A woman felt like her bartender was judging her for just ordering a soda. Commenters say there might be more to the story than she thinks.
If you’re not a big drinker, are taking a break from it, or have ever served as a designated driver, then you know what it’s like to pull up to the bar and order a virgin drink, soda, or even just a water.
Usually bartenders don’t care much about what you’re ordering (though it is possible they’ll be a bit salty that a cheaper drink will equal a smaller tip). They have too many other customers to serve to lock in on you and your one drink order.
But this time, things were different, Jaeda (@jaeda_skye) said in a viral TikTok that has nearly half a million views on TikTok.
“My personal opinion is that if you’re not drinking and you ask a bartender for, like, a non-alcoholic drink, they shouldn’t be making fun of you in front of other people,” Jaeda said.
She explained that while she normally isn’t a big partier, it’s her senior year of college, so she decided to go with her friends to a bar. She already isn’t a big drinker because of health issues, and she just never really got into it. On top of that, she said she drove her group, so when she pulled up with her squad, Jaeda decided she’d stick to a non-alcoholic beverage.
Usually, she just gets water, but that day, she was in the mood for a soda, so she ordered a Sprite, not thinking much of it.
But to her surprise, she said the bartender pushed back on her request asking, “Just a Sprite?” with an attitude.
Jaeda said she tried not to feel any type of way about the interaction, knowing she’s not the first or last person to order plain soda at a bar, but then she got her beverage, and it was in a comparatively huge soda cup.
She said she knew she’d stick out in the crow with that cup, so she asked him to pour it in a clear one like her friends had, and he gave her the “meanest look.”
“I’m like, do you not realize, I’m kind of trying to fit in here with the crowd? Like, giving me a huge cup that clearly is this big soda cup is gonna make me look different than everyone else when I’m just trying to fit in and not get asked questions.”
She figured that maybe he was irked that he’d make less money off her since soda is generally cheaper than an alcoholic beverage, but she firmly believes that bartenders should be on the side of the non-drinker and not peer pressure them into consuming something they don’t want to.
@jaeda_skye Am i overreacting here? This made me kinda annoyed haha
♬ original sound – jaeda:)
While many people sympathized with Jaeda, others gave her some additional context on the situation.
“I work at a bar – we have to really pay attention if someone orders a plain soda bc people try to sneak in their own alcohol. If they do that and something happens the bar can lose their liquor license. Super frustrating for non-drinkers, I’m sorry they made you feel this way!!!!” a top comment read.
“He was out of line for giving you an attitude but nonalcoholic drinks are supposed to be in given in different glassware than alcoholic ones,” a person wrote.
“Some places give free drinks/encoruage having a DD so that’s wild,” another added.
Jaeda responded in a follow-up video after reading viewer comments.
“That was really interesting about the different cups because I had no idea that that’s a thing. And that makes total sense now because every other place I’ve been to, they always try to put in a different cup,” Jaeda recalled. “Now I kind of feel bad for getting all, like, annoyed, but also, he shouldn’t have been so mean to me.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Jaeda for comment via email.
