What's the deal? WHY, when I say, "No thank you, nothing at all to drink," do they always think they're being helpful when they bring me Water and say, "Just in case!" I'm getting tired of it. I wasn't kidding when I said nothing to drink. I don't even like it on the table because I used to be a major meal drinker and it's a subconscious thing to reach for that glass in the middle of a bite. I haven't drank any, yet, but I keep wanting to reach for that dang glass.

What can I say without saying, "I've had surgery, I can't HAVE anything to drink with my meal," that'll get them to BELIEVE me that I REALLY don't want anything to drink? I'm actually getting to the point where I think it's really rude when they ask what to drink and I say nothing and they say, "Not even water?" I say no, thank you and they STILL bring me that dang water. :wink:

I know it's not a huge deal and it's not going to alter the course of the universe whether or not they put water in front of me, but it makes my struggle to follow my band and diet rules that much harder.

I am a waitress and as a waitress I can tell you that they are just trying to do their job and not to annoy you. You can always just give the glass back and say, no thank you and your point will be taken.

good luck with that

I am having the same type issues too! I go out to eat with friends and the waitress goes around the table asking, and comes to me and I say, nothing for me thank you. Everyone looks at me strange, people offer to pay for my drink! As if I'm being cheap. Yes I am cheap, but that's not the reason!

So then the waitress offers me a free soft drink. NO thanks, I don't drink when I eat. Are you sure? yup, I'm pretty sure, I know i'm weird.

It always just ends up being a 5 min. issue to say no thanks to a drink!

At american resteraunts I order Water just to shut them up because it's free. Here in Europe water cost an arm and a leg! Up to $4 for a glass of water! no ice. So I refuse to purchase that to make everyone happy.

Man, sometimes i just want to put a sign on my forehead. I DO NOT DRINK WITH MY MEALS, YES I AM WEIRD, BUT I WILL NOT BE ORDERING A DRINK TODAY!

But if you want to bring me a free appetizer than so be it!

I know it gets annoying, but waitressing is not an easy job. I used to be a waitress and it is unbelievable how abusive and mean customers can be. These people are just trying to do their job. I know it can get annoying when they go on about specials and trying to sell drinks and appetizers, but most restaurants make the servers give the speal and try and sell you stuff you don't want. It is just like any other business. Restaurants have what they call secret shoppers that are made to present challenges to the servers and they secretly grade them on their performance. If they do not give the speal they get written up. These shoppers are not know so servers are made to treat every customer as a secret shopper. Believe it or not Sunday is the worst day to work in a restaurant! Church people come in to eat and they can be so nasty. I don't think there was ever a Sunday that I was not in tears by the end of my shift. I worked so hard, ran my but off, and did every thing I could to please these people and I was still left with no tip, and sometimes even had to pay for part of their meal because they would up and leave without seeing the bill. Now, I am a Church goer, so I am not trying to bad mouth people but it is amazing to me that these people are comming from Worshiping the Lord and treat people this way. I just really wish people would think twice before giving servers a hard time.

As a former waitress, my experience was that if people did not order a drink with their meal I ALWAYS made sure they had water (actually I brought EVERYONE water....always). More than anything it is just polite...you might drink it, dip your napkin in it and wipe some food off your shirt, or clean off some baby's face, or whatever, but it's just kindof a nice thing to have at the table "just in case". I understand your feeling of aggravation, but I think the easiest thing is to automatically order water if someone asks what you would like. No one will think anything...people do it all the time, and then let it sit. That's what I do, and no one ever notices that I don't touch anything.

As a former waitress, my experience was that if people did not order a drink with their meal I ALWAYS made sure they had water

Same here, generally. If people did say no water, I wouldn't bring them anything but to be honest it made me uncomfortable! Now this solves the mystery...perhaps they were banded folks?

Instead of saying, "What part of 'I don't want anything to drink' don't you understand, dumbass?" you might just order a glass of Water and put it out of reach. I was a huge drinker, with a straw, but I don't put the straw in the drink and I drink the water. Often times a table mate drinks my water or I clean my kid's face with the napkin dipped in it.

Really aren't there other issues out there to keep you up at night? That server isn't out there to sabotage your success. They are people doing a really hard job with out much respect.

I know every tactic we have helps but this is one of those pick your battles times.

But, the point is that just having it there on the table is a temptation I'd rather not have there. I understand they're doing their job but it is frustrating and I've only been out to eat once since surgery! :welldoneclap:

when they ask me I just order water and sit it in the farthest corner of the table away from me so I am not tempted to drink it.

Since I eat out alot and to stop the questions I will order water, and old habits are hard to break I would sometime take a sip only to suffer when I did. I recently decided to say when asked that I didn't want anthing to drink, the waitress screamed out I don't think I've ever waited on anyone who didn't want anything to drink, so I quitely said I've had surgery so I can't drink with my meals. Boy was that the wrong thing to say, the next remarks from the waitress was Gosh! what did they do to you that you can't drink. After she finally left our table half the restaurant knew I couldn't drink while eating. Made me feel like they we thinking, well if she drink more and ate less she wouldn't be so fat. And yes I did leave her a tip, I just figured I may be fat and I'm doing something about it, but she was stupid and to stupid to realize it.

bmysuccess, Yep, ya can fix FAT, but ya cant fix STUPID!

steph cn, I'm old and set in my way's, if I say no Water, I mean no water. Should I still get it, I'd ask for them to take it back . . . . . . . no problem.

WOW. It is a wonder how you even got served if she was that stupid. Maybe you should try being a server. You could probably teach all the stupid servers how to do their job! And people wonder how anyone could live with the guilt of spitting is someone's food! Geez guys it is a freakin glass of water. Calm down. At least the person serving you cares enough to think that you might want something to drink at some point. I am not saying that all servers are perfect, but they are people to. Have some respect. You'd be offended if I called you stupid over having a hissy about a stupid glass of water. If it is that much of a problem why not order a glass of ice? No questions asked no liquid to drink. If it is that much of a temptation how can you sit at a table with other people's drinks there, or do you make them not order anything either?

Better yet, why don't you just stay home and cook. Less fat, better for you, no "stupid servers" to deal with, AND.......NO FREAKIN GLASS OF WATER TO LOOK AT! There problem solved!

Steve, if you are losing any weight then you are the perfect example of your own statement.

To the OP, when the server asks you what you want to drink, simply say "nothing, and please don't even bring a glass of Water." If he/she still brings the water, politely remind them that you didn't want water. You have to realize and respect that your problem/desire is a pretty unique one in restaurant world; most of the complaints servers hear are that they didn't get the drink to the table fast enough, or that they didn't keep the water glasses full!

Also, sometimes the server isn't the person who brings the table water, sometimes it's a busboy. Just say "no thank you, I don't want any".

Or you could just throw your napkin into the glass to make it less appetizing . . . or a shake of pepper.

Gees. I didn't realize it would turn into such a big deal. Like I said, it's not going to alter the course of the universe whether or not they bring me Water. I just wondered if there was something I could say so that they would believe me and not bring me the drink. Sheesh.

I have worked in a restaurant. I worked all sides of it except cook or manager. I was kitchen help, table busser, waitress and hostess. I KNOW what it's like to work in a restaurant. If somebody had asked me for NO WATER or any drink whatsoever and was polite about it, I would have obliged them! I've never been rude to a server.

No, I don't reach for other people's glasses to drink them. Same way that I didn't reach for them BEFORE the surgery, why would it hit my subconscious brain to reach for them after? If there's not a glass designated as MINE, I don't even think about it.

If you think I had a "tone" in my post and it had to do with a drink, it didn't. I had just had a terrible experience at a restaurant where the server was downright awful. Yes - they do exist just as they do in every profession known to mankind. When a server is good, generally they get 20% or MORE as a tip. If they were stellar, easily 30% and up. Even the mediocre ones get no less than the standard 15% and even at that, I feel guilty. If you think I don't understand the profession, you're wrong.

I would never consider yelling at the waitress because she brought me a drink. I wasn't even rude when the waitress asked me incredulously if I truly wanted NOTHING, even water and then she brought me water, anyway.

Good heavens. I wasn't looking for the fine art of insulting the waitress for not understanding that drinking with meals isn't very good for you anyway. I just wanted something I could say so that she'd truly believe me.

For those that offered HELPFUL suggestions rather than hissy fits, THANK YOU. I like the glass of ice suggestion. I think I'll do that.