Money Moral Dilemma: Should I have paid for alcohol-free drinks at a bring-your-own restaurant?

tain

chockydavid1983 said:

No dilemma here.
The owner has the right to set this as their policy.
The poster can choose if they wish to go back.
They haven't been asked to pay for the 'just this once' so no issue there either.
IMO the owner would be stupid to implement this policy though.

You know it's a 'moral' dilemma, not a legal one? That directly implies that the issue isn't who has the 'right' to do something, but whether that was morally correct to, so is a dilemma. 

tain

Jwd1980 said:

BYO is only meant for alcohol. It is not meant for soft drinks. Any customer should expect to pay for soft drinks at a BYO, it is standard. To all those saying the restaurant should be grateful for the custom, that's entirely unfair. 
To anyone saying the restaurant should make it clear, that's also unfair, BYO has been a thing for years. 
Soft drinks or non alcoholic beers will always have a mark up, any bar or restaurant has to make profit. There is a lot that goes into running a place so please, cut them some slack. 

Just out of curiosity, where are you reading the rules that you're stating as a matter-of-fact here? I think I missed the memo.

virgolady10

Again, if they are concentrating on their main revenue coming from the food they are foolish to risk alienating customers with this attitude. If it bothers the restaurant greatly, they should get a license.

MrsH3

Moral of this is - don't go there again.... it states "bring your own drinks" and you did ... what's their argument??

moneynewsaver

I would have been furious if the owner had approached me like that. There are plenty of other establishments to support and eat at - I would not have accepted this telling off / let it slide / just this once attitude from the owner of BYOB - which is what you did! Don't take a dressing down from any establishment! If you are genuinely adhering to the rules I would have pointed out that it was tough luck and I wouldn't frequent it again. 

crmism

I think the landlady either didn't, or didn't want to, understand plain English. The alcohol content of a drink is immaterial, and you were unquestionably right in your belief and should not have paid for what you'd brought with you. Doubtless you will not patronize that restaurant again.

androidgamer

whilst BYO whatever is in place, its the choice of the venue to stipulate what the expect BEFORE a reservation is taken, so that an understanding is established. 
you can't demand that a customer buys your drinks when everyone else isn't paying (probably a form of discrimination on many grounds for those the don't drink). now water is suppose to be offered for FREE (and listed on a venues trading license) but mlst customers wouldn't begrudge paying £1-£1.50 a bottle, but if they're charging £2+ this is where it  gets expensive. alcohol free can also be priced similar to alcohol, which for some, they will choose not to drink either AF or H20. a 6 pack of becks blue is £3.30 or 55p a bottle, even at £2.50 this is a very reasonable price and profit for half a pint. when you are talking £5+ this is where it becomes price gouging and very likely to alienate current and future customers

TBagpuss

I'm really surprised that so many people seem to think it's OK to bring your own soft drinks into a restaurant. OP admitted that they were told it was BYOB because the restaurant wasn't licensed. That's pretty clear that they don't sell alcohol, but allow it to be brought in.
Most restaurants don't allow food and drink to be brought in, there's nothing unusual in them not wanting something brought in, which is available from them. 
The restaurant allowed OP to bring in his own despite it being non-alcoholic so outside the normal exception, but he's still grumbling.

Zinger549

When I've been to BYOB restaurants you can bring alcohol but if you want a soft drink you buy it from them. BYO usually means they don't have an alcohol licence or they don't want to sell it for religious reasons.