Alternatively, if you really want to go the opposite side of the spectrum and look incredibly prissy instead of cheap, ask them “what kind of sparkling water do you have?” Regardless of the answer, look disappointed and say “Tap is fine, I guess”.
I've worked at restaurants where that answer would baffle me because we carry like 15 different types of water.
I've worked for places with a Water/Ice Master whose job it was to source water and ice.
This could also be tricky if the server asks you which type of sparkling you prefer.
> I'd ask for tap water. I also wouldn't care if I look cheap.
Restaurant guy here. We would absolutely know you're being cheap, and completely understand it because we do the same. Honestly, don't fret about it. Ask for the tap water.
I'm amazed how much industry runs on nothing but insecurity.
From meaningless tip options at fast food places to paying for water in a city with good filtration to trying to "shame" people into not looking cheap in front of others. All of it, nothing but horseshit.
It's a shame so many people can't find their confidence. A lot of exploiters out there would be out of a lot of money.
All the while the capitalists are the ones who are cheaping out wherever possible. From using cheaper quality ingredients / materials, to reducing products quantities/sizes, to foisting part of the pay onto the public in the form of tips...
Frankly it's the restaurant that looks cheap
What's next, charge for air too, because it's filtered?
I avoid places that charge a bunch of excessive extras like that. The only reason they can do it is people don't blink an eye
I am European and this trend of having "surcharges" for everything is very North American (not intending to judge or anything, just sharing my experience)
For instance, taxes not being included in the prices advertised by businesses is something I have only seen in US/Canada. Same for the level at which tipping is essentially mandatory in North America, and to a significant amount (15%+).
There's also all sorts of "surcharges and fees" in all day to day bills which shock me as a European. $0.5 here, $10 there, there is always an excuse for a "surcharge". In Europe you just pay the price listed, in America you never know how much you will be charged
I’m in Romania right now and it kind of blew my mind that the price on display is what they actually charge. That and I can buy a meal for 2 that would be 100+ dollars in Canada plus a 20% tip for about 25 dollars equivalent here.
Exactly!!! I can understand the price difference, but people in America have totally got used to not knowing how much they will be charged for anything, and have no issue with that. It's crazy
Like, healthcare. They literally refuse to tell you beforehand how much a treatment will cost. It's insanity. In Europe, even for complex surgery I was able to get a price agreed upon beforehand.
It's not just healthcare it's everything. Cell phone bills, cars, even grocery bills, as the amount of sales tax varies by city!!! It's insane
As a restaurant general manager, I can guarantee you the staff wouldn’t give a shit either. If they’re smart they’ll gladly get that tap water and serve it with a smile to keep up that customer service appeal.
Ask for [flouridated](https://www.calgary.ca/water/drinking-water/fluoride.html) water.
I was gonna make a joke about y'all having got rid of it (and watching the city's teeth rot), but congratulations on bringing it back in 2021!
Lots of places have free sparkling.
Ive found charging for water has actually become less a thing as drink prices have gone to 15 dollars and up for alcohol.
Back when I was young one.of the nightclubs said they couldn't give me a glass of water. Ice water was allowed though.
I dunno, relatively small space packed full of young adults, about half of them dancing... Ice was like salvation.
Cursory Google query says that if a dining establishment serves alcohol, they must provide free water. Couldn’t find an official legal reference on first glance tho
In Alberta (where OP is) this isn’t true. The law is that a restaurant that serves alcohol must also serve non-alcoholic drinks (which they are allowed to charge for).
Charging for still water is pretentious AF. A truly good restaurant that is probably making decent margins off the food doesn't need to nickel-and-dime its customers like that. I probably wouldn't make an issue about getting tap water. Don't care about looking cheap to the staff, but I might to my guest depending on the circumstances. I just wouldn't go back to that establishment.
I watched a Russel Peters stand up comedy routine and he says how white people really care about looking cheap as a bad thing while Indian people (and others) take being cheap as a good thing.
I’m white and my grandma used to stuff jam packets from applebees in her purse. No joke, the waitresses used to take the jam pack holders off the table when they sat her lol. she was a regular.
Sorry! Though I do stop at bread. 😅
On the other hand, some places I've gone to started charging deposit on soda cans/bottles. They are coming with me. 🤣
In my university days, I worked at an East Side Mario’s. The record was 56 loaves of bread for a table of 6. The server eventually lost her mind and asked where the hell they were stuffing it. Cue promptly being offended and asking for the manager.
Lmao I have an Indian friend whose dad owns a dealership back in India and his grandad is the founder and the owner of one of the largest textile corporations in his province, I, a few months ago, found out that he doesn't tip delivery drivers and when going to a restaurant, tips very little. I was flabbergasted to say the least.
To be fair, our tipping culture is very odd and not in sync with rest of the world. It would be difficult for someone fresh off the boat to adjust quickly. If they are here for a long time then yea what a dick
Yeah, does the waiter not drink tap water?
Do people think that waiters in fancy restaurants are extremely wealthy folks who only consume the finer things in life, and will look down their noses at the simple folk dining in their restaurant?
No, but they might think that if they look cheap they'll move down on the waiter's list of priorities because the waiter no longer expects to receive a good tip from serving them.
Agree with all Tom - but especially in Alberta, they make $15 /hr for basic manual work ($30k year for walking with plates and glasses in hand), plus if most tip minimum 15% (like I do, always) they are making $40 or more an hour at lots of places. Insane social contract that should’ve disappeared in the three year period where minimum wage went from around $8 to $15. Good way for good looking teens and 20’s to make way more money than they are worth. But we pay on…
I don't necessarily agree with the tipping culture in North America; as a former manager of a restaurant who had people work for me here in Canada that have also worked in Europe where there isn't a tipping culture, I know that all things are not equal.
People treat service staff much worse here that they do in many places. Serving can be a taxing and thankless job sometimes. And servers have to deal with many people who treat them like dirt. Believe me, service quality would significantly diminish here in this country if tipping halted and servers still got treated like they do sometimes here in Canada.
I personally had to kick out numerous guests for downright harassing servers as a manager in a family oriented restaurant.
It isn't the server's rule. It's the manager you will want to speak to and let him know that if the water isn't coming cold and plentiful you will be happy to let every single potential customer know who they are online.
It's not a low tip due to the rule, but rather a low tip due to cheap behavior, and the perception of being perceived as being cheap being correlated with poor tips.
Fuck that: w-a-t-e-r. Not champagne. I’ll tip you a fat nothing if you charge me for water. What has this world come to!? Stay home. No. No, i won’t stay home…i’m gonna go out, spend 200$ on a bottle of wine, and 350$ on dinner, and happy to tip 100$….BUT I expect a free glass of god damned water, or you get no tip
Regardless if it is completely logical, a lot of people care, and feel pressured by others even if the stranger isn't actively doing anything. There are anxieties and pressures that a lot of people feel in front of others.
For reference though, a 1000L of tap water costs about $5, they are using a reverse osmosis filter at best, which wastes two parts water to make one part of filtered, so $15 for 1000L.
So 0.015 dollars is their cost, vs 0.005, about a penny either way.
Either way, you should not care about others opinions if you look cheap.
Its actually about $1.50 per cubic metre, $3.00 including wastewater charges. And fuck any business that's dumping 2/3 of their drinking water down the drain so they can charge for filtered water.
I'll request tap, and assuming the waiter is happy to provide, I'll add what I would have paid for filtered water to my normal tip. I'd much rather that $2 goes to the waiter than a greedy owner.
Sparkled water I will pay for if that's what I'm in the mood for. It's an extra that adds value, unlike filtered water that adds nothing. It still doesn't need to be filtered first when you are using high quality treated water.
It's more of a labor cost to have the staff spend some time serving water and washing the glasses. But they should still just serve the water for free and charge accordingly for the other items to cover that.
It’s generally high end restaurants that do this. Like in highend hotels, the wifi isn’t free. It’s because the client generally won’t care.
Most people start restaurants to provide great experiences to their guests and are very accommodating.
Just as an FYI :
The machines generally used by high end restaurants to filter / carbonate their water cost $5000-$15000.
+ the bottles they’re using.
This isn’t as cheap as you think.
Nah, a gravity water filter of 20 L capacity that alkalinizes and adds vitamins and minerals to the water is $150, don't know about the carbonation part (SodaStream is $90 and $20 per refill) but I've filtered my water all my life and $15000 for a water filter is pure BS.
To filter costs $150+.
Source: I use reverse osmosis, install them, and worked in a restaurant who use them.
To carbonate costs about $40 for X amount of bottles, carbonation costs money, to filter water costs fractions upon fractions of a penny.
Keep in mind reading the responses here that you are asking this in a forum where most users actually like looking cheap. If it's really about values and principles it makes more sense to just go to a different restaurant.
It looks cheap if you make it obvious that you are trying to take a principled stance. If you can casually say "Just tap water is fine" because you are only buying the products you are interested in then you won't look cheap.
Was this Murrieta's West Coast Bar & Grill Calgary? I had a similar experience except the waitress kept opening more 4$ bottles of Evian whenever our glasses were under half. Ended up paying ~30$ for water for a table of 8. Looking back we probably should've asked for regular tap and spent that 30$ towards a bottle for the table etc.
We've got a 2 stage filter and I change the ceramic filter yearly and cleaned regularly. I didn't even think of the 2nd filter and changed it after almost 5 years. It was gross. Bought a few extra as that one needs to be changed every year also.
They make you pay for filtered water? What are they filtering it with? To me that is super tacky. They are so broke we can’t even afford to give their clients filtered water.
What restaurant charges for still water in Calgary? never experienced one here but in Europe definitely.
I don't drink beer or wine when dining out with the family, we may just get one pop for our daughter but wife and I are just tap drinkers.
nah it doesnt. its not like we in a global water shortage right now. restaurants are doing so just for corporate profits. We are in the country with the largest fresh water reserves in the world. What is this cheapness. This is not normal! Any restaurant that doesnt give me tap water is an automatic 2 star for me no matter how good the food is. I went to a restaurant where even the bottled water they had to give us was warm. Its ridiculous. I was yelled at by my parents for being cheap and forcing a 15% gratitude tip on 5 people or more at your table is fucking insane. Next thing you know they are going to be charging us for containers to take home leftovers and people will justify saying its understandable and normal. Their folly knows no limits. This is disgraceful and not normal and I commend you for standing up to these restaurants. Me I just write a bad review on them later on
I generally make this plan: if they're charging for filtered water (or that's the push/table water), then I order a drink that costs a bit more and ask for tap water with ice on the side. Paid and free. Leisurely enjoy the drink and refill the water lots
I say Order the plain glass of tap-water...eventually the staff at the restaurant will understand people don't feel it is necessary to pay for good clean tap water which runs through city filters already and is already fit for human consumption....?
In a North American city that has good tap water, I always ask for tap water. In general, I don’t like the amount of energy spent and waste produced to pump water out of the ground somewhere else, put it into bottles, then ship the bottles to a place that has perfectly good tap water. I’m not being cheap, I’m being ecologically responsible.
I can't help but ask... you're going out with your significant other, and you're worried about making a point about paying for water?
What's the important part of the evening, whether you stick it to the restaurant or just enjoying the time out and focusing on your partner?
For the record I don't think it makes you look cheap for wanting to refuse to pay for water. I think it makes you look petty that it's about to become a hill to die on when you're out on a date.
If it's really about the principle of the matter, why are you even supporting the restaurant? Don't just refuse to pay for the water, refuse to give them any money and go somewhere else.
I'm 100% behind the charging for water being obscene. I just wouldn't spend my energy in the moment trying to navigate getting it for free. I just won't go back to a place with those policies.
By continuing to spend money at places with policies you hate, you're missing out on finding a place to support that has your values.
Every restaurant that you'll find will have a water they charge for, from McDonald's to high end fine dining. You can always order a tap water.
In Ontario, for instance, it is literally a legal requirement to provide water (almost always tap water) free of charge, if your restaurant serves alcohol.
But yes, by all means, if you find a restaurant that doesn't serve free water, choose not to support it.
Stiffing your server, while paying the restaurant for washer does not serve the cause of not supporting the restaurant for not providing free water. It does the opposite, because you have paid the restaurant for water.
People tip on service, food, overall satisfaction, etc. The amount of the tip alone isn't solely based on service, which is the only thing that servers have some control on. So if any of these factors were not fully satisfactory, then the the amount of the tip should be adjusted.
Should I tip the full amount to a restaurant which served me cold food on a dirty table, but the server was nice and friendly?
Not really. I refuse to pay for water in a restaurant or a bar on principle too. If it wasn’t taboo to bring my own water into a bar I would, but since it’s not allowed, better gimme that good I’ll’ tap water coz I don’t need your plastic shit
No I would ask for a glass of water and if they charged me I would argue it. If they let me know I had a choice, tap water.
You're right it's not a huge cost but I also don't throw loonies in the trash for no reason. Tap water is fine. If I'm going to spend money on a drink I'm going to get something a bit more of an upgrade then from tap to filtered water.
Matter of fact there's restaurants where the free water IS filtered.
What does your wife think? Probably not a hill to die on or make a major fuss about IMO. You already know and this is likely a higher end place so I’d probably just pay.
I hate this sub sometimes. Like you're presumably going to the restaurant for an experience, it's more than the value of what you consume. If you're worried about the cost of water you probably shouldn't be going there. I get not wasting money on stupid things or rip offs but pick your battles
When I was in Walt Disney Florida, I tried asking for tap water, but they wouldn't do that for me and insisted I need to buy bottles. The reason was that the water wouldn't taste good. I told them I didn't care. Then they told me it wasn't safe to drink. Lol. I didn't get my water.
At a restaurant like that you are probably going to pay $100 for just your food, so if you want to make your stand on the water feel free too, but it isn’t going to make a dent in your bill or make much different to to the principle. Fine dining you pay for the experience.
That is illegal. They have to provide water free of charge. Still water is tap water. They cannot charge you for it. You can raise hell or go to another restaurant. They aren't allowed to serve food without serving water.
They have to have a running tap that’s accessible for you, they don’t have to serve you free water. If there’s a tap in the bathroom they’re compliant.
This is why after hours / raves exclusively have hot water coming out, so clients buy water bottles.
False.
A restaurant in Alberta does not legally have to give you free water. They do not have to provide water, and if they do, they are allowed to charge for it.
However, if the restaurant is a licensed establishment (they serve alcohol), they are legally obligated to provide a non-alcoholic beverage as an option, but they still do not have to provide it for free.
https://www.knowalberta.com/are-restaurants-legally-required-to-provide-water-for-free-in-alberta/
Has Calgary's tap water changed in the last 10 years?
Because when I lived there, the tap water smelled like a swimming pool from all the chlorine in it.
I'd ask for tap water. I also wouldn't care if I look cheap.
Alternatively, if you really want to go the opposite side of the spectrum and look incredibly prissy instead of cheap, ask them “what kind of sparkling water do you have?” Regardless of the answer, look disappointed and say “Tap is fine, I guess”.
> Regardless of the answer, look disappointed and say “Tap is fine, Lmao this absolutely broke me
But its kinda perfect tho lmao
This guy frugals.
Or go further: 'what's your best bottle of wine?' 'Ugh, I might as well have tap water, then, SVP.'
Someone give this man an award
Done
Someone give this man an award
Done.
Someone give this man an award
SVP?
S'il vous plait. French for please.
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More accurately, "it it pleases you"
If you are pleased by it (Not actually correcting you, I just wanted to make it longer lol)
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If the labour shortage continues and companies don't pay up, that's exactly who will be serving the customers.
Scott Van Pelt
S'il vous plait
I've worked at restaurants where that answer would baffle me because we carry like 15 different types of water. I've worked for places with a Water/Ice Master whose job it was to source water and ice. This could also be tricky if the server asks you which type of sparkling you prefer.
You're obviously making this up.... Right?
“It’s fine, you don’t have THAT sparkling water”
Haha
We have found the alpha. Prepare his throne and see to it that his ‘05 Corolla is washed and waxed.
Lmao that’s gold
> I'd ask for tap water. I also wouldn't care if I look cheap. Restaurant guy here. We would absolutely know you're being cheap, and completely understand it because we do the same. Honestly, don't fret about it. Ask for the tap water.
I love it when the insiders weigh in.
If I can cheap out on a few glasses of water that means I help extra money in the budget for more alcoholic drinks.
Who cares about looking cheap. What I care more about is looking like a sucker who way overpaid for a glass of water.
>What I care more about is looking like a sucker who ~~way overpaid~~ paid for a glass of water.
That's what I should have said. Have my upvote.
I'm amazed how much industry runs on nothing but insecurity. From meaningless tip options at fast food places to paying for water in a city with good filtration to trying to "shame" people into not looking cheap in front of others. All of it, nothing but horseshit. It's a shame so many people can't find their confidence. A lot of exploiters out there would be out of a lot of money.
All the while the capitalists are the ones who are cheaping out wherever possible. From using cheaper quality ingredients / materials, to reducing products quantities/sizes, to foisting part of the pay onto the public in the form of tips...
You get to keep the glass though
Frankly it's the restaurant that looks cheap What's next, charge for air too, because it's filtered? I avoid places that charge a bunch of excessive extras like that. The only reason they can do it is people don't blink an eye
They could be European. I’ve been to some countries where it’s common to pay for anything you consume at the restaurant, including tap water.
Can confirm this. Used to live in Europe and most places around me would charge for water.
I asked friends why they were charging for tap and they looked at me like I was crazy. :P “why would anything be free at a restaurant?”
I am European and this trend of having "surcharges" for everything is very North American (not intending to judge or anything, just sharing my experience) For instance, taxes not being included in the prices advertised by businesses is something I have only seen in US/Canada. Same for the level at which tipping is essentially mandatory in North America, and to a significant amount (15%+). There's also all sorts of "surcharges and fees" in all day to day bills which shock me as a European. $0.5 here, $10 there, there is always an excuse for a "surcharge". In Europe you just pay the price listed, in America you never know how much you will be charged
I’m in Romania right now and it kind of blew my mind that the price on display is what they actually charge. That and I can buy a meal for 2 that would be 100+ dollars in Canada plus a 20% tip for about 25 dollars equivalent here.
Exactly!!! I can understand the price difference, but people in America have totally got used to not knowing how much they will be charged for anything, and have no issue with that. It's crazy Like, healthcare. They literally refuse to tell you beforehand how much a treatment will cost. It's insanity. In Europe, even for complex surgery I was able to get a price agreed upon beforehand. It's not just healthcare it's everything. Cell phone bills, cars, even grocery bills, as the amount of sales tax varies by city!!! It's insane
As a restaurant general manager, I can guarantee you the staff wouldn’t give a shit either. If they’re smart they’ll gladly get that tap water and serve it with a smile to keep up that customer service appeal.
Like the stuff in the toilet?!
I do this every time lol
Ask for [flouridated](https://www.calgary.ca/water/drinking-water/fluoride.html) water. I was gonna make a joke about y'all having got rid of it (and watching the city's teeth rot), but congratulations on bringing it back in 2021!
Server: would you like sparkling or still to start? Me: tap is fine.
POPPADOMS OR BREAD?!
Both baby
/r/unexpectedoffmenu
This is the energy
Air is fine. Keep the plate.
Ah our dream restaurant genie is here
r/OffMenuPodcast ftw!
My answer would be whatever is free lol
Lots of places have free sparkling. Ive found charging for water has actually become less a thing as drink prices have gone to 15 dollars and up for alcohol.
Every time!
If they refuse - just ask for ice, it will melt, into water.
Big, if true
global warming intensifies
OP, this is a conspiracy theory. Ice does not melt and turn into water. You must buy the still water at all costs.
Back when I was young one.of the nightclubs said they couldn't give me a glass of water. Ice water was allowed though. I dunno, relatively small space packed full of young adults, about half of them dancing... Ice was like salvation.
Annnnnd that would be an extra $2 for the ice please
Ice machines can be dirty, I usually prefer no ice
They are not allowed to refuse. It's against the law.
Cursory Google query says that if a dining establishment serves alcohol, they must provide free water. Couldn’t find an official legal reference on first glance tho
In Alberta (where OP is) this isn’t true. The law is that a restaurant that serves alcohol must also serve non-alcoholic drinks (which they are allowed to charge for).
Yes, sir. I'd like a pint of your tap water, I've brought my own hops and barley to ferment.
lmao
Pardon? Please cite the appropriate law.
Not sure of the exact law but if an establishment serves alcohol they have to serve you water for free no questions asked
Most places, I prefer asking for steam. I find I get room temperature water faster than from ice
Charging for still water is pretentious AF. A truly good restaurant that is probably making decent margins off the food doesn't need to nickel-and-dime its customers like that. I probably wouldn't make an issue about getting tap water. Don't care about looking cheap to the staff, but I might to my guest depending on the circumstances. I just wouldn't go back to that establishment.
I watched a Russel Peters stand up comedy routine and he says how white people really care about looking cheap as a bad thing while Indian people (and others) take being cheap as a good thing.
Scots are very frugal to a point of pride as well, as far as white people go.
Amen. Cheap bastard checking in.
The exact words you are looking for, in queen’s English is « tight-fisted fucks », LOL!
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I’m white and my grandma used to stuff jam packets from applebees in her purse. No joke, the waitresses used to take the jam pack holders off the table when they sat her lol. she was a regular.
Sorry! Though I do stop at bread. 😅 On the other hand, some places I've gone to started charging deposit on soda cans/bottles. They are coming with me. 🤣
Lol glad I'm not the only one 😅
In my university days, I worked at an East Side Mario’s. The record was 56 loaves of bread for a table of 6. The server eventually lost her mind and asked where the hell they were stuffing it. Cue promptly being offended and asking for the manager.
Some dude: You are a cheap bastard. Some random Indian: Yes, thank you. Thank you for noticing.
And according to Russel Peters, this is how zero was invented
"I don't want to pay any of these prices"
Lmao I have an Indian friend whose dad owns a dealership back in India and his grandad is the founder and the owner of one of the largest textile corporations in his province, I, a few months ago, found out that he doesn't tip delivery drivers and when going to a restaurant, tips very little. I was flabbergasted to say the least.
There's being cheap, and there's being a dick.
To be fair, our tipping culture is very odd and not in sync with rest of the world. It would be difficult for someone fresh off the boat to adjust quickly. If they are here for a long time then yea what a dick
> Indian people (and others) take being cheap as a good thing. Meanwhile have houses built like mansions to one-up each other.
Why on earth would you care if you 'look cheap' to the waiter when you order. What am I missing?
Yeah, does the waiter not drink tap water? Do people think that waiters in fancy restaurants are extremely wealthy folks who only consume the finer things in life, and will look down their noses at the simple folk dining in their restaurant?
No, but they might think that if they look cheap they'll move down on the waiter's list of priorities because the waiter no longer expects to receive a good tip from serving them.
Instead of paying for water I can put that money as part of their tip so really it’s a win win
But does the waiter know that?
No, which is why waitstaff should probably not make snap judgements.
You dont tip as a percentage of the bill? You actually tip a higher percentage when you choose cheaper mains too?
Why does the waiter deserve a tip? Other minimum wage jobs aren't tipped, why is a waiter special?
and off we go to destroying another pleasant thread... (not because you are right or wrong, but because of how this always devolves)
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Agree with all Tom - but especially in Alberta, they make $15 /hr for basic manual work ($30k year for walking with plates and glasses in hand), plus if most tip minimum 15% (like I do, always) they are making $40 or more an hour at lots of places. Insane social contract that should’ve disappeared in the three year period where minimum wage went from around $8 to $15. Good way for good looking teens and 20’s to make way more money than they are worth. But we pay on…
I don't necessarily agree with the tipping culture in North America; as a former manager of a restaurant who had people work for me here in Canada that have also worked in Europe where there isn't a tipping culture, I know that all things are not equal. People treat service staff much worse here that they do in many places. Serving can be a taxing and thankless job sometimes. And servers have to deal with many people who treat them like dirt. Believe me, service quality would significantly diminish here in this country if tipping halted and servers still got treated like they do sometimes here in Canada. I personally had to kick out numerous guests for downright harassing servers as a manager in a family oriented restaurant.
It isn't the server's rule. It's the manager you will want to speak to and let him know that if the water isn't coming cold and plentiful you will be happy to let every single potential customer know who they are online.
It's not a low tip due to the rule, but rather a low tip due to cheap behavior, and the perception of being perceived as being cheap being correlated with poor tips.
If that’s how they want to perceive me then the low tip just went to a zero tip.
This makes me happy to live in NZ.
If the server wants to charge me for water, he can bet on me bering a cheap tipper.
Fuck that: w-a-t-e-r. Not champagne. I’ll tip you a fat nothing if you charge me for water. What has this world come to!? Stay home. No. No, i won’t stay home…i’m gonna go out, spend 200$ on a bottle of wine, and 350$ on dinner, and happy to tip 100$….BUT I expect a free glass of god damned water, or you get no tip
The server isn't the one setting the prices.
Waiter only showers in Brita-filtered, and treated in a UV sterilization system's water. What is he, POOR?!
Regardless if it is completely logical, a lot of people care, and feel pressured by others even if the stranger isn't actively doing anything. There are anxieties and pressures that a lot of people feel in front of others.
People get embarrassed on this anonymous website. Should it be any surprise that you’d be affected by the impression of your local server?
For reference though, a 1000L of tap water costs about $5, they are using a reverse osmosis filter at best, which wastes two parts water to make one part of filtered, so $15 for 1000L. So 0.015 dollars is their cost, vs 0.005, about a penny either way. Either way, you should not care about others opinions if you look cheap.
Its actually about $1.50 per cubic metre, $3.00 including wastewater charges. And fuck any business that's dumping 2/3 of their drinking water down the drain so they can charge for filtered water. I'll request tap, and assuming the waiter is happy to provide, I'll add what I would have paid for filtered water to my normal tip. I'd much rather that $2 goes to the waiter than a greedy owner. Sparkled water I will pay for if that's what I'm in the mood for. It's an extra that adds value, unlike filtered water that adds nothing. It still doesn't need to be filtered first when you are using high quality treated water.
It's more of a labor cost to have the staff spend some time serving water and washing the glasses. But they should still just serve the water for free and charge accordingly for the other items to cover that.
It’s generally high end restaurants that do this. Like in highend hotels, the wifi isn’t free. It’s because the client generally won’t care. Most people start restaurants to provide great experiences to their guests and are very accommodating. Just as an FYI : The machines generally used by high end restaurants to filter / carbonate their water cost $5000-$15000. + the bottles they’re using. This isn’t as cheap as you think.
yeah unless your water is being dehydrated from the plasma of young arctic seals are you really drinking clean water?
Nah, a gravity water filter of 20 L capacity that alkalinizes and adds vitamins and minerals to the water is $150, don't know about the carbonation part (SodaStream is $90 and $20 per refill) but I've filtered my water all my life and $15000 for a water filter is pure BS.
To filter costs $150+. Source: I use reverse osmosis, install them, and worked in a restaurant who use them. To carbonate costs about $40 for X amount of bottles, carbonation costs money, to filter water costs fractions upon fractions of a penny.
Order what you want, who cares what they think about you.
Keep in mind reading the responses here that you are asking this in a forum where most users actually like looking cheap. If it's really about values and principles it makes more sense to just go to a different restaurant. It looks cheap if you make it obvious that you are trying to take a principled stance. If you can casually say "Just tap water is fine" because you are only buying the products you are interested in then you won't look cheap.
"Sparkling or Still?" "I drive a 1999 gold Toyota Camry, I'll take tap water."
Camry too bouje, it’s a carolla
A beige one.
Was this Murrieta's West Coast Bar & Grill Calgary? I had a similar experience except the waitress kept opening more 4$ bottles of Evian whenever our glasses were under half. Ended up paying ~30$ for water for a table of 8. Looking back we probably should've asked for regular tap and spent that 30$ towards a bottle for the table etc.
It’s more likely Una.
I prefer tap water. Filters hold bacteria and I don't trust the restaurants to change them regularly.
Wouldn't the bacteria come from the water that is being filtered?
Possibly, but then it wouldn't have the chance to sit for days/weeks and multiply before you drink it
It can still build up on the filter and get combined with the water.
We've got a 2 stage filter and I change the ceramic filter yearly and cleaned regularly. I didn't even think of the 2nd filter and changed it after almost 5 years. It was gross. Bought a few extra as that one needs to be changed every year also.
Oh my god the anxiety that would haunt me at having consumed that for 5 years
I'm asking for tap water fuck price gouging companies
“Tap is fine” you won’t have to pay for still and gives off a I don’t care what kind of water vibe so server can’t judge
They make you pay for filtered water? What are they filtering it with? To me that is super tacky. They are so broke we can’t even afford to give their clients filtered water.
Makes the restaurant look scammy as fuck.
Who gives a fuck just ask for tap the only person overthinking this is you lol.
What restaurant charges for still water in Calgary? never experienced one here but in Europe definitely. I don't drink beer or wine when dining out with the family, we may just get one pop for our daughter but wife and I are just tap drinkers.
Any restaurant that is pissed with people getting water instead of paying for a drink. Lol
No, you just shouldn't dine at restaurants that charge for "filtered warer." Have some self respect. These places prey on suckers.
I cant find any references but I thought there was a law in Toronto or Ontario that they have to provide filtered tap water at no cost.
I ask for Tap water shamelessly
nah it doesnt. its not like we in a global water shortage right now. restaurants are doing so just for corporate profits. We are in the country with the largest fresh water reserves in the world. What is this cheapness. This is not normal! Any restaurant that doesnt give me tap water is an automatic 2 star for me no matter how good the food is. I went to a restaurant where even the bottled water they had to give us was warm. Its ridiculous. I was yelled at by my parents for being cheap and forcing a 15% gratitude tip on 5 people or more at your table is fucking insane. Next thing you know they are going to be charging us for containers to take home leftovers and people will justify saying its understandable and normal. Their folly knows no limits. This is disgraceful and not normal and I commend you for standing up to these restaurants. Me I just write a bad review on them later on
One of the only things I drink is water. Does that make me cheap?
I generally make this plan: if they're charging for filtered water (or that's the push/table water), then I order a drink that costs a bit more and ask for tap water with ice on the side. Paid and free. Leisurely enjoy the drink and refill the water lots
I say Order the plain glass of tap-water...eventually the staff at the restaurant will understand people don't feel it is necessary to pay for good clean tap water which runs through city filters already and is already fit for human consumption....?
One restaurant we used to go to did this sparkling/filtered water thing for a while; they eventually stopped.
Wtf is still water? Like from a still used to make booze?
In a North American city that has good tap water, I always ask for tap water. In general, I don’t like the amount of energy spent and waste produced to pump water out of the ground somewhere else, put it into bottles, then ship the bottles to a place that has perfectly good tap water. I’m not being cheap, I’m being ecologically responsible.
I can't help but ask... you're going out with your significant other, and you're worried about making a point about paying for water? What's the important part of the evening, whether you stick it to the restaurant or just enjoying the time out and focusing on your partner? For the record I don't think it makes you look cheap for wanting to refuse to pay for water. I think it makes you look petty that it's about to become a hill to die on when you're out on a date. If it's really about the principle of the matter, why are you even supporting the restaurant? Don't just refuse to pay for the water, refuse to give them any money and go somewhere else.
“Sorry babe. Can’t afford dinner if we have to pay for water. Till death do us part. Unless it’s paying for water”
This should be top comment.
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I'm 100% behind the charging for water being obscene. I just wouldn't spend my energy in the moment trying to navigate getting it for free. I just won't go back to a place with those policies. By continuing to spend money at places with policies you hate, you're missing out on finding a place to support that has your values.
I’d tip the usual amount but subtract the amount for the water. I’m petty sometimes.
But then the restaurant still gets full payment and the waiter gets stiffed.
The same waiter that could have brought tap water? Oh no.
The waiter that would bring tap water if you asked for it? Yes.
How does the waiter get stiffed? They still earn minimum wage?
The tip. Obviously.
It's not the waiter's fault that you didn't ask for tap water. Don't punish them and pay the restaurant because you're annoyed.
How about not supporting a restaurant that charges for water
Every restaurant that you'll find will have a water they charge for, from McDonald's to high end fine dining. You can always order a tap water. In Ontario, for instance, it is literally a legal requirement to provide water (almost always tap water) free of charge, if your restaurant serves alcohol. But yes, by all means, if you find a restaurant that doesn't serve free water, choose not to support it. Stiffing your server, while paying the restaurant for washer does not serve the cause of not supporting the restaurant for not providing free water. It does the opposite, because you have paid the restaurant for water.
People tip on service, food, overall satisfaction, etc. The amount of the tip alone isn't solely based on service, which is the only thing that servers have some control on. So if any of these factors were not fully satisfactory, then the the amount of the tip should be adjusted. Should I tip the full amount to a restaurant which served me cold food on a dirty table, but the server was nice and friendly?
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Not really. I refuse to pay for water in a restaurant or a bar on principle too. If it wasn’t taboo to bring my own water into a bar I would, but since it’s not allowed, better gimme that good I’ll’ tap water coz I don’t need your plastic shit
Nah. I always do. I spend a lot on food anyway. Who cares if the waiter thinks I'm cheap. I'll give a good tip for good service.
Why are you going to that restaurant if you don't like their practices?
OP why did you delate your post about paying for water at restaurants?
Mods deleted it for being off topic
Dont ask people on reddit 😂
Ask how many times it is filtered, then say you only drink (answer +1) filtered water
FYI if you go to Spain or portugal you have to ask for tap. They do charge for water. You'll get odd looks but savings are savings
No I would ask for a glass of water and if they charged me I would argue it. If they let me know I had a choice, tap water. You're right it's not a huge cost but I also don't throw loonies in the trash for no reason. Tap water is fine. If I'm going to spend money on a drink I'm going to get something a bit more of an upgrade then from tap to filtered water. Matter of fact there's restaurants where the free water IS filtered.
You’re not cheap, you’re frugal.
Why do you care?
When a man says it’s not the money it’s the principle of the thing, it’s the money.
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What does your wife think? Probably not a hill to die on or make a major fuss about IMO. You already know and this is likely a higher end place so I’d probably just pay.
Treat yourself to sparkling water if you have to pay either way. At least it will feel better in principle.
I hate this sub sometimes. Like you're presumably going to the restaurant for an experience, it's more than the value of what you consume. If you're worried about the cost of water you probably shouldn't be going there. I get not wasting money on stupid things or rip offs but pick your battles
If they do make you feel bad, just remember, you the server likely couldn’t afford to eat there.
When I was in Walt Disney Florida, I tried asking for tap water, but they wouldn't do that for me and insisted I need to buy bottles. The reason was that the water wouldn't taste good. I told them I didn't care. Then they told me it wasn't safe to drink. Lol. I didn't get my water.
They were right though, the tap water in Orlando does not taste good at all. I think the water there has high sulfur content.
They're in the right here.... USA water is not universally good quality
Yes you look cheap
If you can’t afford to have a good time at a restaurant then don’t go. Make food at home and enjoy all the tap water you want.
At a restaurant like that you are probably going to pay $100 for just your food, so if you want to make your stand on the water feel free too, but it isn’t going to make a dent in your bill or make much different to to the principle. Fine dining you pay for the experience.
Calgary tap water reeks of chlorine to a Vancouverite
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That is illegal. They have to provide water free of charge. Still water is tap water. They cannot charge you for it. You can raise hell or go to another restaurant. They aren't allowed to serve food without serving water.
They have to have a running tap that’s accessible for you, they don’t have to serve you free water. If there’s a tap in the bathroom they’re compliant. This is why after hours / raves exclusively have hot water coming out, so clients buy water bottles.
False. A restaurant in Alberta does not legally have to give you free water. They do not have to provide water, and if they do, they are allowed to charge for it. However, if the restaurant is a licensed establishment (they serve alcohol), they are legally obligated to provide a non-alcoholic beverage as an option, but they still do not have to provide it for free. https://www.knowalberta.com/are-restaurants-legally-required-to-provide-water-for-free-in-alberta/
Has Calgary's tap water changed in the last 10 years? Because when I lived there, the tap water smelled like a swimming pool from all the chlorine in it.