Cafe charging for tap water

[coldheartwarmtoes]

Cafe local to me posted on Facebook yesterday that they were going to start charging people £1 for tap water.

Basically they're fed up of people just ordering the water and not a drink when there water, staff, washing up costs attached etc.

The whole thread derailed with people flouncing and being horrified.

Are they being unreasonable?

I'd share the link but they took it down!

I once knew someone who ran a cafe in a college setting. It was her own business, but she rented the premises from the college. She had to start keeping the milk, sugar etc behind the counter, rather than available for self service, because of the cfs who brought their own tea bags and just asked for hot water, then helped themselves to her milk and sugar.

If we're eating and ordering drinks, we always ask for a jug of tap water alongside - I drink tons of the stuff. If we're spending money on five people's food and drinks, I'd be pissed off if they charged me for tap water.

On the other hand, there's no chance I'd go into a cafe and ask for water for free, without buying other things. That's also taking the piss.

Rome! Hundreds of drinking fountains all over the city, including one we found in St Peters!

It used to be that every park in the country had a public drinking fountain, often donated by Alderman XXXX , there were usually low down bits for dogs to drink at too. Sadly most councils have cut off the supply. I like it when I spot the ones for horses too, used to be plenty around in London - both horses and drinking troughs. They are often planted with flowers which is a nice thought.

If someone had lost their kid for so long that the child was medically dehydrated, social services should be involved. Making up weird scenarios to try to force your point isn’t coming across well. 😄
Irrelevant anyway, since, as you know, OP said the business would be doing it at their discretion.

My point is that you could get a young/inexperienced staff member with no common sense who just says 'no free water.' That is the concern for me. Or, it might not be obvious that a person is vulnerable. It might just be a teenager who set out walking somewhere in hot weather without any water and underestimated how long it would take and how hot it was...they might ask a cafe for a glass of water and because they don't look particularly vulnerable they'd be told no. I just think its easier to avoid a blanket type rule on not giving over water for free and instead make the rule specifically about whether or not someone is sitting at a table.

If the cafe is on a water meter I can see why they would want to charge.

Not quite. It’s US but I can’t imagine it would be much cheaper in the UK.

One estimate puts a restaurant’s actual cost for each “free” glass of water at $1.08 per glass. How did they come up with that number? For starters, by considering the labor required to order, inventory, fill, and wash a glass for each guest. Next by adding up the soap, dishwasher rental or depreciation, heat, gas, and, of course, the water—both the hot water to clean the glass and the cold water to fill it. Finally, by factoring in replacement charges for glass breakage.

https://www.naturawater.com/the-true-cost-of-free-restaurant-water

I worked serving public when I was 16, I'm sure even then I would work out when someone was in genuine need and when someone was being a CF or you'd ask a supervisor or manager for their thoughts.

Give young workers some credit for having some commonsense.

I used to work in a cafe and dreaded the walkers coming in. They were rude, demanding and tight fisted.

I think a lot of cafés make relatively little profit on the food they sell but far more on the drinks. So I can see why they'd want to encourage you to buy them.

Ultimately if people don't like it they can take their custom elsewhere.

I think it is hilarious that someone would have the gall to go into a cafe and hand over their sweaty bottle that their dehydrated gob had been all over and ask for a refill because the dregs of theirs had gone "icky".

Mortified for you.

@saltinesandcoffeecups the 1/200th of a penny is what I calculated for 300ml of water on a standard user wholesale rate from Thames water. Of course it costs money to wash a glass, but when it costs 75p for a new one I think $1.08 (86p) is an overestimate, especially if the water is just in a dispenser like in most cafes. The opportunity cost is the real cost here.

Yes, ordering a hot water for free and then adding own tea bag/coffee but expecting to use the cafe's milk/sugar. Or ordering a tap water, using a table for 2-3 hours to work and eating own sandwiches etc.

People see it as them being clever and getting one over the "exorbitant prices of the café" but the café currently is only just breaking even.

I'd like to be a fly on the wall of a MN thread about public drinking fountains once the hygiene enthusiasts get wind of it.

I think a small charge is ok - we were charged £2 each for a pint of tap water with our lunch 20 years ago in London, ripping off tourists who aren’t going to argue. We didn’t even ask for tap, no ice either!

When I worked in morrisons cafe I had to put a tea bag into every teapot and stack them up for customers to help themselves

People used to steal the teabags out of them and take them home 🙄 I used to catch people doing it

@JanesBlond

The opportunity cost is the real cost here.

Maybe/maybe not.

Sure that person asking for free water and using the facilities may just be the pretty woman version of cafe users and come back tomorrow with their hundreds of high spending cafe regulars looking for a new place. Or the could be a sweaty walker who tells their walking club about a great new place that has clean loos and free water packing the place with free water guzzling sweaty people who clog up the place from paying customers.

The thing is that mumsnet (and most people nowadays) lack common sense and nuance.

The perpetually outraged will be outraged by a policy like this. The chicken littles will be imagining the old and infirm falling over from dehydration in the the streets. The piss takers and cheeky fuckers will be aglow in their cluelessness and faux outrage. And the very very few with perspective will shrug and say huh…well not ideal but understandable.

If a cafe closes because of a policy like this, it was probably headed for closing anyway and this was a last ditch effort to cut losses. Most cafes are just hoping to make way for profitable customers and control costs.

A local cafe started to charge 50p. It's on one of the beachs and there is nowhere nearby to buy a drink. Unless you trek the kids down the Tesco which would take at least half an hour to get there and back. It was mainly people coming in and asking but not buying anything.

I can see their point though it's popular. with dog walkers because of location. Paying customers have to queue behind them. I once had to wait behind 5 kids not with parents. Before they started to charge. All just wanted a drink of water.

Parents should at least be sending their kids out with some money or a drink. They pay the staff that gets the water and also have to wash the glass they drink out of. Then they will likely use the toilet as well. My daughter likes a cup of tea. So I need to top up with water so it's not too hot. But when I ask and explain why I need it. They put some in a jug and don't charge for it

If you are about to die of thirst I expect you would happily pay for water

Some people are piss takers, I've had to stop people from eating their own packed lunch in my cafe before, and they always seem surprised. Most recent one was a couple ordering a coffee each then bringing out their own pastries to eat. They were aghast being asked to stop, pretended to put them away but sneakily ate them then used their mugs as ashtrays! The margins are tight enough without people expecting to use the facilities for free.

We only give small beakers of free tap.water, no ice, as people were taking the piss, we have a huge range of cold drinks availability, to buy, which is the point of my business

If they order food etc then it should be free in my view. But I get it costs them

I was in a cafe yesterday and saw several people come for tap water, one wanted hot water, and another paper cups.

They did not buy anything. I felt sorry for the guy serving. They were all well off looking men who pretty much demanded.

I have no problem with charging if nothing else is being bought.

When we're eating in a cafe, I will
sometimes ask for a a small tumbler of water so the kids can do their magic painting books. We always buy meals and drinks for each person, so if I was charged for water in those circumstances I wouldn't be happy.

Lots of places charge corkage if they don't have a license and people bring their own wine so charging something for water seems a bit reasonable. But I would think if you are having a meal that it should be free.

I often ask for a jug of tap water if having a meal. But to just sit in a cafe with free water and not buying anything is a CF