In relation to reusable cups, we use two varieties.
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The keepcup which are okay (we have three)…we don’t tend to carry hot drinks for a long time and consume quickly, so the heat retention is not a factor for us. This lid is useful if walking some distance with the cup (but the lid can be difficult to install at times).
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a Standard ‘run of the mill’ porcelain mug. That being similar to the drink in varieties used by cafes. Reliable and will have an extremely long life providing it isn’t dropped.
The second option is heavier and harder to drink on the move (requires a steadier hand), but okay if one returns say to their work desk or sits on a park bench.
@beatthebastards, could you provide some links verifying that this is the case such as links to government health/food outlet policies or regulations.
The reason why is I imagine that it wouldn’t pass the reasonable person test.
A customer provided cup has similar risks to a store provided disposal or china cup. If a customer chose not to wash a reusable cup and it was very filthy, has biological growths in it (why one would chose not to is anyone’s guess?), which is obvious to the barista, the barista has two options, either wash the cup for the customer or refuse to serve the customer. The later would mean they would possibly lose the customer for every and the former would ensure they retain the customer for life.
I know that some restaurants refuse ‘doggy bags/containers’ as they have had advice indicating that if someone gets sick from the food because it was poorly stored after leaving a restaurant, it may come back to bite the restaurant. This again does not pass the reasonable person test as everyone would then be obliged to eat in every food outlet where the food was served (effectively killing off the takeaway/delivered food industry in Australia).
I suspect that this could be an urban myth.
