To think that if you are going to charge a pound for a mug of hot water, you should make it clear?

[pussycatwillum]

Yesterday I went out for lunch with a group of old ladies. One of them only ever drinks hot water. The waitress provided this for her. We then had lunch and asked for the bill.
The mug of hot water was charged at one pound.
The lady concerned was a) not happy to be asked to pay so much, although she did concede that she would have happily paid 50p as presumably they do have overheads to pay.
b) cross that nowhere on the menu was it mentioned and the waitress did not say 'There will be a charge of a pound for that, madam' which would have given her the chance to say no.
So was she being unreasonable?
It was at a place I have been to lots of times and when I mentioned that she wasn't happy the waitress immediately deducted the charge, but I think this was to avoid a scene.
Is it reasonable to charge for hot water, and is one pound a reasonable amount?

You are enjoying a product which you have not paid for.

and did you not notice there many posts in which I said I would probably waive the charge if you asked politely?

Good manners. They cost nothing.

Assuming you can do what you like is very bad manners.

We started charging for hot water as we used to get elderly ladies coming in and ordering a pot of tea then asking for hot water and making more brews in the teapot. A few even used to bring their own teabags. They'd be sat at the table for hours for free when we were turning customers away who wanted to order food and eat it in the cafe. Tbh we very rarely ending up charging for hot water. It was more of a deterrent.

I always thought that providing a teapot with brewed tea in it and hot water on the side to top up was fairly standard practice in most good tea shops. Anything else seems a bit mean to me. Bringing their own teabags was cheeky though.

just because an outlet does not stock your handpicked by himalayan yacks special tea does not actually equate to a woe stock of teas.

*woeful

The waitress probably didn't know the price to tell the woman in the first place. She was more than likely putting the order through the till, said to her colleague/supervisor, "Here, this customer ordered a mug of hot water- what shall I ring that through as?" and was told, "Meh, charge her a pound". If you order off menu it's your responsibility to ask the waitress what they might charge if cost is an issue.

MadameDefarge, thank you for taking the time to explain more about your business, I've honestly learned so much from this thread! I'd DEFINITELY come to your cafe! And I liked your metaphors about jam and prawns, I understood what you were saying.

Cannot believe there are so many people who think taking your own stuff to a cafe is reasonable!

wouldn't know about teashops. Or coffee shops. I owned a food cafe which also served drinks.

We eat out quite a lot and are always getting asked if we want bread, olives, garlic bread etc. I would assume that they were extras that we had to pay for. If they are genuine freebies then they usually just plonk them on the table with no comment.

It's a business trying to make extra money out of its customers and can't honestly see why that's a problem. They are just trying to stay in business. I often say no thank you and nothing more is said.

Thank you Eilidhbelle! was feeling a bit through the looking glass there for a wee while.

Beer, for the umpteenth time. If somewhere does not offer you what you want,choose something else, or go somewhere else. Do not assume you can sit in a proper paying customers place quaffing your own stuff.

BeerTricks, you must see the difference between a business that concentrates on food and one that concentrates on drinks?

Might I float the concept of a loss-leader - quite a well-known business concept, I believe, where the provision of boiling water for free, so that someone can enjoy their beverage of choice with their food might create a feeling of bonhomie towards the food cafe/restaurant/tea or coffee shop that might lead to further sales and/or return visits and good word-of-mouth, all of which might benefit the establishment.

And I did say that I would ONLY use my specific herbal tea bag. In my innocence, I assumed that you would realise that this meant that I would not use any other tea bag/infusion/beverage ingredient. Was I really wrong??

If you ordered toast, would you think it fine to whip out your own jam?probably not, but my friend takes her own milk (for medical reasons) with her. Mind you she pays the normal price for tea and then says 'No thank you' to the cafe's milk so I suppose they are actually benefiting slightly. No cafe has ever objected to my knowledge.

Yes you are. If you were eating, I would probably waive it out of good will (another wellknown marketing ploy we use).

And you must know that the mark up on beverages is often the major contributor to the financial health of a food business.

You buy a cappuccino, say it costs the cafe owner 40p for the coffee beans and the milk. So even by the x 4 metric it still should be only 80p. Yet you will be charged up to £2.50 for it. Because that is where the profit lies.

Beer, you might find the minutae of running a business a tad dull, but it is very necessary.

And generally speaking, if you give something away, people don't value it, nor the giver. another well-known fact.

I will refer you back to every post in which I said I would not. But I that I would have the right to.

MadameDefarge...I have here a really nice wall. You are welcome to come and bang your head against it.

No charge!

I don't really see the problem with charging for a mug of hot water and to be fair the waitress took it off the bill so they clearly value your custom.