“he confidentially said that sometimes the bartenders top off mimosas with Sprite if they are running low on champagne.”

Photo by PoPville flickr user Hopadidl

“Dear PoPville,

I went to a restaurant about a week ago for brunch with some friends. Mixed group. About eight of us. We ordered mimosas and eggs, the usual brunch fair. Towards the end of the brunch – we hadn’t really taken full advantage of the one hour bottomless – one of our party members asked me to try her mimosa because she thought it “tasted funny.” It was entirely too sweet for a mimosa. No hint of champagne. I told our server and he confidentially said that sometimes the bartenders “top off mimosas with Sprite if they are running low on champagne.” This seems not only unethical but entirely illegal as there is nothing on the menu indicating that this is the case. The server, after consulting with the manager on call, ultimately gave us a 25% discount after we complained, but that bait-and-switch practice was enough to make me not want to go back.

So, I ask you, readers of PoPville: what other recourse, if any, do we have? Has anyone else had a similar experience with something like this in D.C.? Management, aside from providing the discount, seemed entirely nonplussed about the whole thing. Am I overreacting?”