After many years of benefitting from the free mini bar and sad at it's demise, I also now agree.

It was amazing while it lasted and I was one of those asholes who used it to the max .... for over 15 years. The hotels never care, it was small beer for them in relative terms. I've heard that from the horses mouth. It was simply that it's time came and went. And now, yes I also tend to agree, the amount saved off amazing dinning experiences has been significant. Again, as you say, especially when you can give the club lounge the same beating that the mini bars used to get. And maybe being a tad older now, there is actually a limit to how much we can consume in an evening. But they were happy days for sure. And a good few of the hotels still cough up FOC mini bar if thinner in content.