Since When Does A Restaurant Get Away with Charging $4 for an Arnold Palmer

So before you think I'm high-strung in blogging about only the upper 25-30% of all restaurants I eat at, let me share an observation from a restaurant near and dear to many of you, The Cheesecake Factory (where my better judgment has not ordered cheesecake in over two years).

Whenever I'm not in the mood for a beer or a diet cola, I usually order (or pour myself from the refill fountain) an Arnold Palmer, that classic combination of lemonade and iced tea. Seeing as how it usually does not make too much effort to make, most places are glad to charge the same amount for it as a soda.

Thus, you can imagine my surprise when my check said my Arnold Palmer costs $3.95. And since most places like this only charge about $2.50 for soda or lemonade, I think I have the right to be a little befuddled on why this combination deserves the markup.

P.S. If you need to work off all this food I'm telling you about, might I suggest a twilight stroll after a warm day. It's cool and refreshing and keeps you in surprisingly good shape. And to think, you thought this blog was just about food.