God forbid a paying customer gets a free sip of water with their meal, which was the sentiment Reddit user MathematicianOk366 expressed while dining at Cleavers Philadelphia in Pennsylvania. In their post on r/mildlyinfuriating, they explain how they had ordered a cheesesteak, some cheese fries, and a beer for lunch when they got a little thirsty from the fries. When they asked the cashier for water, they were frustrated to be told they wouldn’t get any free water.
MathematicianOk had already drunk their beer, so they tried to finish their fries without anything to wash it down. Unfortunately, it was so unpleasant that they said they asked for a refund. “Probably wouldn’t have felt that way if I had some water,” OP remarked. For clarity, Cleavers offered water; customers would just have to pay $3 for a bottle.
Many People Accused the Restaurant of Acting Unlawfully Over the Lack of Free Water
Hundreds of Redditors were outraged. “If they sell alcohol, in the US they are required by law to give water,” demanded a user. “It’s also just stupid. Water is pretty cheap. And even if you don’t want to pay for it, just charge it to the consumer then,” expressed another. “That’s a crazy hill to die on since you were a paying customer,” chimed in a third.
OP clarified that staff told them that because the beers and cocktails were canned, “that excluded them from whatever rules are in place.” Many commenters begged to disagree, and MathematicianOk was in the same boat: “I absolutely think it’s low integrity behavior.”
Some Redditors went off on a tangent about the restaurant’s other posted sign of restrictions, such as denying drivers restroom access. “I stopped going to sit down restaurants that don’t have public restrooms. It’s a slap in the face to their customers,” remarked a user. However, MathematicianOk did confirm the customers had access to a bathroom, so the sign was clearly referring to DoorDashers, Uber Eats drivers, and the like.
In the end, though, Cleavers isn’t exactly breaking any laws, as there are a lot of missing details and gray area about what people are accusing the business of. Still, the main cause of outrage and OP’s frustration isn’t the legality of not serving a paying customer free water; it’s the lack of hospitality. And no one likes an inhospitable business.
