Dear restaurant

[Stopsnowing]

If you had brought me tap water as requested rather than insist only mineral water was available, I would have ordered another round of alcoholic drinks and dessert.

I don’t want to spend six euros on water but I would have spent that and more on more drinks and dessert.

Right, but why are you posting this on MN?

Have you spoken to the actual restaurant manager about this?

Not at all — it appears to be a country wide thing… the waitress wanted to bring me more beer which I would have gone for had I also had tap water!

Tap water is minging anyway. Just buy the bloody water. If you can't afford it then should you really be eating out?

What country? Some simply do not do tap water (Belgium, I’m looking at you). I always buy very cheap bottled water at the shop and keep one in my bag instead.

My point is that i don’t think restaurants should refuse to give tap water and if they do because they want to charge for mineral water they have miscalculated as I would stay longer and drink alcohol/have dessert if I could drink water.

Yes - and now Germany. We carry bottled water but didn’t want to get it out of our bags. It has been pushing 30 degrees here.

You can't drink tap water in the UAE. £6 isn't unusual for a 750ml bottle of imported water, when local bottled water is available for a few pence.

So I presume you never drink tap water ans it’s so “minging” Are you in the UK? How much are you spending on bottled water a week?

It is now 35 degrees and a weather warning. Taking bottles (of tap water) out with us today.

Dear OP

Noted

Good job I read MN

Yours
Restaurant

Unless it’s the law that they have to give you tap water, as it is in some parts of the U.K. for licensed premises, why wouldn’t they charge you for a bottled water?

I went to Tayaabs in London a few months ago and they said they don't serve tap water.

Also legally restaurants are allowed to charge for tap water. I learnt this when I went out for dinner at a fish restaurant and was charged! I paid then queried it with trading standards the following day and they said yes they are allowed to charge...

I couldn't ruin a meal out over a fiver!!

I completely and utterly agree with you. Especially if you are in the uk. It also makes me irrationally angry to be charged £’s for water. It does put me off a place.

It's not normal to get free tap water in restaurants in Germany. It's also unusual to drink tap water at all.

Dear People Who Write Letters to People Who Are Not On MN On MN

Please stop it.

Yours,
RTTD

DRestaurant 😆

Only on MN

Ah. I understand that in Germany to ask for tap water in a restaurant is considered very rude.

You did t want to get your water bottle out of your bag??? Why not?

I knew exactly where you were before you answered! 😂Great to see that customer service and welcoming culture is just as warm and accommodating as ever.

Correct.

Interesting. Why? (If as in this case we were ordering beers as well and not just trying to get a free drink?) is Germany not moving away from bottled water for eco reasons if nothing else? Anyway apologies for formatting my post in the wrong way - I should have done an AIBU!
Entirely up to the restaurant how they want to charge although in my case they would have made more money if they had brought tap water. I would have thought cultural norms would have evolved over the years away from bottled water and surely tap water in Germany is safe.

Maybe mineral water is all that is available.

Anyway, I am sure you won't allow this miniscule event ruin your holiday.

The bottles are recycled. You have to pay a deposit on them and glass ones are popular to use at home. The tap water is safe to drink it's more a cultural thing not to. Also most people prefer sparking water.