Why do restaurants all provide free lemonade uniformly? More and more restaurants are gradually replacing ordinary cold boiled and brewed tea with fresher water drinks, and we seem to think that these water drinks can enhance the dining experience and become the "hidden competitiveness" of restaurants. Why is this? These fresh summer water drinks are sweeping the streets and alleys. In recent years, restaurants have provided increasingly diverse free water drinks. One important reason is that in some places with poor water quality, the taste of plain water is a bit difficult to swallow, and those water drinks with refreshing seasonings have become the trend. The most common natural drink is lemon water. Simply add a few fresh lemon slices to the drinking water, and ordinary cold boiled water will bring a refreshing and sour lemon fragrance. Drinking it in one gulp will accelerate saliva secretion in the mouth, greatly promoting appetite. Similar to lemon water, there are also various types of citrus water, such as green orange water, grapefruit water, orange water, etc. These citrus fruits contain a large amount of volatile aromatic oils in their peels, which are widely accepted for their fresh and vibrant aroma. Thoughtful shop owners will also add ice cubes or chill them for a while to cool down. Mint water, which can compete with lemon water, also has a group of representative plant-based drinks behind it, such as cucumber water, lotus leaf water, etc. Compared to citrus flavored water drinks, their odors are more diverse. The scent of cucumber is fresh but not overpowering. Drinking a glass of cucumber water after eating heavy flavored food is refreshing and comfortable. Peppermint water is fresher and cooler because mint leaves contain menthol, which can chemically trigger the TRPM8 receptors in the skin and mouth that are sensitive to cold, causing our brain to feel "cool". These fruit and vegetable water drinks not only enhance the taste of cold and white water, but also greatly help to stimulate appetite. For example, citric acid, which is abundant in citrus fruits, can increase saliva secretion, promote gastric acid secretion, and digestive enzyme activity, making it a suitable aperitif before meals. Another major benefit of fruit and vegetable water drinks is that they do not contain caffeine. For people who are sensitive to caffeine, drinking too much tea leaves during meals may cause palpitations, insomnia, and other conditions. Replacing tea leaves with fruit and vegetable water drinks can help prevent insomnia at night. In addition, from the perspective of marketing strategy, providing free water drinks in the store that are one level higher than those offered by Liangbaikai is also an "implicit satisfaction" for consumers' emotions. Now when I go to dine, I find that the restaurant is still stubbornly only offering cold and plain water. At first glance, I will give a discount - lemon water is not expensive, isn't it even here?! This may force restaurants to "roll up" one after another. However, for restaurants, these free water drinks are also a worthwhile economic account. Raw materials such as lemon and mint are not expensive and can be repeatedly brewed, even if supplied in large quantities, the cost will be lower than that of tea. At the same time, by providing free water, there is no need to charge additional tea table fees, achieving a win-win situation with customers. If free tea is well prepared, it can sometimes enhance the competitiveness of restaurants and create regional differentiation. For example, some small restaurants in Beijing offer cold mung bean soup in summer. Many hot pot and skewer restaurants in the Sichuan Chongqing region offer "Eagle Tea", which is actually the tender branches and shoots of the old leopard skin camphor tree. After drying, it can be used as tea for brewing and drinking. However, Arhat fruit tea is popular in Guangdong and Guangxi in summer. Luohanguo sweet glycoside, which is 300 times sweeter than sucrose, is often used as a sugar substitute because of its low calorie. Soaking in water brings its own sweetness and a unique flavor. In autumn and winter, these "hot teas" are good for warming the body. Compared to the refreshing fruit and vegetable water in summer, the free water drinks provided by restaurants in autumn and winter are slightly monotonous. They mostly undertake the same "task", allowing customers to quickly recover their temperature through a cup of warm drink after coming in from the cold outdoors, while also arousing their appetite. Barley tea and buckwheat tea are also quite popular in autumn and winter seasons, and some restaurants add fresh or dried corn stalks to enhance their taste and sweetness. Some shops also offer sweeter tea drinks such as red dates, longan, wolfberry tea, and eight treasure tea. After being brewed with hot water, the aroma of these dried fruits is greatly enhanced. Even without additional sugar, the tea soup is sweet and can quickly help the cold body replenish calories. It's no wonder that "cooking tea around the stove" has become a popular social and lifestyle trend in recent years (although the tea water for cooking tea around the stove is not provided for free), bringing a hot atmosphere to the autumn and winter seasons. Be careful of the variety of free water drinks offered by the art restaurant in order to attract customers. Although it is good, consumers also need to pay attention to some points during the dining process: on the one hand, they need to pay attention to whether the fruit and vegetable water provided by the restaurant is hygienic and safe, especially in the summer when the temperature is high. If fresh fruits are not properly stored, they are prone to spoilage. Some restaurants may repeatedly brew the same slice of lemon or orange to save costs. If they find that the smell is wrong or the taste is bitter or unpleasant when drinking water, they need to promptly report to the restaurant and stop drinking. Some restaurants also add a large amount of syrup and sucrose to make their water drinks taste better, which can confuse customers for a while, but behind it is the risk of excessive sugar intake. At this time, consumers should also be aware that if the taste of the water drink is too sweet, they should not drink too much or ask the restaurant to provide ordinary plain water to avoid excessive calorie intake in a meal. Overall, although free water drinks are good, it is also necessary to drink according to one's own situation. (New Society)