To think that if you go out …

To be honest If I’m not drinking wine I would love to just order tap water. I don’t want a sweet fizzy drink but I always feel like I have to get something?! I sometimes get a cup of tea but yeah I have a feeling I should order a drink

I do and always so so weird about it. I hate doing it from a food waste perspective. I'm like can't I just pay you £50 to sit here for an hour?

And restaurants make it SOOOO awkward. I'm constantly in the situation of ordering both food and beverages I don't want but then when I don't consume them it's an inquisition. I'm just paying to sit somewhere pretty and read a book. You're getting your money. Leave me alone.

I’ve no idea about Germany and Luxembourg, but in the UK they’re legally obliged to provide tap water.

I think many places vastly overcharge for their drinks (soft drinks especially) even of the price of the food is not too bad. I remember being in an Indian restaurant a couple of years ago and the waiter got the right ache when my friend and I asked for a jug of tap water and 2 glasses. Sorry,but I wasn't prepared to pay nearly 5 quid for a glass of diet coke!

I prefer a cold drink with meals. I can't abide with tea, coffee gives me terrible spots, hot chocolate is fine, I rarely drink any alcohol (apart from quaffing brandy) and I only like two fizzy drinks. One isn't sold everywhere, and one commonly has artificial sweeteners in it, which I avoid as they seem to give me headaches. In any case, I tend to feel fresher after having a large bottle of plain tap water to myself!

If it makes anyone feel better, I rarely eat out!

In Germany and Luxembourg most restaurants refuse to serve tap water unless another drink has been purchased and sometimes even then they refuse. I ordered a meal and a soft drink and afterwards asked for a small glass of tap water to take medication with. The waitress was apologetic but said the restaurant had a blanket ban on tap water (despite being perfectly safe to drink) so I had to but a bottle of mineral water.

I think if you are a business that provides food, and cant make money from food, your business is incompetent and/or not viable

I don't drink alcohol and like water with a meal, what's wrong with that. I go out for the food and company

Is your friend a bit thick? Why does he care if people order what they want to order?

You'd be amazed how many places don't offer any still non alcoholic beverages other than bottled water. I don't drink alcohol and don't particularly like fizzy, so if no fresh juice is available I just ask for tap water. I think bottled water is so bad for the environment in comparison to tap water, and I have zero preference in taste.

Apart from a coffee when I get up I only drink water. Although I'm also not keen on tap water so I'd order bottled. But absolutely nothing wrong with ordering tap water with a meal.

Plain water is my drink of choice, hate all those sugary, caffeinated, calorific drinks. Usually driving, YABVU

My daughter doesn't drink fizzy pop at all, occasionally she might a fruit juice or squash but she does drink alot of water. She's nearly 17.

when does "your friend's" snobbery end?

What about people who drink water but have dessert, are they more acceptable than someone who orders a coke but only has one course? They'll spend more.

sometime order juice but often just have water. Not like I'm taking up a table and not ordering anything. Ordering water with food is perfectly fine.

I know what you mean. I actually prefer tap water but will always order some apple juice or something because I thought it wasn't ok just to have tap water!

If more and more people order just tap water, I think a small cover charge would be fair to cover use of glass etc.

I used to go to a pub quiz where the same teams of people went every week. I always noticed this woman who arrived after the £1 entrance fee had been collected and then sat with tap water.

Disagree, tap water instead of fizzy drinks can easily save £8/£10. I’m happy to make that compromise to eat out occasionally.

Yep, me too. I sometimes have wine (at home) and an occasional beer with lunch if we're out with friends, but definitely too much of anything and I know about it for quite a few days. I also can't eat lactose, nuts, seeds, cruciferous vegetables, etc. I eat a lot of burgers and drink a lot of water 😂

But they’re not OWED this.

Now that you’ve finally returned to the thread, can you tell us what it’s all about? Are you a restaurant owner who blames your customers for not spending enough, rather than looking at how you’re running the place? Or are you just one of these people who enjoys mentally spending other people’s money for them?

I think they’re even less likely to survive if they get a reputation for sneering at customers who only order water…

I remember someone in a bar once making a comment about how maybe I’d order more than one drink next time I went there - when they’d had a two for one deal on, presumably to encourage people to go 🙄 There was no next time!

The laptop thing is a different issue, and I know a lot of cafes have a minimum charge to prevent this.

But why can't you understand some people only drink water?

If I’m not having alcohol I’ll order tap water though most places I go give us a jug anyway. I don’t like soft drinks.