Lifestyle ·
Hampton Couple Confused by Williamsburg Diners Filling Water Cups With Water
WILLIAMSBURG, VA: A Hampton couple’s Saturday lunch at Chipotle took an unexpected turn when they discovered that customers receive complimentary water cups.
“We thought maybe we’d walked in during some kind of promotion,” said Hampton resident Steve Johnson, who reportedly kept his wallet out after requesting two waters and being handed clear plastic cups. “I asked the cashier, ‘And these are just free?’ She said yes, like that answered everything.”
His wife, Jennifer, said she immediately looked for the catch. “Usually they tell you they don’t have water cups anymore, and then you have to decide how thirsty you actually are,” she said. “We weren’t prepared for the transaction to just be over.”
According to the Johnsons, restaurants near their home stopped providing free water cups years ago after customers repeatedly filled them with soda.
Still holding their empty cups, the pair approached the beverage station, where they witnessed a man dispense water and then return directly to his table.
“He didn’t even put Sprite in there, which would have been the most obvious option,” Steve said.
The couple initially suspected the man was an employee demonstrating appropriate cup use. That theory collapsed moments later when a second customer performed the same action.
For the remainder of the meal, Steve watched the beverage station, waiting for someone to restore his understanding of how a free cup works.
Instead, he observed a teenager fill one with water, take a sip, and add more water. When Steve asked why she hadn’t taken soda, the teenager replied, “Because I asked for water.”
A nearby patron offered an explanation.: “Here we teach our kids that taking soda in a water cup is stealing.”
Jennifer replied: “In Hampton, they teach them... well, never mind."