Anyone else been refused tap water in restaurant

warmhands.coldheart

x12yhp wrote: »

The other place, stranmillis. No tap water available with my meal. Next meal will be somewhere else!

jenheiffer wrote: »

You must mean Botanic. The Stranmillis one has been closed for years.

Maybe that's why !!:rotfl:

Robothell

I have to confess I'm a bit shocked at this thread. I worked for several years in bars and restaurants and never would have even thought to charge a customer for a glass of tap water, regardless of perceived overhead costs etc. It would simply be considered bad business and was (of course) factored into the overheads for the whole premises (such as heat, light, toilets, cleaning etc.) - I take other's points that some customers shouldn't expect to have items subsidised for them but I would be of the opinion that the minuscule addition to takings would be dwarfed by the bad feeling and loss of custom that would be created. It may seem odd to some but we also didn't charge for slices of lemon, salt and pepper, toilet paper or air conditioning that others may have availed of more than other customers.

I don't know if I would never go back to a place that charged for tap water but it would reflect negatively on the overall experience - I tend to order a jug of water for the table and then drinks for everyone either collectively or individually. They gain nothing by providing the water for free. On the flip side though, I would not expect to get a glass of tap water in a fast food place - I don't know why, I just consider them differently to a proper bar or restaurant and would just buy a soft drink or bottle of water. Similarly I wouldn't expect a plate, a knife or a fork.

I lived in a student house once where we each paid in £5 a month towards toilet paper, cleaning products and other miscellaneous stuff. I remember one of my housemates emailing the person who looked after the kitty to explain that he should pay less as he deliberately made a point to only defecate in the uni before coming home and therefore didn't use any of the toilet paper. He never, ever lived it down. I believe he's still called tight hole by his peers.

jouef

Robothell wrote: »

I have to confess I'm a bit shocked at this thread. I worked for several years in bars and restaurants and never would have even thought to charge a customer for a glass of tap water, regardless of perceived overhead costs etc...

Yes, interesting the way it polarises opinion. Over at the top link found by searching:
mail outrage 75 water
several commenters enthusiastically defend a London hotel for charging GBP25.00 per serving of water (bottled, not tap in this case). The establishment is praised by many for not only covering its overheads but also imposing a minimum spend.

x12yhp

jenheiffer wrote: »

You must mean Botanic. The Stranmillis one has been closed for years.

Sorry, you are right! Wasn't thinking when I was typing.

ganouche

It would appear the law states that if the establishment serves alcohol it cannot charge for tap water. Imagine my surprise at finding an item on my bill last Sunday at Coach in Marlow for 50 pence listed as glass. We had been drinking alcohol but my wife wanted some water as well and ordered a glass of tap water. My enquiry about the item learned that this was indeed the glass in which tap water had been served. It strikes me that this is a disingenuous way of working around the law and is certainly not behaving in the spirit of the law. The food was pretty good, the 45 minute wait in what can at best be described as a cloakroom was uncomfortable but to then find we were patronising the restaurant equivalent of a tax avoiding bank left a nasty taste in the mouth. It's not about the 50 pence, though someone obviously thinks 50 pence important enough to try and cheat the system, it's the obvious trying to work around the law that annoys. Question to the owner, are you not making enough already?

Mistral001

Since according to previous posts here, there is no such law in NI so it could hardly be a way of getting around it.

ganouche

Mistral001 wrote: »

Since according to previous posts here, there is no such law in NI so it could hardly be a way of getting around it.

Marlow, Buckinghamshire as distinct from Marlowe, Bangor, NI

adouglasmhor

Mistral001 wrote: »

I think MSE members find these threads on the "New Posts" button and are unaware that it is on the NI forum.


By the way since the law about tap water being free in licenced premises only applies to England Scotland and Wales and does not apply to Northern Ireland, it is puzzling why we have such a thread on the NI forum at all.

Doesn't apply in Scotland as a whole, only in licensed venues with music in Edinburgh and Glasgow. It can be a licensing condition anywhere though.

RikM

That provision is not included in the NI laws... and this is the NI board, after all.

adouglasmhor

RikM wrote: »

That provision is not included in the NI laws... and this is the NI board, after all.

NI law here. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/nisi/1996/3158/article/7

(12) A court which grants a licence in respect of a place of public entertainment[F1 or an indoor arena] may attach to the licence such conditions as it thinks fit.

So that provision does exist and can apply in Northern Ireland at music venues, whether it has been used or not is a moot point.