Lateral Thinking Puzzles

24. A Man in a Restaurant Complains to the Waiter

A man in a restaurant complains to the waiter that there is a fly in his cup of coffee. The waiter takes the cup away and promises to bring a fresh cup of coffee. The waiter returns a few minutes later with a fresh cup of coffee. The man tastes the coffee and again complains that this is the original cup of coffee with the fly removed. The man was correct, but how did he manage to find out?

Submitted by tartle · Added 29 November 2010

Solution: He had already put sugar in the first cup before noticing the fly. When the waiter returned, the man tasted the “fresh” coffee and could tell it was already sweetened. A truly fresh cup would not have had his sugar in it.

Comments (22)

kb216 16 December 2010

It was sweeter from sugar he had put in it before hand.

cat 5 July 2011

Also, when he lifted the cup, he noticed a dead fly beneath it on the saucer.

Chrisam 31 January 2013

It could have been possible that he added a substance to it for his preference that did not come from the kitchen or if it did it would have to be provided with the coffie not in the coffie. Having himself mixed and tasted the coffie prior to the fly he would have known it was not his, but lets say he had not tasted his cup prior to fly, it may have been that the walk to and from the kitchen would have made his tea cold thus a simple sip would have alerted him, even say it may have been that some residue of the fly could have been left behind, also it could be that he souled his cup and having met the cup to his nostrils, sensed the impurity?... the cup may have been stained with a mark visible up close that the man remebered prior to the cup being taken away... questions questions :?:

i feel like i have left something vital un-noted... :?: :?: :?:

grace 9 April 2013

it had cooled down? :)

thepastbecomesapuzzle 29 April 2013

the cup was empty before and the fly has been taken off it in front of him

ashwinsharma420 12 May 2013

the coffee was not hot like a new cup of coffee.it had become cool.

thejoanzone 9 July 2013

The customer was a health inspector and he had placed the fly in his own coffee to see what response he would get. The fly was a listening device and he heard his waiter laughing about what he was going to do with other staff members.....
Alternatively, the fly was a pregnant female.....mmmm....won't go there!

Delayinger 26 August 2013

The man is a transvestite and noticed his lipstick on the cup :lol:

zozee 11 September 2013

Sweeter

buzzbot 30 December 2013

the coffee is cold

abhijeet 3 January 2014

he was actually having tea and he told the waiter i have a flyin my coffee. the waiter without checking whether its tea or coffee brought him back the same cup of tea. otherwise the waiter would have got a new cup of coffee, which wasn't the case..

Nsj 4 February 2014

He salted the coffee before giving it back in order to be sure that he won't serve it again.

smrao 5 February 2014

while delivering first cup waiter might have mentioned that this is the last cup of the chosen flavor available in stock.
But when he tastes the same flavor in the second cup, came to know that this is not new but the same first cup of coffee.

krish 3 July 2014

* The sweetener was already added

* the man was Sherlock Holmes, and was able to identify the smell and taste of insect in coffee.

* he was able to find an insect wing in the coffee.

* the cup was hot because the waiter had directly heated the cup to give the sensation that it was different cup the second
time.

east 25 July 2014

The coffee taste becomes lighter.

Comments 15 August 2014

The question is: "Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing that there could only be one passenger in your car?" 1. It clearly states ONE person to choose. 2. It states only ONE passenger in the car. 3. The "best" answer is a load of crap because it asks you to break or bend the rules. 4. The obvious answer is to take the old woman because she is the only one that might be in need of faster transport. 5. In "best" answer you ask for another big favour from a guy that already made you the biggest one. It might be that girl is a love of his life also!

revanth nani htnaver 27 December 2014

hotness of coffee was gone after few minutes it does not noticed by waiter

test 22 February 2015

He had put salt on his coffee and the new coffee was salty as well.

lijunyao2006 13 August 2015

kb126 is correct

laurin800 10 September 2015

The cup was almost empty. The waiter brought back the almost empty cup.

bedead 31 May 2018

He added a lot of salt, and when he got the "new" cup he tasted the salt he put in

denford 4 June 2018

The man could tell it was the same cup of coffee with the fly having been removed because the coffee had, by then cooled. A fresh cup of coffee would be hot.

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