I'm trying to cut down on my diet soda consumption, but I'm not a "plain" water lover either.

At home I try to keep it to one Diet Pepsi a day, but of course when we go out, I normally order a diet soda. So I've been thinking about ordering plain water and bringing my own of those "Crystal Light" type pouches and making my plain water something that I can tolerate.

Is this considered bad form at a restaurant? I know they hate it when you order water and lemons and try to make your own lemonade like the seniors do around here.

I'm not talking fine dining here, but more like a Chilis, Fridays, family dining type of restaurants.

Opinions??

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I don't think anyone would say anything..they may think it's some sort of med. or vitamin I would think..

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Actually, DH and I do this all the time. I buy the liquid sweetener and very discriminately do a quick squirt. We both hate the taste of plain water so we do this to make it palatable.

DH and I have no interest in drinking soda for health reasons (and many, many people now feel the same way) and we have never had a server give us a problem.

If this is a restaurant you go to frequently and get to know the servers, just tip a little extra (buck or two) and the server will never give you grief.

Unfortunately, many servers are evaluated on $ amount of sales, sales per customer, etc....so if a server is struggling they may really push the 2.49 glass of soda or try to charge you for a 'lemonade'.

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I've never seen anyone do it and I wouldn't do it (but I drink water and plain tea...or beer) but I wouldn't have an issue if I saw someone do it. I would probably put it in a baggie (not the original wrapper) so it looks more like a drink supplement (like fibercon or whatever). That way it doesn't look like you are trying to *cheat* the business out of a drink purchase

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My H.E.B. (local Grocery store) has Water Sensations - they are about $2.50 - $3.00 for a box of 12.

These are flavored liquid packs of water mixes, but they are Clear, so no one would know you've added anything.

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I would do it and not think twice about it. I only ask for water and have never had a server try to get me to order a drink.

On a related-but-not-really-related note, I'm usually a stickler for rules, but have been known to sneak a coffee into a movie theater. Ours only serves cold beverages, and they keep the thermostat down so low that I feel like I need to rip my comforter off the bed on the way out the door to keep me warm. They serve NOTHING hot to drink. My teeth are chattering so hard I can hardly hear the movie.

In my defense (if it is defensible!) My husband and kids all end up with drinks and popcorn, and I end up with popcorn, too, so they do make concession $ off of us, and I would gladly buy a beverage from them if only they would sell one that didn't have ICE in it!

If you're also trying to give up the artificial sweetner, Crystal Light doesn't help you do that. Personally, I'd settle for the water with lemon.

No, just trying to keep the "soda" consumption down. Not to mention the cost! :-)

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I can't imagine they would care. I think it is perfectly fine, and I bet most would not even notice what you are doing.

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I don't see the issue here. You are not taking anything from the restaurant; you're just adding flavor to your water. It would be a different story if you were bringing in your own soda or pop.

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That's a good point!

I'd say go ahead and do it but be prepared if a server notices and questions you on it.

Also, if they request you don't do it in the future, be polite and abide by their rules without making a big deal out of it.

But I seriously doubt that anyone will notice or even care if they do notice.

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I don't see anything wrong with it and I'd think twice about going back to any restaurant who made a fuss over it. I usually just squeeze lemon into my water to flavor it -- so if I did what you want to do, I'd actually be saving the restaurant a lemon! I don't object to sodas, but the price is way out of control in some place -- I went to one restaurant over vacation that was charging 1.95 for a 12 oz glass and also charging for refills. That's pretty steep, IMO.

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I don't think they would have any reason or cause to question you. You are not obligated to purchase anything from them! My ex doesn't like tap water, so he would take bottled water everywhere and drink that. No one ever said a word. When the server asked if he wanted anything to drink, he would say he already had his drink and proceed to order. No questions ever. Soft drink and tea prices have become outrageous, IMO, so I very rarely order anything other than water (unless we are having a glass of wine or beer or something). It's just absurd to pay $2.xx for a drink when I can get a 12 pack for the same price at the store.... I like water with lemon better than I like water with the mix in it; otherwise, I'd be taking those packets all over with me, too....

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My mom does it all the time, I dont think its a big deal at all, and if a resturant did question me on it or say anything about it, I wouldnt go back...

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Well I am in the minority but I would not be comfortable bringing my own drink bottle, or mixing up my own drink at a restaurant table with a crystal light pouch or something.. if I didn't like their drinks or thought they were overpriced I would probably just have ice water, which is what I drink most of the time anyway.

I think it's fine to add your own pouches to the water in a restaurant. If I saw someone doing it, I could care less...I might even think that they were putting some of their medicine in it. ~Lisa

Is it bad form? Yes Tacky? Yeah Is it the end of the world? No.
I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't bring a can of soda or a beer into a restaurant.
Maybe would bring a drink or snack for a child, but not an adult.
IMO, of course.

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I wouldn't do it. You are at a restaurant, you are there for what they have available. Otherwise, go elsewhere or stay home. Make your 1 diet for the day a treat along with the meal out.

dl

My cousin and one sister in law does this all the time, they give you the water and more water if want, its your stuff your putting in . In the scheme of life I would not worry and go for it . My father in law while he does not add anything always always only drinks water and even asks for some lemon or lime for his water and never has has a problem. I see no problem, now if you perhaps asking for another refill of soda and pouring that into a plastic bottle and taking it out that is tacky. Good luck. Peace. Catherine