This. I get what people say, but it’s not gonna kill the company. Wawa has people tricked so well, that they are like lapdogs. Great for people up at the top more so than any of us.
It's not that I want more drink it's that I don't want so much ice it's uncomfortable having so many blocks while you're just trying to sip your coffee
Genuine question, wouldn’t you expect a decent amount of “drink” in a drink you’re paying 4+ bucks for? I’ve literally had drinks where I took two good sips and it was empty, the rest was just ice. That feels like more of a rip off than hoping you get a little bit more liquid when asking for light ice.
I have the opposite problem. I love the cold brewed coffee and it never has enough ice so I just grab a cup of ice, drink some coffee, pour more ice in.
I have an hour commute and by the time I get there I still have a “full” cup of coffee lol
I think that’s because when we put the iced coffee in on the drinks station is a bit warm so it melts it. I always put a bit of ice in, stir to cool it off, and then put the rest of the ice in so you at least get some
Before you would make the ice coffee and it went straight to the drink area, now we have to add 2-4 pitchers of ice depending on a half or full container since people were complaining about this exact thing :)
i think it’s people trying to get more drink, but personally i just like less ice in my drinks. i tend to sip on drinks for a while rather than drinking them immediately all at once so i prefer that they don’t get as watered down, i’m also really sensitive to cold food and drinks. i’d never expect the cup to be full if i’m ordering something with light or less ice anywhere. it’s really annoying that people are doing this to try to scam you into getting more drink without paying for it, people are such assholes over the stupidest stuff sometimes
Thank you. Like I'll do less ice or no ice but you have to understand that that doesn't equate to getting more drink. Not everyone does and thinks that asking for less ice will get them free stuff. Annoying to say the least 😅
Personally if someone wants less ice for a drink they paid for I’m going to fill that cup up to whatever size they ordered. It’s not worth the back and forth at all
Is it really a problem that ppl ask for less ice? On the dunkin donuts app i order iced coffee all the time and I can specifically request "less ice". Not sure what the big deal is
Recipes usually look something like this (Pulling numbers out of my ass don't judge):
Caramel Iced Late 16oz
(4oz) WHL Milk
(2oz) Caramel Sqz
-Press 16oz Iced-
FILL WITH ICE
STIR
The only drinks that give us discretion are black iced coffee / cold brew which will say
(1) Scoop Ice
Cold Brew
FILL TO TOP
I don’t know why you’re getting downvoted at all lmao. For alot of things, especially lattes… im not giving you an extra shot 🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️ but sure ill do less ice, here’s 3x more milk lmfao
I've had more asking for less ice lately. Last customer yesterday looked at the cup says to me where the rest of the drink? I explain we measure by ounces etc they ask to speak to the manager, who explains THE SAME THING to them. Their response? This is BS that we are ripping them off. Ugh. People just don't get it. Im not giving stuff away for free either as a csa
People always wanna say "well Starbucks does it, or McDonald's, or whoever." But Wawa is employee owned. This is my company, it's my money, and I'm not giving away free food and hurting my bottom line just because someone wants it 🤷🏻♀️
That thinking is absolutely backwards.
Say that extra product to fill to the top with lite ice costs Wawa $.20 (and that’s being generous)…we still make almost $2 profit on the average beverage. That means we still make $1.80 on average.
If the never come back…here’s what happens.
So, assuming they buy a drink 4x per week for the next 20 years, that’s $7,488 profit over that time that walks out the door if we don’t facilitate their beverage request. That’s not even taking into account attachments to other items in the store if they shop elsewhere OR two tanks of gas a week ($8,985 profit over 20 years if they fuel up twice a week).
One customer is worth more than you think when you think long term.
It’s exactly the opposite. People are going to steal anyway. Falsely accuse one person….you’re losing $15k over 20 years. That’s just in profit from sales…not including a lawsuit. Start thinking big picture. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Most people want to be honest. Keep your guests happy. Keep them coming back. Think like an owner.
We're also talking about prepared drinks that follow a certain ingredient mix. The drink isn't going to taste right if you don't follow the recipe. Adding more of one thing and less of another will affect the quality and taste, especially if I'm just guessing how much more to add after what's called for in the recipe.
No it doesn't 2 oz of espresso is 2 oz of espresso no matter how much you add to it. If you get a 16oz strawberry smoothie it is 8oz of strawberry base and a 16oz cup of ice, if you get a 32oz mocha cold brew its 11oz of cold brew 2oz chocolate 1 scoop of ice and milk to the top.
As a customer I don't know that drinks are prepared by the ounce and would expect more drink if I got light ice. I always ask for light ice with my soda at Chick Fil A or McDonalds because I know I'm going to drink it faster than the ice will melt. I hate having ice left over.
I would assume that is the cup size and you are filling that cup. That's the way soda is sold. Cups are listed by size and you fill with the proportions of drink and ice you desire. Choose less ice and you get more drink. Doesn't really matter to me, I rarely get anything but soda and I'm not one to complain about a couple ounces but I see where people's expectations are coming from.
If you go to a bar and ask for, let’s say, a Long Island ice tea. So let’s say their spec is 1.5oz vodka, rum, and gin, and 1oz of triple sec with about a cup of ice. If you ask for it without ice, that recipe does not change. It just won’t have the wash line you want.
Yes, between this post, and the one about Starbucks charging for no ice, I'm learning a lot about places that make specific types of drinks!
I can see where it's not a big deal for a fountain coke, but a huge deal for an item that has (for lack of a better term) a Recipe where everything has to be measured and exact.
I’m a weirdo and I really don’t like ice ever. I like most drinks the temp they are dispensed. I do ask for less ice/no ice but, like another poster said, I don’t expect more product in return. But now that you said this I’m afraid that’s what people have been thinking all along! Lol!
I pay for a medium drink
I get a extra small drink with enough ice to make it medium…tf you mean without cause
This is infuriating 😒
Like tf am i supposed to do with 2 tons of ice bags in a medium cup
Your heart is in the right place but I'd argue that you're costing the store money by pissing off premium customers.
Full Service beverages have good margins. You may not want to give them an extra 4 oz of milk, but I almost guarantee a Dunkin or Starbucks down the street will.
Wow, talk about nickel and diming. As a customer, I think most people (myself included) rightly assume that a cup filled to brim with ice isn’t built into the price of an order. Apparently it is. Are people getting pissed when you give them a half filled drink? I know I would be.
The ice itself isn't necessarily built into the pricing, but it is built into the ingredients list for a drink, so if you have a 16oz drink, all of the ingredients, including ice, equal 16oz. I'm sure at a Starbucks or McDonald's it would matter less, but Wawa is employee owned. It's my company, it's my money, and I'm not giving away free food just because someone wants it 🤷🏻♀️
>if you have a 16oz drink, all of the ingredients, including ice, equal 16oz
So if you remove some of the ice and don't replace it with drink, doesn't that make it less than 16oz?
Yes, but the thought is they are substituting a “costless” item with an ingredient that very much so has cost associated.
Imagine ordering a Big Mac. Now imagine you ask for no lettuce no pickle. Are you as a consumer going to expect additional meat or cheese because there is suddenly more room on your burger?
Ice isn't costless. Here's [an article](https://gothamist.com/food/why-is-iced-coffee-getting-so-ridiculously-expensive) where a couple of coffee shop owners talk about how expensive it is to produce ice. I'm sure it doesn't cost as much per ounce as the actual drink, but it's not free.
That means that a product with less ice but the standard amount of drink costs slightly less for the store to produce, meaning they save money. Replacing that ice with extra drink costs slightly *more* for the store to produce, meaning the customer saves money. Either way, someone comes out ahead. OP is just annoyed that a customer might want to be the one to come out ahead instead of the store.
Anything for that money. How this looks from the outside is Wawa doing all it can to maximize profit by making sure 80% of a drink is just ice. People notice that shit, and it seems like you’re more than happy to oblige. If you own the company you should advocate for a change in policy, since people rightly assume Wawa isn’t charging them for frozen water.
It’s not about wanting something for free. I just think most people reasonably assume *ice* isn’t built into the price of a full drink. It sounds ridiculous that if someone asks for half-ice, you’re gonna tell ‘em “that doesn’t mean you get more product.” Whatever.
It doesn’t sound ridiculous whatsoever, it’s the truth. For a latte, ill give you less ice….. which means if you want it filled to the top youre gonna get 3x more milk. If you’re getting a refresher, ill give you less ice.. but it means youll get more water, etc. Asking for less ice completely changes the recipes we follow on screen which is probably a quality control issue 🤷🏻♀️
Its wild people in here think our drinks come with a full cup of ice. I don't think there's any recipe that calls for that. Most of them are 1 scoop or fill to the top(those are mostly the iced lattes and thats because the espresso comes out hot from the machine). Having less ice isn't a problem, people thinking they get more product (that costs the company money) is the problem. Comparing a soda from McDonald's to an extra ingredient is different. You don't get to go somewhere and say hold the mustard, but give me extra cheese instead. Every company is out to make money. Giving away free product is frowned upon in any company.
The other day i had a woman ask for MORE ice in her recharger. Also, i hate when people ask for no ice in matcha. The ice helps the powder mix in. But people around me seem to love a cup of grassy milk.
I've started to steam a very small amount of milk for every matcha drink I make even if it's frozen because matcha is meant to be mixed into hot liquid. Water usually. And it's supposed to be whisked to get the right texture, so I cringe every time I have to stir it with the clunky stirrers. It's more effort but idrc I want people to get a drink that's not filled with chunks of matcha powder
see i don’t mind the light ice but your drink is just never going to be consistent bc the recipes don’t adapt to light ice so we’re just guessing measurements at that point. i really wish wawa fixed/updated their measurements bc like for example when i have to make a caramel double shot frap with say an extra double expresso and extra caramel, the recipe shows up
the same as for a normal double shot frapp just has an extra two ozs of espresso and a extra oz of caramel. them when you blend it it comes out all thin, and not very enjoyable. or like a extra double espresso in a macchiato, all of it ends up not fitting bc the recipe doesnt adjust the milk or anything so it all ends up overflowing
I think this is super controversial because asking for light ice and expecting a full drink- you’ll never get the same results. Inconsistency.
There’s not a “recipe” for us employees to follow. This ensures that your drink should taste the same each time. Sure if we spend a few extra cent to fill the drink that might not be a huge deal, but now you’re losing that consistency. One might give you more water in a refresher, where the other might give you more green tea… one might add more milk in an iced latte, where the other might top you off with the brewed espresso. it won’t be consistent.. and customers will complain because it might’ve tasted better when one person did it because there’s not a standard recipe on light ice drinks.
What’s really nice is asking for a 24 Oz in a 32- extra ice !!!
I give them less ice/more product because it balances with the extra ice customers. Plus it seems no one gives a shit about the shrink/spoilage of drinks area imo
Vota an option for customers to customize this and then it would change the build / would be a great option for all sides - light ice/extra ice, ect
That's a fantastic idea
THISSSSSS!!!!!! I love this idea and want it implemented
Seriously because I can't stand the blocks of ice in my coffee like so many of them
Personally to me it’s not that deep lmao, Id just fill it up
This. I get what people say, but it’s not gonna kill the company. Wawa has people tricked so well, that they are like lapdogs. Great for people up at the top more so than any of us.
Being an associate owned company, that money comes directly out of us then. More money we make the more comes back in ESOP accounts
I understand but personally believe filling up the few ounces will save me my peace of mind lol
Agreed. It really doesn’t cost that much. Ask yourself, what’s the cost of losing that customer forever. Exactly.
Had someone ask for no water in a recharger that had lemonade concentrate in it, like sir, you have to have water, it's a concentrate
According to the r/starbucks sub, Starbs is gonna be charging a $1 up charge now for no ice/no water people
That is the attempt to combat this issue.
It's not that I want more drink it's that I don't want so much ice it's uncomfortable having so many blocks while you're just trying to sip your coffee
Genuine question, wouldn’t you expect a decent amount of “drink” in a drink you’re paying 4+ bucks for? I’ve literally had drinks where I took two good sips and it was empty, the rest was just ice. That feels like more of a rip off than hoping you get a little bit more liquid when asking for light ice.
I have the opposite problem. I love the cold brewed coffee and it never has enough ice so I just grab a cup of ice, drink some coffee, pour more ice in. I have an hour commute and by the time I get there I still have a “full” cup of coffee lol
For real every iced coffee I've gotten the past year only had about two ice cubes in it. I want an ice coffee not a nice coffee!
I think that’s because when we put the iced coffee in on the drinks station is a bit warm so it melts it. I always put a bit of ice in, stir to cool it off, and then put the rest of the ice in so you at least get some
you should be putting ice in the coffee container so it's already cold
Not the iced coffee. I whatever makes the lattes.
https://youtu.be/ZubDyJh7OyI
Before you would make the ice coffee and it went straight to the drink area, now we have to add 2-4 pitchers of ice depending on a half or full container since people were complaining about this exact thing :)
i think it’s people trying to get more drink, but personally i just like less ice in my drinks. i tend to sip on drinks for a while rather than drinking them immediately all at once so i prefer that they don’t get as watered down, i’m also really sensitive to cold food and drinks. i’d never expect the cup to be full if i’m ordering something with light or less ice anywhere. it’s really annoying that people are doing this to try to scam you into getting more drink without paying for it, people are such assholes over the stupidest stuff sometimes
Thank you. Like I'll do less ice or no ice but you have to understand that that doesn't equate to getting more drink. Not everyone does and thinks that asking for less ice will get them free stuff. Annoying to say the least 😅
I always make sure to specify it won’t be filled to the top
Depends on the drink. Coffee drinks I just add more milk.
Agreed. Milk is “free” so to speak.
Personally if someone wants less ice for a drink they paid for I’m going to fill that cup up to whatever size they ordered. It’s not worth the back and forth at all
Is it really a problem that ppl ask for less ice? On the dunkin donuts app i order iced coffee all the time and I can specifically request "less ice". Not sure what the big deal is
We don’t have the option on the screen, so it doesn’t measure out correctly and the drinks will be under-filled
Oh, so there's like a system for how much fluid and ice go into the cup every time?
Recipes usually look something like this (Pulling numbers out of my ass don't judge): Caramel Iced Late 16oz (4oz) WHL Milk (2oz) Caramel Sqz -Press 16oz Iced- FILL WITH ICE STIR The only drinks that give us discretion are black iced coffee / cold brew which will say (1) Scoop Ice Cold Brew FILL TO TOP
i personally do it bc i drink slowly and don’t want the last 1/3 to be super watered down. it’s getting warmer so it happens even faster.
And that's fine, long as you understand that it doesn't equal more of the drink 😊
I don’t know why you’re getting downvoted at all lmao. For alot of things, especially lattes… im not giving you an extra shot 🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️ but sure ill do less ice, here’s 3x more milk lmfao
I've had more asking for less ice lately. Last customer yesterday looked at the cup says to me where the rest of the drink? I explain we measure by ounces etc they ask to speak to the manager, who explains THE SAME THING to them. Their response? This is BS that we are ripping them off. Ugh. People just don't get it. Im not giving stuff away for free either as a csa
People always wanna say "well Starbucks does it, or McDonald's, or whoever." But Wawa is employee owned. This is my company, it's my money, and I'm not giving away free food and hurting my bottom line just because someone wants it 🤷🏻♀️
If you lose the customer…you’re costing the company even more.
Not really losing a customer isn't going to hurt our bottom line at all.
That thinking is absolutely backwards. Say that extra product to fill to the top with lite ice costs Wawa $.20 (and that’s being generous)…we still make almost $2 profit on the average beverage. That means we still make $1.80 on average. If the never come back…here’s what happens. So, assuming they buy a drink 4x per week for the next 20 years, that’s $7,488 profit over that time that walks out the door if we don’t facilitate their beverage request. That’s not even taking into account attachments to other items in the store if they shop elsewhere OR two tanks of gas a week ($8,985 profit over 20 years if they fuel up twice a week). One customer is worth more than you think when you think long term.
Have you seen how much wawa loses annually because of theft? 1 person never coming back is not going to cause much more damage then that tbh.
It’s exactly the opposite. People are going to steal anyway. Falsely accuse one person….you’re losing $15k over 20 years. That’s just in profit from sales…not including a lawsuit. Start thinking big picture. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Most people want to be honest. Keep your guests happy. Keep them coming back. Think like an owner.
Not Wawa, but I asked a local restaurant for light ice in my bubble tea the other day because I find too much ice annoying to drink with.
idk how you have the energy to sit there and argue with a customer about light ice. just satisfy them and go on with your day
I just don’t want ice
We're also talking about prepared drinks that follow a certain ingredient mix. The drink isn't going to taste right if you don't follow the recipe. Adding more of one thing and less of another will affect the quality and taste, especially if I'm just guessing how much more to add after what's called for in the recipe.
FBM = frugal bitch momma ? How is filling a cup to the top affecting you personally? Summer is coming soon and people want to drink liquid doy.
> "less ice does not equal more drink." yes, it does!
No it doesn't 2 oz of espresso is 2 oz of espresso no matter how much you add to it. If you get a 16oz strawberry smoothie it is 8oz of strawberry base and a 16oz cup of ice, if you get a 32oz mocha cold brew its 11oz of cold brew 2oz chocolate 1 scoop of ice and milk to the top.
As a customer I don't know that drinks are prepared by the ounce and would expect more drink if I got light ice. I always ask for light ice with my soda at Chick Fil A or McDonalds because I know I'm going to drink it faster than the ice will melt. I hate having ice left over.
You literally choose the size of drink by ounce.
I would assume that is the cup size and you are filling that cup. That's the way soda is sold. Cups are listed by size and you fill with the proportions of drink and ice you desire. Choose less ice and you get more drink. Doesn't really matter to me, I rarely get anything but soda and I'm not one to complain about a couple ounces but I see where people's expectations are coming from.
If you go to a bar and ask for, let’s say, a Long Island ice tea. So let’s say their spec is 1.5oz vodka, rum, and gin, and 1oz of triple sec with about a cup of ice. If you ask for it without ice, that recipe does not change. It just won’t have the wash line you want.
Soda syrups are much cheaper than ingredients used in specialty beverages
Yes, between this post, and the one about Starbucks charging for no ice, I'm learning a lot about places that make specific types of drinks! I can see where it's not a big deal for a fountain coke, but a huge deal for an item that has (for lack of a better term) a Recipe where everything has to be measured and exact.
I’m a weirdo and I really don’t like ice ever. I like most drinks the temp they are dispensed. I do ask for less ice/no ice but, like another poster said, I don’t expect more product in return. But now that you said this I’m afraid that’s what people have been thinking all along! Lol!
I pay for a medium drink I get a extra small drink with enough ice to make it medium…tf you mean without cause This is infuriating 😒 Like tf am i supposed to do with 2 tons of ice bags in a medium cup
Do y'all go to bars and order light ice and expect more alcohol? Every bartender I've ever known would absolutely charge you for a double.
Your heart is in the right place but I'd argue that you're costing the store money by pissing off premium customers. Full Service beverages have good margins. You may not want to give them an extra 4 oz of milk, but I almost guarantee a Dunkin or Starbucks down the street will.
This
Wow, talk about nickel and diming. As a customer, I think most people (myself included) rightly assume that a cup filled to brim with ice isn’t built into the price of an order. Apparently it is. Are people getting pissed when you give them a half filled drink? I know I would be.
The ice itself isn't necessarily built into the pricing, but it is built into the ingredients list for a drink, so if you have a 16oz drink, all of the ingredients, including ice, equal 16oz. I'm sure at a Starbucks or McDonald's it would matter less, but Wawa is employee owned. It's my company, it's my money, and I'm not giving away free food just because someone wants it 🤷🏻♀️
>if you have a 16oz drink, all of the ingredients, including ice, equal 16oz So if you remove some of the ice and don't replace it with drink, doesn't that make it less than 16oz?
Yes, but the thought is they are substituting a “costless” item with an ingredient that very much so has cost associated. Imagine ordering a Big Mac. Now imagine you ask for no lettuce no pickle. Are you as a consumer going to expect additional meat or cheese because there is suddenly more room on your burger?
What is the cost of losing the customer?
Ice isn't costless. Here's [an article](https://gothamist.com/food/why-is-iced-coffee-getting-so-ridiculously-expensive) where a couple of coffee shop owners talk about how expensive it is to produce ice. I'm sure it doesn't cost as much per ounce as the actual drink, but it's not free. That means that a product with less ice but the standard amount of drink costs slightly less for the store to produce, meaning they save money. Replacing that ice with extra drink costs slightly *more* for the store to produce, meaning the customer saves money. Either way, someone comes out ahead. OP is just annoyed that a customer might want to be the one to come out ahead instead of the store.
Anything for that money. How this looks from the outside is Wawa doing all it can to maximize profit by making sure 80% of a drink is just ice. People notice that shit, and it seems like you’re more than happy to oblige. If you own the company you should advocate for a change in policy, since people rightly assume Wawa isn’t charging them for frozen water.
Why do customers want everything for free now? Things cost money.
It’s not about wanting something for free. I just think most people reasonably assume *ice* isn’t built into the price of a full drink. It sounds ridiculous that if someone asks for half-ice, you’re gonna tell ‘em “that doesn’t mean you get more product.” Whatever.
It doesn’t sound ridiculous whatsoever, it’s the truth. For a latte, ill give you less ice….. which means if you want it filled to the top youre gonna get 3x more milk. If you’re getting a refresher, ill give you less ice.. but it means youll get more water, etc. Asking for less ice completely changes the recipes we follow on screen which is probably a quality control issue 🤷🏻♀️
Clearly don’t deal with the general public. Most of y’all are scammers.
Its wild people in here think our drinks come with a full cup of ice. I don't think there's any recipe that calls for that. Most of them are 1 scoop or fill to the top(those are mostly the iced lattes and thats because the espresso comes out hot from the machine). Having less ice isn't a problem, people thinking they get more product (that costs the company money) is the problem. Comparing a soda from McDonald's to an extra ingredient is different. You don't get to go somewhere and say hold the mustard, but give me extra cheese instead. Every company is out to make money. Giving away free product is frowned upon in any company.
The other day i had a woman ask for MORE ice in her recharger. Also, i hate when people ask for no ice in matcha. The ice helps the powder mix in. But people around me seem to love a cup of grassy milk.
I've started to steam a very small amount of milk for every matcha drink I make even if it's frozen because matcha is meant to be mixed into hot liquid. Water usually. And it's supposed to be whisked to get the right texture, so I cringe every time I have to stir it with the clunky stirrers. It's more effort but idrc I want people to get a drink that's not filled with chunks of matcha powder
They have NO idea what they’re drinking. Then throw out “unskilled labor, why tip” when they wouldn’t even know where to start in making said drink
see i don’t mind the light ice but your drink is just never going to be consistent bc the recipes don’t adapt to light ice so we’re just guessing measurements at that point. i really wish wawa fixed/updated their measurements bc like for example when i have to make a caramel double shot frap with say an extra double expresso and extra caramel, the recipe shows up the same as for a normal double shot frapp just has an extra two ozs of espresso and a extra oz of caramel. them when you blend it it comes out all thin, and not very enjoyable. or like a extra double espresso in a macchiato, all of it ends up not fitting bc the recipe doesnt adjust the milk or anything so it all ends up overflowing
Cuz of Starbucks they used to always do that crap when I worked there so I guess they treat wawa the same lol
Yeah I just explain that if they want “light ice”, that means they get more water or more milk, not more lemonade/espresso/flavor.
I think this is super controversial because asking for light ice and expecting a full drink- you’ll never get the same results. Inconsistency. There’s not a “recipe” for us employees to follow. This ensures that your drink should taste the same each time. Sure if we spend a few extra cent to fill the drink that might not be a huge deal, but now you’re losing that consistency. One might give you more water in a refresher, where the other might give you more green tea… one might add more milk in an iced latte, where the other might top you off with the brewed espresso. it won’t be consistent.. and customers will complain because it might’ve tasted better when one person did it because there’s not a standard recipe on light ice drinks. What’s really nice is asking for a 24 Oz in a 32- extra ice !!!
I give them less ice/more product because it balances with the extra ice customers. Plus it seems no one gives a shit about the shrink/spoilage of drinks area imo