Bringing Crystal Light Packets Into Restaurants Tacky or Okay?

[ilovefh]

DH and I had this discussion today and I wanted other opinions. Lately I have been dealing with some anxiety issues and my Dr. recommended getting rid of caffeine and sugar in my drinks. Today we went out for lunch and I ordered water. DH suggested next time to order water and bring a Crystal Light singles packet to add to it. So what do you think....is this tacky or acceptable?

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

I love Crystal Light lemonade, but I wouldn't do this.

 

[look1angel]

I always bring those with me but typically put them in the water bottles I buy there. I personally do not see a problem with it. I'm not a soda drinker & plain old water isn't always as satisfying. I say go for it

 

[briar_rose_59]

I personally would say it depends on what drinks are offered at the restuarant. If they serve a (paid) beverage that you are able to drink (ie. a diet, caffeine free drink) then I would say it would be tacky to bring in crystal light packets. If they don't serve any drinks that you are able to drink then I don't really see a problem with bringing in a packet, although I probably wouldn't do it myself.

 

[TaraLee4]

I work in a restaurant. people do it here all the time. of course, I work in a Sports bar. If you were going somewhere super-duper fancy, I'd say don't do it.

For whatever reason, I find this more acceptable then ordering water with extra lemon, then making "lemonade" with 2 spenda packets and squeezing the lemons.

An alternative maybe, is to ask if a place has unsweetened Ice tea. Wayyyy less caffiene and not carbonated. Not sure if that help.

Just my 2 cents. Your health is more important then me bringing you a soda.

 

[ilovefh]

I personally would say it depends on what drinks are offered at the restuarant. If they serve a (paid) beverage that you are able to drink (ie. a diet, caffeine free drink) then I would say it would be tacky to bring in crystal light packets. If they don't serve any drinks that you are able to drink then I don't really see a problem with bringing in a packet, although I probably wouldn't do it myself.

That was part of the problem. No caffeine free diet...and everything else had either tons of sugar or caffeine...lemonade, iced tea....etc. I'm excited to see the results since I have never even thought about this!

 

[MM27]

I drink Crystal Light Peach Iced Tea all day long. However, if I go out to a restaurant, I will order something.

 

[TaraLee4]

I always bring those with me but typically put them in the water bottles I buy there. I personally do not see a problem with it. I'm not a soda drinker & plain old water isn't always as satisfying. I say go for it

This is an excellent way to still buy something to drink, yet drink what you need too! a little compromise!!

 

[dislaney]

I find the choices of things that I will drink in most restaurants to be very limited. I wouldn't have a problem doing this or with you doing it!

 

[Imzadi]

An alternative maybe, is to ask if a place has unsweetened Ice tea. Wayyyy less caffiene and not carbonated. Not sure if that help.

Tea actually has more caffeine than coffee.

 

[tink_n_pooh]

If there were no good options available for me at a restaurant I would just drink water, its better for you anway

 

[WL Fan]

I think it's totally acceptable, especially if you mx it in your water discreetly and don't make a big deal out of it.

 

[C.Ann]

My mother had to drink a certain brand of decaf tea in order to avoid health issues.. None of the restaurants carried it, so she always brought her own tea bags with her and asked for a cup of hot water.. Never got any strange looks from the waitresses, so I don't think it's terribly uncommon..

If there is nothing suitable for your diet restrictions available in the restaurant, I wouldn't hesitate for a minute..

 

[Imzadi]

I don't see what the big deal is. It's not like you went into a restaurant and ONLY ordered a glass of water and are sitting down to drink it. If you order a meal and are paying for it, what you put into your glass of water should be up to you.

If a person has to put medicine into their water to drink it with their meal, should they have to make an announcement to appease others?

Many diabetics drink Crystal Light and bring the packets with them. They have to keep count of their carbs and regulate their blood glucose levels. They already know the carb & sugar count of crystal Light. No guesswork involved.

I really don't care what people think of me or what I do with my own water or drinks. I tend to bring my own Sweet & Low packets as some restaurants don't have them. I have a reaction to Equal packets and I don't trust Splenda. It never occurred to me to even think to wonder what people think of me doing that. How trivial. And how anal for someone else to be minding my business to watch & see what I am doing, and then to form an opinion of it. If I'm tipping the waitress, she shouldn't care either.

 

[SeaSpray]

I work in a restaurant. people do it here all the time. of course, I work in a Sports bar. If you were going somewhere super-duper fancy, I'd say don't do it.

For whatever reason, I find this more acceptable then ordering water with extra lemon, then making "lemonade" with 2 spenda packets and squeezing the lemons.

An alternative maybe, is to ask if a place has unsweetened Ice tea. Wayyyy less caffiene and not carbonated. Not sure if that help.

Just my 2 cents. Your health is more important then me bringing you a soda.

I do this regularly (can't have caffeine, and I like sugar-free). Except, I ask for ice water with lemon and lime, and use Sweet N Low.

Waiters and waitresses love us though, we're very good tippers!

 

[MIGrandma]

This was a huge topic of discussion awhile back at a couple waitressing message boards I go to. So many servers are opposed to it and I just don't understand what bothers them so much about it.

I was a server for 12 years, and it never bothered me when anyone brought in something like that. Or their own dressing packet for the salad, etc.

If the person is only going to drink water anyway, why should it bother me if they choose to flavor it with a Crystal Lite packet?

I think if a person is going to spend money on a meal at a restaurant, and tip their server, it shouldn't matter if they want to add something like that to their water. It never bothered me when someone brought in their own drink either. Some people just prefered drinks that we didn't offer. I would still much rather had them come in, pay for a meal and tip me, than not come in at all.

 

[M&N]

I need to have sugar free and caffeine free drinks. Most places do not have this kind of beverage available so they should not complain. I usually ask for lemon with my water.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Outside of a special circumstance where you have no choice but to bring an option (say you have allergies, baby needs a bottle of formula)...IMHO, I don't feel it appropriate to bring in something just so that you can have something you like.

However--it's not like you are bringing in a can of soda b/c they don't have yoru favorite or anything.

A crystal light packet is pretty discreet and not a big deal.

I just personally "do without" at a restaurant b/c I would feel weird doing something like that if water is just fine.

 

[MonkeyDishwasher]

I voted tacky, but that was before I saw that it was mroe due to a medical issue rather than just trying to cheap out on the bill. You could always bring a water bottle of premixed beverage with you, and ask for a glass of ice. That way you're not leaving any extra trash for the server or busser to clean up after you once you've left.

 

[KristaTX]

For whatever reason, I find this more acceptable then ordering water with extra lemon, then making "lemonade" with 2 spenda packets and squeezing the lemons.

My in-laws, whom I love dearly, do this. I find it embarrassing - primarily because they tend to be very obvious about it and ask for a ton of lemons. They also almost always share an entree, and they are super cheap tippers (less than 15% even for excellent service ).

Because of those three things I always dread going out to eat with them, even though I really enjoy spending time with them. It's the meager tipping that really gets to me much more than the free "lemonade" or splitting a meal. Lots of people share a meal or drink free water - oftentimes that's a much healthier way of eating. But all that combined with the low tipping makes them come across as real cheapskates I'm sure.