This was trending yesterday.
Well, pretty soon they're gonna get more of those parties of zero, no doubt...
A NEW ICE CUBE SCAM - I KID YOU NOT!
- Thread starter chief38
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Well, pretty soon they're gonna get more of those parties of zero, no doubt...
LVSteve
Member
I lump all these money grubbing schemes into what I call the "Post-COVID clawback". It's going on in all kinds of industries.
"Claude Rains . . . party of none!"
Here in the NE corner of FL, we are seeing a surcharge of up to 3.5% on credit cards charges at restaurants……. This is becoming the norm…….
Charging extra for ice balls? The restaurant industry must have decided it's crunch time.
Corporate owned?
With that kind of gall, their balls should be brass not ice.
I imagine it is more costly and labor intensive to lathe each cube individually.
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I got one of them over-sized giant cube silicone ice cube trays. It's in the freezer. I use bottled water. I do my drinking at home. I guess I could pack it in my small cooler and take it with me... BYOI.
Simple solution is when order is being taken. Tell customer their ice options. Not that hard. The deception is the part that makes people angry. Round ice cubes are nothing new. Tupperware sells the trays. I like one of the large ice cubes in my bourbon glass.
CAJUNLAWYER
Member
I got absolutely NO problem with that. Credit cards charge that and is is all profit the merchant looses. That is why I try to pay cash whenever possible. If I have to pay with credit card, I always pay the tip in cash.
The trays to make them start at like $10. Me being the guy that I am, I would go in there and order a whisky. Neat. Then I'd reach into my pocket and pull out an ice ball and put it in my drink.
One good thing about round $2 ice cubes, the manager should have no trouble fitting them where they belong.
The trays to make them start at like $10. Me being the guy that I am, I would go in there and order a whisky. Neat. Then I'd reach into my pocket and pull out an ice ball and put it in my drink.
Don't your pockets get wet?
Ziploc lined.
But I gotta wonder: Is there anyone out there who would, in response to, "Well it'll be two bucks extra if you want a nifty ice ball rather than regular ice cubes/crushed ice in your drink," say, "You bet! Gimme that ice ball!"
I kinda doubt it. Wail, at least few and far between. (Definitely not on this forum, right? No? Hey, anybody out there go for the $2 extra ice ball?)
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charlie sherrill
Member
My wife and I eat out at least 2-3 times per week. We frequent all kinds of restaurants including some high end ones. In all the times we have gone out this has never never happened and I have not even heard of this practice!
Last night we went to one of our favorite restaurants with our friends and two of us ordered Bourbon on the Rocks. The ice cube that was in the drink was a round ball about the size of a golf ball. After dinner, we get the bill and I noticed they charged us $2 per drink too much (4 drinks x $2 premium each or an $8 surcharge + tip and tax on that surcharge). We call the waitress over and she informs us that for the round style ice cube they charge an extra $2 per drink! I said to her we have been here at least 8 times in the last 3 months and have never been charged extra for ice in our drinks regardless of the shape. Secondly, we were never informed either on the menu or verbally that a round shaped piece of ice is a $2 premium charge! She then repeated that there is no charge for regular ice cubes but for the round ones they do charge $2 premium per drink. I politely asked for the manager and he basically was embarrassed to tell us the waitress did give us the truth and I also told him that in all the other visits to that restaurant we have never been charged for round ice! He also told us he has had this exact conversation with patrons at least 100 times over the last few months and after asking the obvious question ,"so why has this practice not been rectified" he told me that is just the way they do it there. I also said to him that you either need to inform customers verbally or at least on the drink menu because this practice is so out of the ordinary people are going to get super pissed off! He did remove the $8 surcharge and in the future we will be ordering drinks with regular ice cubes - that said, I truly think this is an outrageous practice!! The fact that the restaurant's owners are fully aware than many customers have complained about this and have not changed anything is even more outrageous. The manager told me that all high end restaurants are now doing this - and I respectfully and strongly told him that is not true, he was misinformed and that we are restaurant junkies and eat out 2-3 times per week and that this was the first time we have experienced this practice.
I think these restaurant owners and managers must stay up late at night thinking of how to get on the scam wagon! Is there no place that will treat people fairly now days? Just another way to ruin an otherwise great dining experience!
They ain't the only ones. Be careful who you get a credit card with. There are no repercussions. There is no customer service any more. I will not deal with these people.
I believe that I have seen, that not only is shaped ice (large round or square) something special, but "clear" ice is also a thing! IIRC, I saw a video about freezing water in a cooler, removing the frozen block, which a certain part of the bottom of the block was clear, and cutting that in large clear cubes to place single cubes into mixed drinks. If it is done that way, I GUESS, being so time consuming, a surcharge must be passed along.
BTW, I would never pay for such a service!
Larry
BTW, I would never pay for such a service!
Larry
I live in western Ny. I'll go outside and come back in with a snowball. Pure white of course
Miracle Man
US Veteran
It's just crazy how many places are looking to charge any and every fee they can. They just hope you don't notice and go on. And I'm sure many people do.
Buyer beware
Buyer beware
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