These touch-screen Coke foutains.

[Kestra]

It's not so much that they make us do it ourselves. It just makes things easier when it comes time to get refills. Plus, you can play around and mix things together!

I think Subway is the only place I know in this country that offers refills.

And for the record: I always tell em to not put ice into my drink.

I've run into various places in the US where you can say flat out "no ice, please" and they will still load me up with ice.

If Amazon used their robot army for good (and making us food) you wouldn't have to put up with such atrocities.

Just sayin' ...

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I think Subway is the only place I know in this country that offers refills.

And for the record: I always tell em to not put ice into my drink.

I've run into various places in the US where you can say flat out "no ice, please" and they will still load me up with ice.

If Amazon used their robot army for good (and making us food) you wouldn't have to put up with such atrocities.

Just sayin' ...

Your ideas are intriguing to me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

 

[Kestra]

I have seen the future and it is filled with burgerbots.

 

[Thestral]

I like being able to make my own drink because I like extra ice. Flat, watered down pop. Yum.

I like lots of ice too because I like my drink cold... but I hate flat and watered down drinks. It's a very difficult dilemma.

 

[Daneel]

A popular movie theatre here in Toronto has one of these things. It's pretty neat, and it does offer a nice amount of variety compared to the usual choice of... what, eight drinks? My only complaint is that it resets to the main menu fairly quickly, which is a tad annoying for those of us who are extremely indecisive.

I'm actually going there tonight to catch a midnight screening of Prometheus -- I wonder which drink I should try...

 

[Chris3123]

Used one at Firehouse Subs. It's awesome.

 

[OmahaStar]

We don't have touchscreen dispensers here (Omaha, NE) either, that I'm aware of.

MLB, we're in the middle of fly-over-country. We'll probably see those things starting to show up around the turn of the decade.

Yeah, we do. They're all over the place. Every Burger King and McDonalds in the area has them. Movie theaters such as Ak Sar Ben Cinema have them too.

I don't drink pop anymore, haven't for about two years now, but I did find that these machines have diet lemonade with 4-6 flavors (depending on the location) - no sugar, no carbs, but tastes yummy.

The biggest thing I've noticed is that you absolutely need to go to the main screen, select "water" and let it run for a second or two, to cleanse out whatever was there from the last person, or you will get some of whatever they had.

As for elderly people having problems with the machine ... I haven't experienced that at ALL. I've gone to the BK with my grandparents, who are in their late 80s/early 90s, and they have no problem going up and getting whatever flavor they want. I go to the movies just about every weekend, and have never noticed anyone having problems with the machines.

Maybe we're just smarter here in Iowa/Nebraska?

 

[IndyJones]

Maybe we're just smarter here in Iowa/Nebraska?

Maybe. But still being in Iowa/Nebraska would seem to prove otherwise...

-Indy, who has spent far too many hours going back and forth on I-80.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I guess it's just pure chance that I haven't seen any of these touchscreen fountains. I had no idea there were so many in this area...

Although I probably wouldn't use one if I had seen it, because it's been ages since I bought pop from a vending machine. Usually when I'm out and about I just go to Starbucks.

 

[iguana_tonante]

I think Subway is the only place I know in this country that offers refills.

Crazy. I don't know of any place in this country that doesn't offer free refills.

It's one of those America/Europe cultural divides. No free refills on this side of the pond. Our stomachs are thankfull for it.

I like being able to make my own drink because I like extra ice. Flat, watered down pop. Yum.

I like lots of ice too because I like my drink cold... but I hate flat and watered down drinks. It's a very difficult dilemma.

I like flat, watered down soda. But I hate super-cold drinks.

 

[{ Emilia }]

Yup, super-cold drinks are stupid. People who live in warm countries know that drinking ice-cold drinks just makes you sweat more.

 

[Trekker4747]

I guess it's just pure chance that I haven't seen any of these touchscreen fountains. I had no idea there were so many in this area...

Although I probably wouldn't use one if I had seen it, because it's been ages since I bought pop from a vending machine. Usually when I'm out and about I just go to Starbucks.

Not a vending machine the self-serve fountain you usually see in restaurants.

Ate a t Five Guys last night and did find that running plain water for a moment or so before your selection does produce a slightly better tasting product as I guess it does help clean out the lines of the thing. But one of the bigger problems I saw as the place was busy is that only two people at a time can use the machines. With the other fountains with the switches for each type of pop there was usually enough room to allow for multiple users on one machine at a time. But when you can only serve two at once in a place thats hoping with business? Makes for quite the bottleneck at those machines especially when you get wide-eyed kids involved with the fancy glowing gadget.

(Fancy Glowing Gadget, by the way, was the name of a boy-band some friends and I tried starting in grade school.)

 

[RoJoHen]

I think Subway is the only place I know in this country that offers refills.

Crazy. I don't know of any place in this country that doesn't offer free refills.

It's one of those America/Europe cultural divides. No free refills on this side of the pond. Our stomachs are thankfull for it.

For what it's worth, I never actually take advantage of free refills. I usually order a small drink, and I almost never finish it.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I guess it's just pure chance that I haven't seen any of these touchscreen fountains. I had no idea there were so many in this area...

Although I probably wouldn't use one if I had seen it, because it's been ages since I bought pop from a vending machine. Usually when I'm out and about I just go to Starbucks.

Not a vending machine the self-serve fountain you usually see in restaurants.

Oops, my bad.

 

[Thestral]

I like being able to make my own drink because I like extra ice. Flat, watered down pop. Yum.

I like lots of ice too because I like my drink cold... but I hate flat and watered down drinks. It's a very difficult dilemma.

I like flat, watered down soda. But I hate super-cold drinks.

Weirdos, both y'all.

Yup, super-cold drinks are stupid. People who live in warm countries know that drinking ice-cold drinks just makes you sweat more.

This makes no sense, but if you say so. And either way, they still taste better.

 

[Hoser]

I bet Bloomberg hates those machines because some people are probably like "Oooh, I wonder what Orange Coke tastes like??? Or Cherry Sprite???"

I have honestly always wanted to try an Orange Coke ever since I was offered one by a Southern waitress and subsequently disappointed to learn it was Fanta.

 

[Mike Farley]

I bet Bloomberg hates those machines because some people are probably like "Oooh, I wonder what Orange Coke tastes like??? Or Cherry Sprite???"

I have honestly always wanted to try an Orange Coke ever since I was offered one by a Southern waitress and subsequently disappointed to learn it was Fanta.

I grew up in South Texas. Everything was a "Coke." You had to specify what flavor (Dr Pepper, Sprite, etc..).

 

[{ Emilia }]

Yup, super-cold drinks are stupid. People who live in warm countries know that drinking ice-cold drinks just makes you sweat more.

This makes no sense, but if you say so. And either way, they still taste better.

I asked Doctor Google:

After getting a cold drink your body temperature decreases so your heart should beat harder to pump the blood faster in order to maintain the natural body temperature and it increases your metabolism which eventually causes you to sweat more and it makes you feel uncomfortable as your body has to work more.

And you live in warm Tennessee, pffff.

 

[Captain Ice]

I asked Doctor Google:

After getting a cold drink your body temperature decreases so your heart should beat harder to pump the blood faster in order to maintain the natural body temperature and it increases your metabolism which eventually causes you to sweat more and it makes you feel uncomfortable as your body has to work more.

And you live in warm Tennessee, pffff.

How can one define Tennessee as "warm"?

 

[Finn]

I bet Bloomberg hates those machines because some people are probably like "Oooh, I wonder what Orange Coke tastes like??? Or Cherry Sprite???"

I have honestly always wanted to try an Orange Coke ever since I was offered one by a Southern waitress and subsequently disappointed to learn it was Fanta.

Have you guys ever had Sunkist? I always saw them at cookouts and parties growing up from Ohio to Maryland to New Hampshire?