I haven't stayed at too many RIs over the years. I did stay at one on the West side of Little Rock last week though. They had nachos for the snack which wasn't too bad. But what really surprised me was that they didn't offer any drinks except some instant lemonade. They did tell me that we could buy some cokes from the little "mart" next to the front desk. They also had a basket of various bottles of beer that were for sale as well.

The other RIs that I visited all had free drinks during the evening snack time including beer.

Oh, and to answer Sharon's question, RIs normally will have something to eat and drink out Monday-Thursday evenings. If you stay at one, look on the refrigerator door and they usually put a monthly listing of what the food items are for the month. The food items can be pretty good and full meal in themselves.