Yeah, I found this out a couple of years ago so I always say "to go" when I go to Coffee Bean. But even when I forgot to say "to go" or said "for here" they still gave me my coffee in a paper cup.

Really? I have to check my state! Tricky.

I have chosen "for here" but i dont fancy it. Most coffee shops fill the mug to the brim, making it impossible to make it to the table with a steaming hot drink, without bumping into someone. And its even more difficult to drink it that way. Maybe im just clumsy, but with anything hot, i prefer a lid.

same with pinkberry. i wish they just automatically made it "to go". The last time I went to pinkberry, a snooty lady was ordering in front of me. Apparently she struck the cashier person the wrong way because not only did the cashier person ring her up "for here" but also individually charged her for three toppings when her order was supposed to get three toppings for the price of one!

The sales tax thing is so tricky. You definitely need to say TO GO in CA for any coffee, fast food, etc. to avoid the sales tax. It is small but it adds up for sure.

well i don't think that i've ever been asked that in a coffee shop here in NYC but when i was in london at school over there, i was asked that a lot - and sometimes it's not such a bad idea to sit and enjoy the cup rather than take it and run.

As long as the weather stays nice here in CA, I don't mind "to go", but in a month or so I will.

What do they do if you say "to go" but then sit your butt down in a seat and enjoy it "here"?

learned this tidbit the hard way when i discovered coffee bean during undergrad!

cokerad: i've never seen an employee do anything about it, but i'd at least throw some change in the tip jar.

it isn't just coffee shops, most restaurants are like this too. At my bar, if people come up to the actual bar and order food and they intend for it togo, then we don't pay taxes on it if it's entered as such. Tricky business:) But in FL, it's definitely taxed otherwise!

This is always the case in the UK.

In TX, it's taxed no matter what. It's considered "ready-to-eat" food whether you sit down in the restaurant or take it away.

Ah yeah, I've known about this since I was a kid. In Ohio, we used to get that question concerning anything- fast food in particular. However, they recently changed that piece of it so that you're automatically taxed going through the drive-thru (obvs "to go") but I do believe if you're in something like a coffee shop you still have the option of tax-free "to go".

I think there was some argument that they're taxing the "service" and the containers for the food, rather than the actual food. That's how the fast food companies were able to tax drive-thrus.

i noticed the tax when i went to carls jr and ate there.

I'd totally take it to go and drink it at the park.

Our taxes don't change, but the McDonald's by my work charges a 15 cent fee for "here" because then they have to pay staff to clean.

In the UK Starbucks drinks are more expensive when they're 'sit in', but I always thought it was their way to squeeze more money out of their customers..

I have always wondered this, especially at Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, since they only have disposable cups.