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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Okay so I’m going to answer this with soda. So when people order soda no ice, they think they’re being smart and getting more soda. Well, define soda.
You see, most of those drinks are specifically designed with the ice in mind. All drinks are some sort of mixture with water, and they take ice into account, they expect the ice to melt and become part of the drink. With soda, they made the drink with the ice melting in mind.
So when you order a soda no ice, you’re not getting more soda necessarily, justa. More concentrated sugary syrupy drink that isn’t properly mixed.
But this isn’t a fountain drink
Just make it at home its so much better and cheaper.
Gee, I’m sure OP didn’t think of that one.
And there’s lots of subjectivity with coffee; you can get the tools to dial it in exactly how you like it, or just a machine that makes it really easy, with lots of space in-between.
I went to dunkin’
Ordering coffee in the USA triggers me
As if Dunkin’ Donuts is representative of the thousands of independent coffee shops around the US…
It’s like the eastern Walmart of coffee shops. Pushing out all the local shops in small towns and replacing it with its subpar coffee and it’s mass produced, small generic chemical tasting donuts.
Go to a real coffeeshop.
If you ask for less ice, no screw you, you’re not getting the full amount of coffee that you paid for…
Actually you got exactly what you asked for: you asked for a product with less of something…
If your barista just presses a button and hands you a cup, you’re at the wrong place for coffee.
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.
You asked for a hamburger with no toppings and are surprised that you just got meat and buns.
They didn’t give you less meat they just gave you less toppings. You’re noticing the sandwich is pretty empty, because you ordered it that way
This is rather silly. I’ve seen people order drinks with no ice tons of times, and they always fill it to the top. That’s probably what they would’ve done here, too, if given the choice.
But they explained it isn’t the choice
It triggers you to receive exactly what they offer?
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.
You are actually getting exactly the same amount of coffee you paid for, without the ice.
Which is half a cup full.By the way, this isn’t a “coffee in the USA” thing. It’s a Starbucks thing.
In most diners, coffee shops and restaurants in the US, you get as much coffee as you want, with free unlimited refills.Have you tried ordering a medium iced latte with light ice in other countries?
So these comments aren’t going the way you thought they’d go…
I have never heard of this in any other country
Which countries give you more coffee than you paid for just because you asked for less ice?
well, it used to be every country did this because they didn’t have the portioning technology to prevent overpouring for those who asked for less or no ice (because they wanted extra beverage). people got used to be able to game the system, the companies knew they were doing this, and put an end to it the second they could.
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”
Is there a big difference in price and/or size if you’d order a normal latte? If not, yes, I’d 100% expect similar sizes.
Again, part of the overall drink is supposed to be made of the water from melted ice. It’s hard to compare sizes perfectly with that in mind, but it’s a less-extreme similarity to comparing a jug of orange juice with a can of concentrate (the kind you mix with water in a pitcher at home). Different products, but also different sizes for a reason.
So you mean they have an entirely different “base” coffee when making a normal latte vs an ice latte? A latte should just be espresso and milk, and an iced latte is just that + ice…?
I’ve never worked at a coffee shop, but I know our taste sensitivities are different at different temperatures. I’d be surprised if they were exactly identical products to account both for that, and the fact that your product is about to be diluted when it gets combined with ice (depending on the temperature before that happens). The ingredients may be more or less the same, but the proportions and concentrations may not be.
Premeasured devices have been around for awhile. Fewer user errors and they can use the customer’s mug/thermos if they want to.
