Everyone thrashes Taco Bell for this "sneaky" tactic because, hey, it's Taco Bell, they're big corporate, they MUST be doing something wrong, right?

What nobody has taken into consideration is WHY they did this. It's automatically assumed that it's because they want to sell their bottled water. Wrong.

When I was a teenager, I worked in Hardee's, and I know precisely why Taco Bell did this. Thieving, sneaky, lying, trashy customers. It's because of YOU people (generally speaking) that this has to be done in restaurants. We had SO many people coming up to the counter and ordering "water" (a free cup) then turning to the soda machine and pumping themselves some free soda. If confronted about it, they'd simply flip you the bird and walk out. What were you going to do about it?

It got to the point that we finally disconnected the soda machine, and only allowed customers to have soda that we pumped for them ourselves. Because of the theives that are most customers, the honest customers could no longer get their free refills without having to come ask for them.

I guarantee this is precisely what's happening at this Taco Bell. POS Customers stealing from them has driven them to try and "hide" the water button.

I know the Consumerist is for picking on the "bad" companies, but sometimes people need to look at these things realistically. Often, the consumer is to blame.

@SabreDC: You know it still seems to me that we should get a discount off our groceries when we have to scan/bag them ourselves.. We are clearly saving the store money.. and it isn't as convenient as they make it out to be.

Sure if there are tons of other checkers doing people's baskets full of stuff then it would save me time to check out my one or two things myself at a self-checkout.. but when they close down all the other lines and only offer self-checkout for everyone it doesn't save me any time at all.. so it should save me money for doing the work myself.

Heeey I go to that mall all the time. Its a pretty shitty mall and the area is pretty shitty, so I'm not suprised.

It doesn't surprise me much that the would resort to this. Being so close to a college campus will do that to some businesses.

If anyone can give me the statute, I'd be curious to read it...

So people WANT their water in bottles, and the management is rightly afraid of the liability inherent in having people refilling those bottles, pushing their saliva-coated bottle necks against the water spout, and giving the next person to fill their water bottle cholera or something. (Remember John Snow in 1854 and the famous water pump? He may have been wrong (and yes, he was wrong!) but that was how epidemiology got started. (Not to be confused with entomology, epistemology, or etymology, of course.)

If they actually didn't have water, the machine wouldn't work at all or it'd be outputting syrup that could send you into a diabetic coma in about 5 sips.

Meh, soda costs really little. Most expensive part of fountain pop is the cup.

I eat at taco bell even though I work there. It's not bad.

Are you sure it wasn't Chuck Norris who said that?@EmperorOfCanada:

I know in Texas a resteraunt must provide water for free if requested. A man can die here in the summer heat without proper hydration. Forcing you to buy bottled is ridiculous when municple water is every bit as clean and in some cases cleaner then bottled water.

Bottled water is the biggest rip off in human history.

@SabreDC: I for one welcome our new automated fast food overlords.

In fact I demand they put the machinery that makes the food automatically to be displayed in public view. So while I watch and can play the following music in my head:

@wardawg: There's no filters on the soda machine. I've been in lots of back rooms at restaurants fixing their PCs and never once saw filtration on the fresh water inlet on the machine. They just hook up a hose from a nearby tap to the inlet on the machine. It's the only way they can use the boxed syrup which is concentrate.

Concession trailers, due to their not often being located near a source of potable water use the canisters which are pre-mixed syrup with the appropriate amount of water then carbonated.

continue to enjoy your Grade D hoof beef

@ktoth04: How 'bout it. Ah, America. The land where we pay fast food restaurants for the privilege of getting our own drinks. The land where we pay grocery stores for the privilege of ringing up and bagging our own groceries...

When will the major fast food joints (McD, BK, and YUM brands, specifically) finally see the cost savings in eliminating unnecessary counter jobs altogether? Replace the 15-year-old behind the counter with a terminal for me to order my own sandwich (which will have a better chance of being correct) and use that saved money on improving your other services.

@twritersf: You are correct that they are two words; however, they are not two sentences and do not require punctuation. I. Hate. When. People. Talk. Like. This.

@MacQix: Does it have to come from the soda fountain? I'm sure that every single Taco Bell has a restroom with a running tap. It all comes from the same place.

Perhaps you missed my sarcastic point. Taco bell serves nothing but garbage, I haven't eaten there in 10 years, dont plan on it either.

@Kicken: That same logic applies to every crime, but with witnesses involved the 'logic' just sounds ridiculous. Besides, most fast food places have cameras, so if really they feel like persuing you they can try to, minor theft or not.

@aguacarbonica: Exactly. Normally, I wouldn't say anything about all the religious talk, but I would say something about the whole cup situation.

I didn't, because this woman just seemed so nice/strange/on hard times that it wasn't worth it to me to make it an issue. I wasn't as concerned about offending her, as much as I didn't want get her in any trouble.

Trust me, normally I speak up! I've worked enough in customer service that I know what is acceptable and what isn't.

@kwsventures: Environmentally and economically.

I always see small children (-16) doing this, but I've never seen someone of a more mature age do it. It really comes down to the people who do it not having the funds avaliable to buy a drink.

I wish I could remember which store did that as that sort of service deserves repeat business.

At the same time, however, they don't have to give you free cup. As a result, many places will insist on charging you anywhere from a nickel to a quarter to get a cup in which to put the water.

As for folks who would use their water cup for soda, I've seen a few clerks bust the customer for that, and made the purchase a small soda. Still happens a lot, though.

@SabreDC: I don't think that would help their cause. If they had a great big "WATER HERE" button then it would probably mean less "is this it? No, that's Coke. Is THIS it? No, that's Sprite" mistakes. They just want to charge people for water.

In what way are they not consumer friendly? I'm not disagreeing, I just don't know.

I asked how soda would be working if the water wasn't working going to the soda machine. it was "fixed" next time I went in.

If I were dealing with someone who was so nice, and yet clearly bizarre, I wouldn't have spoken up either. I guess it just depends on how you weigh offending someone against a dollar cup of soda.

Not that it would be wrong to speak up; just different people have different priorities.

Also - beware of table bussers who spray that "unidentified blue cleaning stuff" onto the table without removing the salt and pepper shakers. The fact that I'm using extra salt is bad enough, but salt and the blue stuff?

Sorry - I have a thing about unnecessary cross-contamination especially by things that are unidentified.

@AlteredBeast: And not once did you think to...I don't know...SPEAK UP about any of this?

@WillG: Or, go to a different restaurant altogether. Hmmm, Taco Bell = TB = Tuberculosis. Yum!

So......what are they mixing with the soda syrup to make pop?

Maybe "Our machine's water dispenser is broken"

More likely as mentioned earlier "People are buying water and getting pop."

Et tu, Towne Centre Mall? My teenage self would have been outraged.

@nicemarmot617: But then the dentists would starve!

I had a really weird experience at Taco Bell the other day.

I was the only customer in there, at around 2pm on a Wednesday. The cashier was an EXTREMELY friendly woman, praising how greatful she is to have a job with such fantastic managers (one of whom was standing right there).

Eventually it led to her talking about how hard her life is at the moment, and going on (and on) about how God will help her through. Normally, I'm offended by being confronted with God via customer service, but she was so nice I didn't care.

I order a medium cup to fill it with Mountain Dew Baja Blast (the best part of Taco Bell). Halfway through filling, she says "No, take this bigger cup!". I accept it, and as I am filling it I realize that it is covered in drived coca cola syrup. Again, she was so nice, and on such ard times, I didn't complain.

While sitting there, eating my taco, listening to her STILL talking about The Lord, I mention my cup is all sticky. Instead of offering another cup, she comes over with a cold wet rag (I assume used to clean the tables) adn wipes it all over my cup! I didn't want to touch the cup, then handle food I'm putting into my mouth.

I was so weirded out by the series of events, I just finished what I was chewing, toss out the cup and remaining food, and left. I intended on taking the cup with me, and riving aroudn with it, but I didnt' want something that sticky in my car. Besdies, the large cup wouldn't have fit in my cup holders >_<

@MacQix: True, but the law probably doesn't prescribe the method of delivery. Which means that you (restaurateur) have every right to make it tough or impossible for your customers to get their own water from the fountain in your dining room, provided you're willing to take on the additional labor to give them a cup of free H20 from behind the counter.

I suspect that what's behind this isn't entirely a desire to withhold free water, but rather seeing too many water customers "accidentally" filling their cups with soda.

Not that they aren't douches for lying about it.

Other restaraunts just put out tiny cups next to spiggots with impossibly slow flow rates.

@Yankees368: In Arizona you have to offer water to anyone, paying customer or not.

@simplegreen: Mmmm...midnight taco bell runs after some beers in college was the best thing ever.

They're just authentifying the Mexican experience.

Now the chain stores and corporations are trying to take us in every way possible (with all the shrinking product sizes)

Once again, the intelligent must remain vigilant. And let the idiots pay the idiot tax.

@Yankees368: I'm sure they'd still charge for a "cup of ice", even if you tell them to hold the ice.

I say to all you dirty diaper eaters (i mean, tacobell diners) continue to enjoy your Grade D hoof beef and your 36 ounce liquid sugar.

that said, i need to get trashed and go get a taco.

IMO that taco bell just doesn't want to give away free water, but have no problems charging you for it. I'd be interested to see if more people are now asking for water instead of soda to save money. Maybe htey are trying to make up for lost revenue do to lower soda sales.

If it bugs you that much, though, just ask to speak with a manager or kick it up the chain to regional staff.

We just had the TB nearest me close because they couldn't get an order right to save themselves and everyone avoided the place. The next one south of it was always at least 1/2 full and now has more customers.

Normally, I wouldn't have a problem with it if they didn't put the sign up. If they just colored the button black so fewer people would use it, fine. But lying outright that they do not have water, that's just sneaky.

Consumerist needs a category for these posts with non-corporate signs that may not be an official indication of corporate policy. I must say, I get a kick out of them the most.

Well, is there? Must restaurants provide free water to otherwise paying customers?