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Random story about my experience going to Planet Hollywood as a kid! When I was a pre-teen, I used to always ask restaurants/fast food places etc if the soda c

Random story about my experience going to Planet Hollywood as a kid! When I was a pre-teen, I used to always ask restaurants/fast food places etc if the soda came with free refills. I didn’t even drink a ton of soda growing up, but it was something I always asked and associated with better experiences while dining out when I was younger. If a restaurant had free refills, it was alright in my book. The first and only time (I think?) I ate at a Planet Hollywood I asked the server if there were free refills and instead of yes/no, they said, “you get nine refills at no charge.” I distinctly remember his business-like tone when he said it, so I believed this was part of Planet Hollywood’s model: up to nine free refills of soda. I don’t know why I’m sharing this other than that it’s late and it’s such a weird thing to remember so vividly from childhood.

warent 5y ago
If you remember it then probably there was some important meaning in it for you! For example, maybe one of the first times you encountered an ambiguous situation like this; something something the answer was more complicated than your heuristic allowed. It did have basically unlimited refills, but not technically. So does it pass your rule, or not? Decisions, decisions... Fun memory, thanks for sharing
irrational 5y ago
Was this really a company policy? I have to wonder if the server just made it up to prevent you from filling a hidden container with soda or something else crazy a kid might come up with.
- zoidb 5y ago
  Or you could imagine this response delivered in a semi joking way that would be picked up as an adult but taken more seriously as a kid.
randycupertino 5y ago
Did you take the 9 refills to be a personal challenge? Because that is what little kid me would have done :) imo one of the best stupid long reads of all time is Gawker writer Caity Weaver vs TGI Fridays "unlimited" mozzarella sticks: https://gawker.com/my-14-hour-search-for-the-end-of-tgi-fridays-endless-ap-1606122925 https://gawker.com/my-14-hour-search-for-the-end-of-tgi-frid...
- vl 5y ago
  This was surprisingly entertaining, I can’t believe I read through all of it!
- jacquesm 5y ago
  That's some pretty funny writing.
  - randycupertino 5y ago
    The author's "expose" / investigation into the glitter industry is another favorite: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/21/style/glitter-factory.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/21/style/glitter-factory.htm... Although it never was actually determined which industry exactly is buying up all the glitter. My personal theory is boat paint. With the "conspiracy" being that the plastic in the glitter is contributing to microplastics in the food chain as it degrades off the boats. https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/duw480/glitter_mystery_possibly_solved_by_the_endless/ https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/duw480... https://www.wbur.org/endlessthread/2019/11/08/the-great-glitter-mystery https://www.wbur.org/endlessthread/2019/11/08/the-great-glit...
- michaelbuckbee 5y ago
  I was curious what the author was up to now and she is now working for the NYTimes - https://www.nytimes.com/by/caity-weaver https://www.nytimes.com/by/caity-weaver - so it would appear that mozzarella stick consumption is more of a career path that I would have thought.
spywaregorilla 5y ago
Considering the volume of ice in a typical glass, nine refills is probably less than some of the massively oversized convenience store sizes, but somehow it feels much worse.
ethbr0 5y ago
It's funny how weird things stick in your mind. My Planet Hollywood memory is watching Bruce Willis & the Accelerators [0] perform for Planet Hollywood, out back of the hotel we were staying at. I guess for an opening? This was Die Hard fame days, and I was probably slightly too young to have seen them. But of course had, and so Bruce Willis was a Big Deal(TM) to me. My overriding thought was "Bruce Willis is a famous actor. Why does Bruce Willis have a band? ...well, I guess he enjoys it. So why wouldn't he have a band?" Good life lesson that fame and money are only worth a damn if they help you do the things you actually want. [0] https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WOSucCPT7YY https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WOSucCPT7YY (not the show I saw? Or maybe it was!)

warent 5y ago

If you remember it then probably there was some important meaning in it for you! For example, maybe one of the first times you encountered an ambiguous situation like this; something something the answer was more complicated than your heuristic allowed. It did have basically unlimited refills, but not technically. So does it pass your rule, or not? Decisions, decisions... Fun memory, thanks for sharing

irrational 5y ago

Was this really a company policy? I have to wonder if the server just made it up to prevent you from filling a hidden container with soda or something else crazy a kid might come up with.

zoidb 5y ago
Or you could imagine this response delivered in a semi joking way that would be picked up as an adult but taken more seriously as a kid.

randycupertino 5y ago

Did you take the 9 refills to be a personal challenge? Because that is what little kid me would have done :) imo one of the best stupid long reads of all time is Gawker writer Caity Weaver vs TGI Fridays "unlimited" mozzarella sticks: https://gawker.com/my-14-hour-search-for-the-end-of-tgi-fridays-endless-ap-1606122925 https://gawker.com/my-14-hour-search-for-the-end-of-tgi-frid...

vl 5y ago
This was surprisingly entertaining, I can’t believe I read through all of it!
jacquesm 5y ago
That's some pretty funny writing.
- randycupertino 5y ago
  The author's "expose" / investigation into the glitter industry is another favorite: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/21/style/glitter-factory.html https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/21/style/glitter-factory.htm... Although it never was actually determined which industry exactly is buying up all the glitter. My personal theory is boat paint. With the "conspiracy" being that the plastic in the glitter is contributing to microplastics in the food chain as it degrades off the boats. https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/duw480/glitter_mystery_possibly_solved_by_the_endless/ https://www.reddit.com/r/UnresolvedMysteries/comments/duw480... https://www.wbur.org/endlessthread/2019/11/08/the-great-glitter-mystery https://www.wbur.org/endlessthread/2019/11/08/the-great-glit...
michaelbuckbee 5y ago
I was curious what the author was up to now and she is now working for the NYTimes - https://www.nytimes.com/by/caity-weaver https://www.nytimes.com/by/caity-weaver - so it would appear that mozzarella stick consumption is more of a career path that I would have thought.

spywaregorilla 5y ago

Considering the volume of ice in a typical glass, nine refills is probably less than some of the massively oversized convenience store sizes, but somehow it feels much worse.

ethbr0 5y ago

It's funny how weird things stick in your mind. My Planet Hollywood memory is watching Bruce Willis & the Accelerators [0] perform for Planet Hollywood, out back of the hotel we were staying at. I guess for an opening? This was Die Hard fame days, and I was probably slightly too young to have seen them. But of course had, and so Bruce Willis was a Big Deal(TM) to me. My overriding thought was "Bruce Willis is a famous actor. Why does Bruce Willis have a band? ...well, I guess he enjoys it. So why wouldn't he have a band?" Good life lesson that fame and money are only worth a damn if they help you do the things you actually want. [0] https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WOSucCPT7YY https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WOSucCPT7YY (not the show I saw? Or maybe it was!)