Coffee drinkers...

Just returned from Vegas and thought that you coffee drinkers might want to ask before ordering coffee. I was staying at the Silverton, went to the cafe late night and ordered the cheap late night special - or so I thought. Was asked if I wanted coffee, and I said yes. To my surprise my cheap meal was not cheap after all. The charge for my half drake cup of coffee - $4.00 - yes, you read that right. $4 for coffee. I started checking every place I went during my stay at other casinos and found that (except for the buffets) that almost all of them are charging $3.50 to $4 for coffee. Just another rip off now becomming the norm in Vegas. 

Soft drinks too.    I see them regularly charge $3 for iced tea.

I used to think it was cheap-skatey to order water with a meal but if  I have to choose between being a cheap skate or a sucker I'll go with the former.     Water for me in most sit-down places now.

I don't think this is Vegas, but I think it is the entire country for table service restaurants.

$3 for coffee, tea, and soda at table service restaurants is not uncommon, but $4 is on the high side. As far as the server asking if you want coffee, I think thats a pretty standard "would you like fries with that" line intended to extract more money from customers, but nothing to take personally. If they ever say they don't know or "can't recall" the price of a drink, its because they know its high.

In a few places where I am known, the servers regularly forget to charge me non-alcoholic drinks, and I regularly add a large portion of the savings in the tip I leave them. Earlier this summer I took my family for my first ever visit to Market Street Cafe at the Cal where I was totally unknown, the server who I never met before told us he wasn't going to charge us the extra $3 per person for salad bar, and it went very well towards his tip. (I am really going to miss Boyd properties...) I never flagrantly offer a higher tip for a server comp, but at $4 a cup of coffee, I suppose it would be OK to just say you like coffee but $4 isn't in your budget. I wouldn't be surprised if they comped it, and if you left a decent tip you might be remembered and continue to get it comped by the server.

The Ice in your glass costs more than the soft drink itself.    The difference in cost to the restaurnt between a glass of ice water and diet coke is less than 15 cents.    If they only charged a dollar the profit margin would be enormous. $3 is off the charts.    

It would be like if you bought a pack of gum for a buck and resold each individual stick in the pack for $3

Sometimes I really want coffee, so that's what I'll order because it will be worth the $4 (plus as many refills as I want) at that time.  Life is short.  I don't worry about the cost to the establishment either way.  Geez, what a buz kill, to sweat the cost of coffee when I'm pumping $$$ into gambling.

Water with a burger and fries?  Another buz kill.  Most soft drinks are loaded with high fructose corn syrup (promotes belly fat), the best reason to avoid colas.  But a burger and fries, I won't sweat the cost of a coke.

Y'all enjoy your water.

The City of Philadelphia imposes a 1.5 cents per ounce tax on the supply of sweetened beverages to retail dealers (example: regular and diet sodas, teas). The tax is also levied on syrups and concentrates used to make sweetened drinks.

So don't buy soda in the city of Philthydelphia.

I do enjoy my water - the price is right and I don't have to read condescending postings about my reaction to getting ripped off for my beverage. Therefore, no buzz kill, plus I have $4 dollars in my pocket to choose to spend as I wish. My posting was posted to educate others who drink coffee as to the rip off pricing for said coffee. 

Oh, the humanity!  Thank you for caring so much to "educate" us. Most of us can easily read menu prices, though. Kinda hard to get ripped off if you actually ordered the coffee....

blackjack-  when I was seated and asked about wanting coffee I did not check the menu - the waitress asked and I said "yes" not knowing that the coffee was on the price gouging list. As for you, I doubt that attempting "to educate" an intelligent person such as yourself would be appreciated. Therefore, please don't read any more of my postings - I don't wish to insult your intelligence.

Guys, guys!  No condescending intended.  Sorry it came out that way.  Just one opinion (hazardous territory) in response to another.  Each to his own.  Peace.