expect with generous pours. OP might have reasonably hoped to get a full cup, but IMHO they shouldn’t be disgruntled that they didn’t get it.
I’m with you on that: but generally speaking a lot of the non iced variants cost the same because it’s hard to explain to people how little they are getting with ice. This was more an issue with the person serving the beverage than the cost. Admittedly it could have been a training issue but I cannot come up with a good valid reason for the choice.
As an (ex) bartender I know what you’re talking about… we would never over pour a spirit … but if asked we’d generally have no issue topping off the mixer. There is a difference. The literal difference between a modern iced beverage and an uniced one (depending on cup size and ice) can sometimes be 2-3 times the beverage… which while quite significant amounts to pennies in cost (if that.) More will be lost to a line cleaning, incorrect orders, etc than to a customer request. The fact that so many in this thread are defending the chain is mind boggling. This same chain likely has been upping the recommended ice and even potentially messing with the mix % to further dilute the beverage in the name of profit. Fuck that. These chains frequently show a cup size and list the oz on the container. They rarely, if ever, list the oz of the beverage in said cup because it would cause a riot. Unless they say 4oz of coffee per 12oz cup of iced coffee somewhere: the customer is absolutely right to expect however much coffee fits in the damn cup and not a drop less. That’s what they were advertised- and that’s what they paid for.
Some of y’all need to realize you’re in a guilded cage and that you are indoctrinated by capitalist owners. This isn’t even a big issue.
The fact that so many in this thread are defending the chain is mind boggling
Lot of contrarian keyboard warriors on here lately and it’s almost like they’re disagreeing just for the sake of arguing
I don’t wanna fully don the tin foil hat but it’s a lot easier to poison a well when there’s less water if you get my meaning…
Ordering light ice at McDonalds always results in a full cup with less ice.
Did you expect them to offset the less ice with more coffee?
In my experience, many iced coffee drinks are made a bit warm and more concentrated. The ice melts a bit, diluting the drink and giving more liquid overall.
Do they do that to an extreme? Probably. But there’s also more to it than “I got a drink with less ice and it wasn’t very full”
Have you tried ordering a medium iced latte with light ice in other countries?
Premeasured devices have been around for awhile. Fewer user errors and they can use the customer’s mug/thermos if they want to.
Let me give you a tip for free coffees the easy way:
I’m a smoker, and after each drag I spit straight into a plastic cup that I carry around with me. I usually fill my cup up in about fourteen days (I like a medium too!) which means that if I start on a Monday with my pre-work cigarette, I’ll have a medium drink ready to go by lunchtime a week on Friday! The tobacco colours my spit brown, and the residual nicotine in the saliva actually gives me a kick (I can feel it in my heart and brain). It’s free, and it’s healthy because you’re spitting out all the really unhealthy stuff in cigarettes! I hope this helps, good luck!
