Drinks: The Line Item That Moves the Bill Most
Drinks are the line item nobody plans around and the one that most reliably surprises people at the end of a meal.
For a table of four they typically add more than a kids meal costs.
The arithmetic
A soft drink runs roughly $3.50 in most sit-down restaurants of this type. Four of them is around $14 — more than the $10.99 Country Veg Plate, and more than two $4.99 kids meals combined.
Alcoholic drinks move the number considerably further. Two cocktails can add as much as an entire entrée.
None of this is unusual or unfair — drinks are where restaurants make margin, and it is the same everywhere. It is simply worth knowing which line on the bill is elastic.
- Soft drink — around $3.50 each
- Four soft drinks — around $14 per table
- That is more than the cheapest adult entrée
- Kids meals include a drink already
- Tap water — free, and the single largest easy saving
What is already included
Kids meals include a soft drink, juice or milk as part of the $4.99 to $7.99 price. Ordering a separate drink for a child on a kids meal is paying twice.
Free refills on soft drinks are standard in this format, so one drink per person is usually the whole cost rather than the first of several.
The bread is also free and unlimited, which for a table watching the bill is worth more than most promotions.
The honest framing
This is not an argument for never ordering a drink. It is an argument for knowing that on a $60 table, roughly $14 of it is liquid, and that this is the single easiest line to change if the total matters.
For a family of four, switching to tap water is a larger saving than most coupons deliver, requires no planning, and has no conditions attached.
It is also worth putting alongside the other standing savings. Early Dine takes $1.50 to $2.50 off an entrée. Sharing a 16oz sirloin rather than ordering two 6oz steaks saves around $4 and delivers more beef. Tap water for four saves around $14. The drinks decision is larger than either of the other two, and it is the one nobody writes guides about.
None of which means ordering a drink is a mistake. It means that if the total matters on a given evening, this is the first line to look at rather than the last.
Frequently asked
Are refills free?
Free refills on soft drinks are standard in this restaurant format.
Do kids meals include a drink?
Yes — a soft drink, juice or milk, plus one side, in the meal price.
What is the biggest easy saving on a family bill?
Tap water. For four people it is around $14, which beats most available discounts and has no conditions.
Keep reading
Feeding a Family: Where the Money Goes
The bill for four is moved less by which entrées you pick than by three decisions most people make without noticing.
Read →
Is It Expensive? What a Meal Actually Costs
Four worked examples rather than an opinion — what a table of one, two or four actually pays.
Read →
The Cheapest Ways to Eat Here
Six routes to a full meal under $13, and the cheapest adult plate is not on the page anyone looks at.
Read →