No. I don't want a drink before my meal.

[edhopper]

Dear Restauranteur,
I get it, you make a lot of money from you bar sales, so it's fine when you ask if i want a drink. I don't. I don't drink usually.
And I certainly don't want a glass of wine that cost more than the whole bottle in a wine store.
But the thing is, now that I have declined, would you please not treat me like I am stealing food from your children. I came to your restaurant for the food. If you mainly wanted to sell liquor, go open a bar.
Don't walk away in a foul mood and treat me as a second class customer.
Thank you

[HopeHoops]

1. "Ice water, please." - that handles the situation.

[edhopper]

2. That's what I ask for

but I am talking about the attitude I get when I don't want a drink.
It really seems to piss some restaurants off when i don't want a drink before, during and after the meal.

[Major Nikon]

6. Just tell them ...

"No thanks, I just quaffed two bottles of Night Train on the way over so I'd be ready when I got here."

[GoneOffShore]

3. The money from the bar subsidizes the food cost.

Fine dining restaurants and some not so fine dining places really don't make a lot on food. They make it on liquor sales and volume.

Why do you think good BYOB restaurants have such a tough time making it? I'm not talking about diners or places with a high table turnover.

[edhopper]

5. I get that

so I don't mind when they ask me. But they really shouldn't treat me like a leper when I don't order a drink.
I am not in AA, but I have many friends who are. Should they be treated with disdain when they don't drink?

[GoneOffShore]

8. Ah, no - Sorry I kind of missed that bit. My bad.

If you get that sort of treatment from the server, make a complaint. Because if the server treats you or your party that way for not ordering drinks, then they are probably doing something equally egregious to the folks who do.

Having been a waiter, I realize the stresses servers are under, but it is in the job description to treat all customers equally and fairly.

[ohiosmith]

4. My wife worked for one of the largest restaurant companies in Canada. Their restaurants were

typically packed. Their policy was to send everyone to the bar reservations or not. Those that didn't order booze has a long, long wait for a table.

[Populist_Prole]

7. Trouble is that I actually WANT a drink before dinner.

I'll drink only soft drinks with dinner though.

I know what you mean though and see where it can vex some people.