5 ms·

When I asked a Starbucks barista to fill my coffee cup (now empty) with water, it didn't compute. He insisted that I should get a fresh cup with a lid and straw

When I asked a Starbucks barista to fill my coffee cup (now empty) with water, it didn't compute. He insisted that I should get a fresh cup with a lid and straw and all just for water. It took a few back and forths but in the end he agreed to reuse it. Small changes in procedures and behavior in the food and bev industry would go a long way with reducing waste. I think most customers would welcome it. But I guess this goes back to the original problem: Making a new cup is cheaper than reusing the existing one. Perhaps a waste tax or reuse tax credit for businesses are needed to move forward.

techslave 7y ago
it’s actually not allowed in the US. used dishware cannot go back to the clean area.
- pas 7y ago
  is this a Federal law thing? FDA reg?
  - techslave 7y ago
    i don’t know except that’s is USA-wide. it came up in berkeley recently when the city required restaurants to charge extra for disposable containers. the issue of customers bringing their own had to be dealt with. ever notice in a buffet you are not allowed to reuse your previous dish?
    - msie 7y ago
      Weirdly, the two buffets I’ve been to don’t make this rule apparent and only until I was chastised by the cooking staff did i know. I hate having to learn these hidden rules the hard way.
  - vidanay 7y ago
    ¶ 3-304.1 https://www.fda.gov/media/110822/download https://www.fda.gov/media/110822/download
    - milancurcic 7y ago
      tl;dr If the used cup won't touch the pouring utensil, it's OK to reuse; otherwise, you get a new cup. In retrospect, this is what I observe as a customer in most cases.
- milancurcic 7y ago
  I had no idea and it makes sense. Most coffee shops and bars that I go to (South Florida) don't follow this.
yodsanklai 7y ago
At Starbucks in Taiwan, it is commonplace for customers to bring their own bottle for a refill (the bottle is also sold by starbucks). Customers are entitled to a discount. Same thing at 7/11 and many cafes.
- ardy42 7y ago
  I think that's true at many coffee shops in the US (even large chains), but the discounts have varied widely. IIRC, it's 10 or 20 cents at the one I go to now, which is too small to change anyone's behavior. I think in the past it was a much better deal, though.
  - pmoriarty 7y ago
    "IIRC, it's 10 or 20 cents at the one I go to now, which is too small to change anyone's behavior." Curiously, I think the 10 cent tax on grocery bags has been enough to change people's behavior. I know I started to carry my own canvas grocery bag ever since I was told there was a 10 cent tax for each bag. My other motivation was simply trying to reduce waste, which I was made more conscious of by being told of the bag tax. I think the difference might be in the bag tax being mentioned by the checkout clerk. Whenever you go to buy groceries and you want a bag, almost invariably you're asked if a 10 cent charge for the bag is ok, whereas in the case of buying coffee the price of the disposable coffee cup is not mentioned. So it's a lot easier to ignore. If every time you got coffee you were asked if paying 10 cents for your coffee cup was ok, I think more people would choose to bring their own.
    - iudqnolq 7y ago
      Also some research finds that humans like loosing money a lot less than not getting it.
masonic 7y ago
He insisted that I should get a fresh cup with a lid and straw and all just for water. I do this (literally) a thousand times a year at various Starbucks (water, ice, icewater, more hot water for tea, etc.). I'll occasionally be offered a new cup if the existing one is marginal, but not once has a reuse been denied me. Pro tip: they're selling their annual January tumbler which includes free drip coffee or tea for the entire month of January, for $40. It's a nice stainless steel cup, too. And for any cup, you get $.10 "own cup" discount.

techslave 7y ago

it’s actually not allowed in the US. used dishware cannot go back to the clean area.

pas 7y ago
is this a Federal law thing? FDA reg?
- techslave 7y ago
  i don’t know except that’s is USA-wide. it came up in berkeley recently when the city required restaurants to charge extra for disposable containers. the issue of customers bringing their own had to be dealt with. ever notice in a buffet you are not allowed to reuse your previous dish?
  - msie 7y ago
    Weirdly, the two buffets I’ve been to don’t make this rule apparent and only until I was chastised by the cooking staff did i know. I hate having to learn these hidden rules the hard way.
- vidanay 7y ago
  ¶ 3-304.1 https://www.fda.gov/media/110822/download https://www.fda.gov/media/110822/download
  - milancurcic 7y ago
    tl;dr If the used cup won't touch the pouring utensil, it's OK to reuse; otherwise, you get a new cup. In retrospect, this is what I observe as a customer in most cases.
milancurcic 7y ago
I had no idea and it makes sense. Most coffee shops and bars that I go to (South Florida) don't follow this.

yodsanklai 7y ago

At Starbucks in Taiwan, it is commonplace for customers to bring their own bottle for a refill (the bottle is also sold by starbucks). Customers are entitled to a discount. Same thing at 7/11 and many cafes.

ardy42 7y ago
I think that's true at many coffee shops in the US (even large chains), but the discounts have varied widely. IIRC, it's 10 or 20 cents at the one I go to now, which is too small to change anyone's behavior. I think in the past it was a much better deal, though.
- pmoriarty 7y ago
  "IIRC, it's 10 or 20 cents at the one I go to now, which is too small to change anyone's behavior." Curiously, I think the 10 cent tax on grocery bags has been enough to change people's behavior. I know I started to carry my own canvas grocery bag ever since I was told there was a 10 cent tax for each bag. My other motivation was simply trying to reduce waste, which I was made more conscious of by being told of the bag tax. I think the difference might be in the bag tax being mentioned by the checkout clerk. Whenever you go to buy groceries and you want a bag, almost invariably you're asked if a 10 cent charge for the bag is ok, whereas in the case of buying coffee the price of the disposable coffee cup is not mentioned. So it's a lot easier to ignore. If every time you got coffee you were asked if paying 10 cents for your coffee cup was ok, I think more people would choose to bring their own.
  - iudqnolq 7y ago
    Also some research finds that humans like loosing money a lot less than not getting it.

masonic 7y ago

He insisted that I should get a fresh cup with a lid and straw and all just for water. I do this (literally) a thousand times a year at various Starbucks (water, ice, icewater, more hot water for tea, etc.). I'll occasionally be offered a new cup if the existing one is marginal, but not once has a reuse been denied me. Pro tip: they're selling their annual January tumbler which includes free drip coffee or tea for the entire month of January, for $40. It's a nice stainless steel cup, too. And for any cup, you get $.10 "own cup" discount.