6 ms·

Disclamer - I owned a restaurant that gave Pepsi products to customers who explicitly ask for a Coke. There's probably some debate about whether this is nefari

Disclamer - I owned a restaurant that gave Pepsi products to customers who explicitly ask for a Coke. There's probably some debate about whether this is nefarious or genius, but I lean towards the later. "Coke" has always been the number one request from our patrons, and the amount of people who just wanted any soda but said "coke" was wild. there's a very large percentage of poorly palated patrons who aren't looking for a Coca-Cola, they're looking for a soda, and in their mind the two are the same. They likely don't care which soda they're drinking, so I suspect this actually captures a very large amount of soda sales, while still solving the intent of the patron. What's that? There's a process server outside? Whatever for?

lukevp 2y ago
This was so offensive to imagine as a Coke fan, great choice of metaphor!
quink 2y ago
A perfect analogy, if I were to trust the glass with my deepest darkest secrets, had a relationship with it going back decades, expect it to point me to the right direction and keep track of much of my correspondence, and so on and so forth. OK, maybe a glass of soft drink somehow doesn’t do that, but I suppose it’s perfect analogy adjacent.
bhelkey 2y ago
> I owned a restaurant that gave Pepsi products to customers who explicitly ask for a Coke. Did you tell them they were drinking Pepsi or ask some variant of "Is Pepsi okay?"
- riiii 2y ago
  Are you from the PR Disaster Mitigation Department trying to find justification for this?
  - bhelkey 2y ago
    What are you talking about? A pretty common interaction is: Me: Can I have a coke? Waiter: Is pepsi okay? Me: That's fine Waiter: brings a Pepsi It seems that the above commentor doesn't have this exchange but instead silently substitutes.
- CobrastanJorji 2y ago
  In response to their request, I said nothing and brought them a red and white paper cup with "Cola" written on it in the Coca-Cola font.
tbrownaw 2y ago
> Disclamer - I owned a restaurant that gave Pepsi products to customers who explicitly ask for a Coke. I have in fact heard "coke" used as a generic before. Just like google, kleenex, champaign, cheddar, ...
- ziml77 2y ago
  But at the very least they need to say "No Coke. Pepsi."
- lesuorac 2y ago
  To avoid the whole question of if they carry pepsi or coke I usually just ask for a pepsi-coke and I've yet to run into any problems.
- pests 2y ago
  This example was doomed from the start because of this fact. A lot of the US south uses the generic "coke."* It is not uncommon for this conversation to play out: "Can I get a coke?" "Sure, which kind?" "A Coke" (or a pepsi, or fanta) In my neck of the woods we call it "pop" which always sounded strange to me in isolation. * As famously depicted in the 2003 Harvard Dialect Survey.
  - CobrastanJorji 2y ago
    That's what makes it work as a metaphor, I think. Our former Microsoft friend above says that when people ask for "google search," what they mean is "any search engine," just as people in Georgia say "coke" when they mean "a soda." You say the right response is "sure, what kind," but the Microsoft solution is to serve them a Pepsi that they disguised to resemble a Coca-Cola at first glance.
jjcm 2y ago
I definitely get what you're saying - there's an element here of taking what a customer asks for and returning something different, but I think it's an imperfect analogy. It's not bringing them a Coke, it's bringing them a dispenser that says "Cola" next to a fridge with options. For people who just want Cola, it's immediately available. For those with a brand choice, there are additional options. The reality I'm trying to portray though is that the demographic of people who search "Google" in a search field rarely overlaps with the demographic of people who are opinionated about their search tool, so this ends up serving a segment of the population in the way they expected.
- m3kw9 2y ago
  It’s a cheap trick from some 20 year old fresh out of college. It works though but it makes Microsoft look soft and somehow non professional. But still good for them if they get to convert a few users
- blibble 2y ago
  > I definitely get what you're saying - there's an element here of taking what a customer asks for and returning something different taking money for this is literally Google's business model search for geico, entire initally visible results page is other insurance companies
scotty79 2y ago
I don't see anything wrong with that. Coke is pretty much generic term. And Pepsi and Coke and other brands of cola flavored sweetened water are all pretty much the same. People shouldn't be drinking this stuff at all anyways. It should be mandatorily white labeled anyways.
tedunangst 2y ago
I have no idea why there's a process server outside, but rest easy, it's nothing to do with serving Pepsi.
knowitnone 2y ago
except you can kill someone by switching their choice of foods. why would you do that?
thaumasiotes 2y ago
> there's a very large percentage of poorly palated patrons You should look into writing poetry. ;D
kalleboo 2y ago
If you ask someone for a Kleenex, are you going to be angry if they give you some other brand of paper tissue?
alt187 2y ago
I don't care either way. Brands don't exist, grow up.
- lobsterthief 2y ago
  Sorry to break it to you, but yes they do.

lukevp 2y ago

This was so offensive to imagine as a Coke fan, great choice of metaphor!

quink 2y ago

A perfect analogy, if I were to trust the glass with my deepest darkest secrets, had a relationship with it going back decades, expect it to point me to the right direction and keep track of much of my correspondence, and so on and so forth. OK, maybe a glass of soft drink somehow doesn’t do that, but I suppose it’s perfect analogy adjacent.

bhelkey 2y ago

> I owned a restaurant that gave Pepsi products to customers who explicitly ask for a Coke. Did you tell them they were drinking Pepsi or ask some variant of "Is Pepsi okay?"

riiii 2y ago
Are you from the PR Disaster Mitigation Department trying to find justification for this?
- bhelkey 2y ago
  What are you talking about? A pretty common interaction is: Me: Can I have a coke? Waiter: Is pepsi okay? Me: That's fine Waiter: brings a Pepsi It seems that the above commentor doesn't have this exchange but instead silently substitutes.
CobrastanJorji 2y ago
In response to their request, I said nothing and brought them a red and white paper cup with "Cola" written on it in the Coca-Cola font.

tbrownaw 2y ago

> Disclamer - I owned a restaurant that gave Pepsi products to customers who explicitly ask for a Coke. I have in fact heard "coke" used as a generic before. Just like google, kleenex, champaign, cheddar, ...

ziml77 2y ago
But at the very least they need to say "No Coke. Pepsi."
lesuorac 2y ago
To avoid the whole question of if they carry pepsi or coke I usually just ask for a pepsi-coke and I've yet to run into any problems.
pests 2y ago
This example was doomed from the start because of this fact. A lot of the US south uses the generic "coke."* It is not uncommon for this conversation to play out: "Can I get a coke?" "Sure, which kind?" "A Coke" (or a pepsi, or fanta) In my neck of the woods we call it "pop" which always sounded strange to me in isolation. * As famously depicted in the 2003 Harvard Dialect Survey.
- CobrastanJorji 2y ago
  That's what makes it work as a metaphor, I think. Our former Microsoft friend above says that when people ask for "google search," what they mean is "any search engine," just as people in Georgia say "coke" when they mean "a soda." You say the right response is "sure, what kind," but the Microsoft solution is to serve them a Pepsi that they disguised to resemble a Coca-Cola at first glance.

jjcm 2y ago

I definitely get what you're saying - there's an element here of taking what a customer asks for and returning something different, but I think it's an imperfect analogy. It's not bringing them a Coke, it's bringing them a dispenser that says "Cola" next to a fridge with options. For people who just want Cola, it's immediately available. For those with a brand choice, there are additional options. The reality I'm trying to portray though is that the demographic of people who search "Google" in a search field rarely overlaps with the demographic of people who are opinionated about their search tool, so this ends up serving a segment of the population in the way they expected.

m3kw9 2y ago
It’s a cheap trick from some 20 year old fresh out of college. It works though but it makes Microsoft look soft and somehow non professional. But still good for them if they get to convert a few users
blibble 2y ago
> I definitely get what you're saying - there's an element here of taking what a customer asks for and returning something different taking money for this is literally Google's business model search for geico, entire initally visible results page is other insurance companies

scotty79 2y ago

I don't see anything wrong with that. Coke is pretty much generic term. And Pepsi and Coke and other brands of cola flavored sweetened water are all pretty much the same. People shouldn't be drinking this stuff at all anyways. It should be mandatorily white labeled anyways.

tedunangst 2y ago

I have no idea why there's a process server outside, but rest easy, it's nothing to do with serving Pepsi.

knowitnone 2y ago

except you can kill someone by switching their choice of foods. why would you do that?

thaumasiotes 2y ago

> there's a very large percentage of poorly palated patrons You should look into writing poetry. ;D

kalleboo 2y ago

If you ask someone for a Kleenex, are you going to be angry if they give you some other brand of paper tissue?

alt187 2y ago

I don't care either way. Brands don't exist, grow up.

lobsterthief 2y ago
Sorry to break it to you, but yes they do.