Do You Buy Drinks (Alcoholic or Non Alcoholic) When Eating out?

BattleSausage on 30/12/2024 - 14:12
Last edited 30/12/2024 - 17:16 by 1 other user

Hello OzBargainers, I'm curious to gather some opinions here.

Usually when I go out to eat with friends/family, I'm too cheap to get drinks at the restaurant (whether it be soft drinks or in house). It will always be tap water or complementary tea. It's not that I don't have the money, it's just that I could never mentally justify spending $6.90 on some in house matcha drink.

Anyway, thoughts?

Yours truly, Sausage.

Edit: oh my god, where are my manners. Merry Christmas and happy New Years everyone :)

Poll Options Sat, 01/02/2025 - 00:00

  • 240
    I'm ok getting drinks
  • 25
    I'm ok getting alcohol only
  • 217
    I'm don't get drinks
Financial

Comments

  • Darude Sandstorm on 30/12/2024 - 14:32
    +10

    I used to get lemon lime bitters, then moved onto real drinks but now, just water
    Value proposition for a drink at $7 is not worth it, Alcohol no point unless I'm getting hammered which is very unlikely at a restaurant, unless it's an all-expenses paid work function

    • BattleSausage on 30/12/2024 - 14:35
      +1

      thank you for sharing. Could you elaborate on real drinks? And if you dont mind, why just water now?

      Thank you.

      • Darude Sandstorm on 30/12/2024 - 14:50
        +8

        When someone says they're going out for drinks, they're absolutely never referring to non-alcoholic drinks.
        Whilst every drinking liquid can be classed as a drink, in Australia 'Drinks/Real Drinks' is a colloquialism for alcoholic beverages.

        Ever since I started using Ozzy B and setting it as my homepage, I've inadvertently stopped wasting money on things that aren't bargains, for the most part.
        Whilst I still go out to restaurants on the odd occasion, water is more than suitable. I go there because I typically can't produce the quality of food they do and have something I can't make at home myself but at home I can pour myself a coke, so it's simply not worth buying one when I'm out.

        Also, water is king, besides Monster Mango Loco I only drink water.

        • BattleSausage on 30/12/2024 - 15:03
          +1

          really appreciate the elaboration, thank you!

          I think in terms of eating out i share much of the same view as you

        • CommuterPolluter on 31/12/2024 - 08:16
          +3

          Whilst every drinking liquid can be classed as a drink, in Australia 'Drinks/Real Drinks' is a colloquialism for alcoholic beverages.

          I’ve rarely heard the term “real drink” used, only in some disparaging statements like “VB? Get a real drink into ya mate” usually by the same kind of person who’s say “quinoa? Get some real food into ya mate”. I wouldn’t really consider it a colloquialism.

          Do you consider the term real drinks specifically a colloquialism or was that just you emphasising the term drinks, which I agree is a colloquialism?

          • Darude Sandstorm on 31/12/2024 - 12:54
            +1

            @CommuterPolluter: Only drinks. I just included real drinks to make my argument sound better and more logical. It was a fallacy.

            Also yes, your use of real drink and VB is correct, the only time it's used.

    • AustriaBargain on 01/01/2025 - 23:55

      You don’t enjoy a light buzz?

      • Darude Sandstorm on 02/01/2025 - 11:58

        Can't stop once I start… Usually I don't start

  • boomramada on 30/12/2024 - 14:39
    +3

    Someitmes you need a drink to enjoy your expensive meal 😝

  • EightImmortals on 30/12/2024 - 14:47
    +4

    Nah, mostly not. More for health reasons than financial ones.

    • BattleSausage on 30/12/2024 - 14:51

      I think that's definitely an interesting thought. What's your thoughts on saying, paying for sugarless iced tea then?

      Thanks!

      • EightImmortals on 30/12/2024 - 14:52

        If I'm in the mood. :)

      • CommuterPolluter on 31/12/2024 - 08:19

        It’s so hard to get sugarless iced tea in Australia. The only place I’ve seen it is at Pho Thin where it’s $2 so imo worth it in hot water.

  • Jimothy Wongingtons on 30/12/2024 - 14:47
    +10

    I don’t mind paying for alcoholic drinks at a restaurant or pub if it’s not what I normally drink at home (like yebisu or hite or whatever) or, if they have xxxx gold on tap. I’m already spending a decent amount on food most of the time, what’s another $10 - 100 on schooners right?

    • BattleSausage on 30/12/2024 - 14:52
      +2

      A very measured take, this makes sense to me. It's not much more money to complete the experience.

      Thanks for that :)

    • cashless on 30/12/2024 - 19:43
      +3

      Jimothy said the magic word. Yebisu.
      Now I’m going to have to find a restaurant that serves it

      • inconspicuous on 31/12/2024 - 08:45
        +1

        It's so expensive in Australia. It's my go-to beer in Japan. Went to the brewery too, it's pretty cool just for the little museum and the design.

  • closed on 30/12/2024 - 15:00
    +2

    Yes because I only go out for dinner if someone else is paying

    • BattleSausage on 30/12/2024 - 15:42

      food tastes best when you didnt have to work for it

  • apsilon on 30/12/2024 - 15:09
    +3

    I do if I'm thirsty.

    • BattleSausage on 30/12/2024 - 15:42
      +1

      i think that is a very rational take, thank u

    • JimmyF on 30/12/2024 - 19:48

      So water?

      • apsilon on 30/12/2024 - 20:08

        Depends on the mood I'm in.

        • JimmyF on 30/12/2024 - 20:14
          +4

          a thirsty mood?

  • salmon123 on 30/12/2024 - 15:13
    +2

    Out of interest - how do you justify the $25-50 mains these days? Local thai takeaway place is $20+ for a main these days, so finding a restaurant with $25 mains can be challenging.

    • BattleSausage on 30/12/2024 - 15:20
      +1

      I can't justify 25-50 mains unless its a one off occasion (eg birthdays), or the rare kbbq buffet with friends.

      I'm in a rather asian area of sydney and you get can chinese mains for anywhere from $17-$22. Granted it isn't fine dining by any means, it is decent food that fills me.

      There is a new local thai place that has chicken pad thai going for around $21, but there are also 2 older thai stores across the road that do it for like $19. It definitely is creeping up so i dont go there super often.

    • pharkurnell on 30/12/2024 - 15:27
      +4

      I've noticed that what was $20 12mths ago is now 30+ at the same places..

      • salmon123 on 30/12/2024 - 16:11

        Don't get me started on the Monday-Friday surcharges.

  • apple2016 on 30/12/2024 - 15:22

    Yes- cause I like dining out…

  • b0rnwithabeard on 30/12/2024 - 15:25
    +2

    i don't buy drinks when i go out to restaurants. It's way too expensive. I also don't buy food either. Why be ripped off by them when I have perfectly good food at home?

    • pharkurnell on 30/12/2024 - 15:28
      +1

      So you dont buy food or drinks at restaurants… do you just sit there and stare at the walls? just wondering.

      • b0rnwithabeard on 30/12/2024 - 15:32
        +5

        only if they don't charge a "stare at the wall" fee. You'd be surprised.

        • salmon123 on 30/12/2024 - 16:26
          +3

          only if they don't charge a "stare at the wall" fee

          Only a matter of time until they start "cover charges" in Australia. Seemingly quiet common in some European cities.

    • Guybrush57 on 30/12/2024 - 21:48

      Legitimately what do you do at restaurants? Sit there and talk to others only or eat other people's food?

      • thrillhouse on 31/12/2024 - 08:14
        +1

        Financially impact the restaurant owners by taking up a seat and ordering nothing.

        • Guybrush57 on 31/12/2024 - 10:22

          I agree. It's OK to believe food and drink is overpriced because quite frankly it is, but to actively block business by taking up a seat and ordering nothing is unethical.

          I would also think his/her friends/family would find it weird to always have them join lunch and dinners only to order zilch.

          I couldn't even imagine doing it myself, sitting there with nothing being envious of everyone else's food and drink.

  • SnowDragon on 30/12/2024 - 15:56
    +5

    Depends who I'm going out with and if I need the social lubricant. However it then does bother me spending $13 for a pint knowing I could have gotten 3 or 4 stubbies for the same price from the bottle o.

    it's just that I could never mentally justify spending $6.9 on some in house matcha drink.

    I've found over time that I've been slowly losing that mentality and I'm happy to indulge myself a bit more. I could spend the next few years being frugal, saving hundreds of thousands and then dropping dead of an aneurysm.

    • BattleSausage on 30/12/2024 - 17:15
      +2

      i think the last bit of your comment is a very good point. What's the point of being so cheap when i might just be gone the next week.

      thanks for the perspective

  • fantombloo on 30/12/2024 - 16:07
    +1

    I'm at hungries right now. Brought in cans for those wanting drinks, bought frozen for those wanting that. Not paying 2x for unfrozen coke.

  • Ocker on 30/12/2024 - 16:16

    Scrooge is alive and well

    • BattleSausage on 30/12/2024 - 17:13
      +1

      i hope he's willing to share

  • Benoffie on 30/12/2024 - 16:18

    Depends.

    Soft drink - jug if under $20 and share, always no ice
    Pint of soft, same if under $6, no ice

    Otherwise, water.

    Cafe, we do Iced Lattes or equivalent. Considering they are 2 shots of coffee and 250-30ml of milk, thats acceptable.

    Dont drink alcohol out. Rip off.

    • BattleSausage on 30/12/2024 - 17:14

      ive never thought about ordering a jug. Ive seen a jug of beer ordered at work lunches though, but i might be more open to that if its a thing most restaurants do.

      thanks for bringing that up :)

  • LVlahov on 30/12/2024 - 17:28
    +1

    I consider both the total bill of what we are ordering and the individual price of drinks to determine which way I go. Less than $120 for the meal and/or less than $6/$12/$15 (soft drink/alcoholic drink or soft drink jug/cocktail) and the greater the likelihood I'll go for soft-drink or an alcoholic drink with the meal. Above total is for a family of 5 though, not myself individually.

    If jugs aren't provided we'll generally get a couple of soft drinks + water and share between the 5 of us trying to stay under the $120 limit, sometimes up to $160 for a special occasion. When I was single I'd order a drink (or multiple) with any meal regardless of cost. Now with a family there's more danger of us living beyond our means if I kept my previous lifestyle up.

    Typically we select restaurants that do "share boards" for $60~$120 and each take our pick from that rather than order individually/bother with kids meals and we find that serves us well. An extra serve of fries does the kids if the amount of food leaves us short of being full.

    • BattleSausage on 30/12/2024 - 17:45

      i think that is an interesting perspective you share. Even when going out myself i try to keep my meals to below $20, with the old 3 piece zinger box as the golden benchmark in terms of value and how full i get (i know, strange).

      Putting it in terms of managing a budget with a family vs having more luxury when you're single didn't occur to me, so thank you for sharing that.

      • coffeeinmyveins on 31/12/2024 - 03:42
        +4

        when going out myself i try to keep my meals to below $20, with the old 3 piece zinger box as the golden benchmark in terms of value and how full i get (i know, strange).

        KFC is not eating out….

        • CocaKoala on 01/01/2025 - 11:33

          KFC is not eating out of a bucket.

          Ftfy.

  • Sal in SA on 30/12/2024 - 18:12
    +11

    Life is short, enjoy a drink or 2 with good friends / family.

  • simplystu on 30/12/2024 - 19:45

    Some places are NO-BYO (even soft drink) … So then forced to pay their high prices.

    Almost always ask for tap water (if not offered) …

    But I scorn at a couple of (Italian) restaurants - WA Leederville area - that I know of. They don't offer tap water … It is either still or sparkling (both bottled + have to pay $ for).

    In regards to OP …
    If having a nice meal out, I don't mind paying for a alcoholic drink or 2 … If something simple (eg. Chinese restaurant) - I usually BYO - even just soft drink).

  • JimmyF on 30/12/2024 - 19:51
    +2

    It's not a black and white answer.

    I used to always buy a soft drink or something with a meal, but as prices have gone up and my age, I'm more likely to drink water these days. Not so much a money thing, but a value thing. Dropping $5-7 on a post mix glass of soft drink doesn't feel right.

    But if I feel like a drink, then I'll buy one, but most times I have water.

  • coffeeinmyveins on 30/12/2024 - 20:17
    +3

    it's just that I could never mentally justify spending $6.90 on some in house matcha drink

    but you can justify spending $25 on a burger you can make at home?

  • Aidanaus on 30/12/2024 - 21:02
    +1

    imo,

    if i'm drinking i'm doing to get drunk i'll bring something to drink (if at a sports event, sneak it in) or drink beforehand.

    Not worth paying anymore.

  • JIMB0 on 30/12/2024 - 23:03
    +2

    I used to just drink the free tap water. Once I had paid off the house I figured you can't take your money with you, may as well enjoy it.

  • freefall101 on 31/12/2024 - 00:31
    +3

    I generally care more about food than the drinks. A glass of wine with a meal, where someone brings it out to you is worth the few extra bucks to make the dinner more enjoyable. Generally I buy something that goes well with the food I'm ordering, if I only want water then water it is.

    But paying $30 for a cheap piece of steak that someone has slapped on the grill for a couple of minutes, with some frozen potatoes dumped in a deep fryer and a limp piece of lettuce annoys me to no end. Either use cheap ingredients to make something good or make good ingredients very good. Dropping food in front of me that I could make myself in 20 minutes for a quarter of the cost really grinds my gears.

  • AccessMax on 31/12/2024 - 01:52

    It's not that I don't have the money.

    you definitely don't have money

    • coffeeinmyveins on 31/12/2024 - 03:44
      +3

      I don't know about that. The stingiest people I know are wealthy.

      And I know people will say "that's why they're wealthy" but it's not true.

  • morse on 31/12/2024 - 06:33
    +2

    Depends on the occasion. If it’s a celebration and I feel like something other than water for sure. For a casual lunch or dinner probably not to keep costs reasonable.

  • thrillhouse on 31/12/2024 - 08:17

    If I’m at a wine bar or restaurant with a good list (which usually, I am) then my wife and I (or table) will order a bottle, or the pairing.

    Alcohol is how many restaurants stay afloat.

    I don’t often eat out unless it’s worth it, but when I do it’s generally not a cheap experience.

    That all being said, my favourite casual option is our local Thai which has a $2 BYO corkage. Absolute banger.

  • Lastchancetosee on 31/12/2024 - 08:24

    European background here. A glass of wine with dinner is the norm, matched wines with courses for special meals, and never drink without eating, even if it's just some olives.

    Since being on regular medication, however, I only drink a little at family get-togethers at home, and only if it's good, like champagne or an old red. Almost never buy alcoholic when out. I've yet to try a decent non-alcoholic wine, and they're outrageously overpriced for the quality, and the alcoholic wines by the glass are usually pretty ordinary.

    For a treat, I will have the odd mocktail on holidays if I can get one which isn't sickly sweet, but otherwise it's soda and bitters or water.

  • SuperGreen on 31/12/2024 - 08:57

    I just can’t justify spending money on drinks when water is free. Sometimes not great when the water isn’t chilled, but other than the cost, I don’t like using up my calorie intake on sugar water or alcohol, much rather stuff my face with something more satiating.
    The few times I bought a $20+ cocktail didn’t sit too well with me…

  • 2esc on 31/12/2024 - 09:10

    We rarely eat out anyway but i definitely have to be in the mood to buy alcholic.

  • sidesw1pe on 31/12/2024 - 10:12
    +4

    “I am don’t get drinks”

  • killingtime on 31/12/2024 - 10:40

    If you don't want to date/marry a miser (you really don't) then she/he is getting drinks when you go out. There's more important things in life than saving a few bucks

  • jakt70 on 31/12/2024 - 11:15

    I drink a lot of water anyway, so usually just get water when out. Sometimes I'll splurge and get something like a fruity mocktail or spirit if I'm feeling it. Water cleanses the palate best anyway.

  • anthony t on 31/12/2024 - 11:25

    These days for me, no corporate meals. On a ‘special occasion’ meal out, we’ll have a glass or two (used to be a shared bottle) but hunt, with increasing difficulty, good byo’s in Sydney’s eastern suburbs otherwise. As 300-400% drink mark-ups seem the norm, many who are paying personally, drink much less so food prices are going up. I think it negates ‘booze pays the bills’. But I can’t believe how many around here think nothing of a $5+ take away coffee often twice a day.

  • sammm on 31/12/2024 - 13:47

    I only have either water, or a glass of wine when i am eating out. On occasions, i buy a coke. I do not see the sense of buying sparkling water when tap water is available.

  • SuperMid on 31/12/2024 - 14:46
    +1

    I totally get that rent is very expensive, as is the cost of materials + labour rates, but i also believe that $35 for toast on eggs is just too much.

  • Mysterious on 31/12/2024 - 21:18
    +1

    Rarely, unless the drink was something with a thicker base like a smoothie at a reasonable price. Can never justify paying $5 for a glass or cup of soft drink, but paying around $5 for something more filling and nutrient dense like a smoothie or a shake is justifiable imo. Sometimes at Asian restaurants I've seen hot tea, iced tea or some sort of tea or coffee for $1-2 if it's not already complimentary, so sometimes I will order that.

  • duluxe2000 on 31/12/2024 - 21:57

    Should have asked : do you pay for drinks in an all-you-can-eat buffet ? No.

  • Youi2018 on 31/12/2024 - 23:01

    I don't drink alcohol so have saved soo much money in that regards

    Its crazy when i see the price of alcohol at restaurants and sometimes its the same or more then a meal

    I also don't get soft drinks out at restaurants its a rip off . Can just drink it at home. Would rather spend that money on extra food

  • timeismana on 31/12/2024 - 23:02

    Generally, no. If it's a place I haven't been before I might splash out to try out a drink if it looks/sounds good enough.

  • SoapyWooder on 31/12/2024 - 23:18
    +1

    I am do not get drinks

  • TRANCE on 01/01/2025 - 10:22

    I sneak a couple wedges of lemon in (just cling film wrapped) and squeeze into the free water, beverage made, better than any soft drink, acidity complements most foods well.

  • saltypete on 01/01/2025 - 10:24

    If we go out - we order anything that we want and really dont consider the cost. And we generally just have water unless there is some other beverage that interests any of us.

  • capslock janitor on 01/01/2025 - 12:12

    Depends on the food(greasy fried food I enjoy to wash it down with a fizzy)

    If I do I usually browse for a new bevvy to try and not some bog standard softys

    If complementary tea is included I'm more than happy to sip on that instead

  • Spootage on 01/01/2025 - 14:17
    +1

    What option do I pick if 8/10 I get water and the other 2/10 I buy alcohol?

  • DMFD on 01/01/2025 - 14:29

    Well its cheaper in a regular meal isnt it?

  • 2025 on 01/01/2025 - 18:23

    Tbh it depends on the vibe of the place and how good the food is, if I think I’d like to come back at some stage, sure, I’ll get a few drinks. I have no problem paying the stupid price of drinks because I valued the whole thing, and see it as a way of supporting the owners and employees.

    If, on the other hand, it’s not a nice place, nice people or
    nice food, I tend to get to get just the one.

  • BargainHunter9876543 on 01/01/2025 - 21:15

    I just drink water so I don't get fat.

  • OzBarAnon on 01/01/2025 - 23:09

    If I'm the one footing the bill (or someone I'm friends with) then very rarely. In those few instances, I'll pretty much only get in-house drinks (no way I'm paying a 100% markup on something I can get at a supermarket). If it's my employer or some other corpo paying for it, then heck yeah buddy

  • damascato on 02/01/2025 - 09:34

    Drinking is part of an eating experience.

    Of course no need to get drinks if you eat out at the cheap local pizza shop or thai, but with a proper meal I would miss a good portion of the experience without a nice glass of wine or two. Is it most of the times a rip-off? Who cares…

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