Only having tap water at a restaurant, rude?

[Chocolattay]

Me and DH have a young baby and are a bit skint.

I go out occasionally with my friends and will skimp them, only have a main and juice etc. Today we finally got round to a date night, baby present.

I am BFing and he was driving. I only wanted water (since baby fizzy drinks give me awful burps and didn’t fancy juice). DH doesn’t like soft drinks and was driving.

We just had a jug of tap water. The staff did keep asking “Are you sure you don’t want a drink?” and we felt a bit pressured so in the end ordered coffees (which we didn’t really want) with our dessert.

Genuine question as I’m curious as to people’s thoughts, is it shitty to just get tap water at a local family owned restaurant?

@Floralnomad

I think it’s perfectly acceptable if you are buying food - I wouldn’t do it personally because I don’t drink tap water at home

I guess it does depend on what you're used to. I've drunk tap water all my life and am totally used to it (apart from when my parents had some random short-lived Evian phase in around the mid-80s when I was little, no idea what that was about )

One person drinking tapwater? Fine, lots of mitigating reasons.

Two people drinking tapwater? Tight as fuck. Not surprised they were asking if you wanted a drink. Their business is making money, not giving out free glassware and washing up services. Downright rude in my book, I'm glad you ordered coffees.

Chateau Thames all the way for me!

@Technosaurus

One person drinking tapwater? Fine, lots of mitigating reasons.

Two people drinking tapwater? Tight as fuck. Not surprised they were asking if you wanted a drink. Their business is making money, not giving out free glassware and washing up services. Downright rude in my book, I'm glad you ordered coffees.

Why tho? Why shoud they buy drinks they don't want? They had 3 courses. Would it have been better for them to have one course and a Diet Coke each?

I only order tap water for the baby when we're out but I always find my self saying '2 pints of coke please and a tap water for the BABY' I feel bad about ordering tap water, no idea why, but no op I don't think you should of felt pressured to by a drink when you bought meals

I always feel I should order one paid for drink, then after that it's acceptable to ask for a jug of tap water.

I usually order tap water with food. I drink a lot and would have a coke/ juice gone way too quickly. I don't drink alcohol much anymore and don't like it with food. I used to waitress in Uni, so about 10 years ago, most people ordered water or squash (which the restaurant didn't charge for) with their meal.

We drink water at home with our meals, in fact Dh insisted on a fridge with filtered water connected to the mains. My children who are teens always drink iced water throughout the day too. I have a soda stream as I love sparkling water. When we eat out we also order a jug of water for the table. I don't want to fill up on fizzy drinks, alcohol or soft drinks. I want water.

I have been a waitress, I didn't give a hoot about what drinks someone ordered.

@Technosaurus

One person drinking tapwater? Fine, lots of mitigating reasons.

Two people drinking tapwater? Tight as fuck. Not surprised they were asking if you wanted a drink. Their business is making money, not giving out free glassware and washing up services. Downright rude in my book, I'm glad you ordered coffees.

This makes no sense. I only want tap water. If we go out as a family it is still all we will have. Someone might have a coke. Why order something else? They could charge if they wanted. It’s not about the money or being tight.

No it’s fine, having been a waitress bottled water is pushed as an ‘upswell’.

I only ever have water when eating out, even at fancy restaurants.

We only ever have water when eating at home too.

Never had an issue.

Well that's just weird. Drinking tap water is ENTIRELY normal. Most restaurants have refillable bottles of it chilled, or at least provide big jugs of it on ice.

Many places round here provide water on tables by default, bringing it either when they seat you or when they come to find out whether you want to order any other drinks.

One diner driving.
One diner bf.

So tap water it is. YANBU.

@DameCelia

We only ever drink water with meals. Stunned to realise I have given 40 years of eyebrow raising to the catering industry!!

We are the same. Always have tap water when out for a meal.
I have been out and intended to go for a meal, but then have a few drinks and can't face eating then.

It's one or the other for me.

It's perfectly fine. I worked in a restaurant for a bit recently and it was common for people just to have water. In fact we kept very nice chunky glass bottles (old gin ones, the restaurant is at a distillery) full and in a dedicated fridge so it was a bit nicer than just filling a jug straight from the tap.

If We’re not drinking wine we’re prolific tap water orderers (it’s what I drink at home with dinner). I’ve only been to one restaurant where they showed resentment at which point their tip went out of the window (and I always tip!) I want to enjoy my food and standard water is so much better than the alternatives.

Anything that makes diners, who are spending £££ on several course, to feel uncomfortable & unwelcome is a business that chooses not to survive.

@Chocolattay, - I don't like soft drinks especially with food and always ask for tap water. I am also mean and skint

Skinflint alert!

Completely normal, in my experience. If you don't want alcohol, fizz, a hot drink, or calories then water makes perfect sense. (And it may be the only choice, unless you're someplace the does sugar-free iced tea.) It used to be "normal" to buy bottled water even if you wanted flat, but now it's frowned on for environmental reasons, unless you're somewhere where the water's bad/unsafe. If you're in Scotland, the government will guilt you for NOT drinking the tap water! Of course the restaurant wants you to buy another drink, but it's fine to say no thanks.

If you'd been keeping your friends company and ordered nothing at all but asked for tap water and refills, that would be a different story.

Two people drinking tapwater? Tight as fuck. Not surprised they were asking if you wanted a drink. Their business is making money, not giving out free glassware and washing up services. Downright rude in my book, I'm glad you ordered coffees.

Did you miss the bit where they bought 2 three course meals?

I drink sparking water as I’m not a fan of tap water unless it is proper cold. But I would never have a 3 course meal. My daughter drinks the same. If we were at this restaurant they would make way less profit on us as we would only have one course. Does that make us tight as fuck?

If you weren't eating then it would be rude but I do the same sometimes and have been treated no differently.

No it's not but people can find it hard to accept, and will try to force me to have a soft drink - there are some I lie occasionally, but I don't want a sweet drink with food

I usually buy a large bottle of sparkling water in that situation

I just have water when eating too mainly. So when I'm out for a meal I'll order water.