I am owed.

Yes, I am owed, and it might be a substantial amount.

But do I expect to see it?

Nope.

Not a dime.

Not a single dime.

Recently, I went to a restaurant and it was burger night and the burger started at $10 if my memory serves.

Want cheese?  Add $1.

Want bacon?  Add $3.

Want lettuce and tomato and onion?  Those might be included, not sure.

By the time you get done with your burger on night burger, you might be paying $15 or so.

Not a big deal, and not a complaint.

I know what it was going in, and I chose to go, so not a complaint in the least.

This is not where the “owing me” comes in.

I’m a dad of 2 girls, ages 20 and 15.  I’ve been driving them around for years and years and in driving them around, we’ve gone to our share of McDonalds and Chick-fil-A.

               *Side Note 1 – Truth be told, we’re FAR above the average of our share of these two places.

As they get their orders, dipping sauces are declined.  They don’t like them.

The price of 1 or perhaps 2 sauces is included in the price of their nuggets and/or tenders.

But it hit me the other day.

If I am to be charged an additional amount for add-ons at some restaurants, then why can’t a small fee, be it very small, be deducted from my total at a restaurant for items I decline.

Or, AITA?

               *Side Note 2 – you might need to Google what “AITA” means.

But I think it’s a fair question.

But it doesn’t just stop with the younger Sumstines.

When Lisa and I dine-out, we will often ask for included items to be excluded from our orders.

For example, on nachos, neither of us like sour cream, so we ask that that be left off.

And Lisa prefers to not get the tomato, lettuce and onion on a burger that it might come with.

Now, if something is substituted for an item that I request left off, then it’s considered a trade-off.

But what is the restaurant’s cost of sour cream?  I’m sure it’s pennies.

But I eat a lot of nachos.

And my kids eat a lot of nuggets and tenders.

So over the years, I’ve saved restaurants and drive thru’s a load of costs by NOT getting the dipping sauces and by NOT getting the sour cream.

So I feel that I might be owed.

Yes, I did some rough calculations and by my VERY rough calculations, I’ve determined that I’ve saved these establishments $837.00.

Now, do I expect $837 returned or refunded to me?

Of course not.

However, is it wrong to maybe ask for 10% of that, so roughly $83.70?

I’m a reasonable person.

I think the restaurant might appreciate the thought I have put into this and they might appreciate the visual of charts and graphs I’d display in arguing my point.

I think $83.70 is a reasonable amount.

And I would not even require it to be paid as cash and no, I won’t take a check.

I think a store/restaurant credit would suffice.

Yes, a restaurant store credit, or perhaps a gift card.

And, for sake of argument, I won’t even bring up the cooking of a steak.

See, if I order my steak medium-rare, as I usually do, then why do I pay the same amount as someone that orders their steak medium-well.

               *Side Note 3 – who in the world orders a steak medium-well?

By my getting my steak cooked medium-rare, it cooks less than a steak cooked medium-well.  The restaurant perhaps saves money on fuel used to cook my steak and also in it’s labor cost of the chef/cook having to work less because he/she is cooking my steak less.

But THAT is going to far.

Even for me.

• Ramblings