$3.00 for a glass of coke.... oh my

Drinks are going up every where to help cover the cost of food. I'm cheap. We have water most places we go. Three kids plus me at $2.50 a glass is $10. That's another meal alot of places. $2 is high, but I'll pay it. Anything over is ridiculous.

$4 at the Yum Center yesterday at the game. No choice for a free cup of water either. $3 for a bottle of water.

We are going to the Yum Center in about two hours to see the Harlem Globe Trotters. I intend to take 4 small thermases(sp) in my bag for everyone. I don't drink soft drinks and I will not pay $3.00 for a bottle of water.

I should say that the food was pretty good at the Yum Center. A burger and Fries was $8.50. I thought that was fairly reasonable for the quality.

When I was in Europe last summer, I was talking to some Americans at the playground. They were complaining that the cokes cost 7 euros in the cafes (that's between 9 and 10 dollars US). I'm too polite to strangers to ask why on earth they had crossed the Atlantic just to sip Cokes. But I guess maybe Coke drinkers should consider themselves lucky to live in the US.

Our bags just went up to 90.00 per bag. We will be forced to raise our prices beyond the 1.75 we charge now. The big two could give a hoot about the small business, now for the larger venues, I'm sure they get a steep discount and highway robbery might be afoot. Bill Shady Lane Cafe

wow...that is pretty crazy!

Has anyone ever suggested all the small locals in town pulling together for a co-op type thing to get better pricing? Not sure if the distributors would allow that, but it may be something to consider.

What we need is Artisanal Soft drinks.... Pseudo coke recipes anyone ? Home made rootbeer, could be the next big thing we have Microbreweries now maybe its time for Microsoftdrinkeries

Found this one ... Open Source Coke

http://www.scribd.com/doc/4541/OpenCola ... ink-recipe

Pepsi sends a a nice letter every year informing us of the impending price increases for their products. Although, the letter fails to inform us of the decreasing level of service and support to help push their products.

We'll probably be raising our soda prices also, but not quite to the $3 price point.

Shawn

SAMs has BIB 5 gallon for around $50.

I know because I've been installing a Wunderbar in my basement

I have not and will not pay ridiculous price like this for something that is even enjoyable nor good for me! You can certainly buy a beer for less than this in most places and it certainly costs much more to produce.

Have any of the restaurant owners looked at other sources for soft drinks (other than Sam's mentioned by Art) or is everything pretty much tied up by the big two?

Contributing further to the discussion of the cost of soft drinks in Europe, I believe part of the reason is because the market is much smaller and focused. You very seldom see adults drinking soft drinks, only teenagers who always seem to have expendable cash. In France to buy a nice bottle of wine for less than half the price of a bottle of coke, which would you purchase?

3.00 is crazy. My wife and I started drinking water mostly at restaurants. Sometimes we go to Thorntons before running errands and everyone can get a drink for .89. Then we tell the kids when go out to eat they have to order water.

[Robin Garr]

I'm kind of glad I don't drink soft drinks, for some of the same reasons as Mark just mentioned.

That said, I have to confess being kind of surprised at a bunch of serious restaurant people getting so worked up over restaurant prices. We all know that the restaurants we love run on really tight margins, and that's why we understand and at least grudgingly accept 3X wholesale markups on wine. You can buy a steak at the farmers' market (or Kroger) for a lot less than one will cost you at Jeff Ruby's, although you will have to cook it for yourself.

Most of us, I think, understand that restaurants set their numbers in their best effort to pull a small profit out of the revenue stream. Without it, they don't stay in business. Make a buck on a Coke, save a buck to keep the price of that steak within reason. We all know, or most of us do, how the numbers game has to work.

Don't like a $3 or $4 Coke? How much is coffee or tea? How much is water? I don't know about the Yum center or a fast-food franchise, but any local restaurant I know of will draw you a glass of water at the tap and serve it to you for free. They'll even put in ice, if you want ice, of course.

But all this howling at the moon about Coke? Really.