Free tap water

[ackoi]

Question is; is a restaurant/pub obliged to give you free tap water when you buy a meal to eat on their premises even though you have not bought an alcoholic drink.
The pub\restaurant in question told me that i would have to buy bottled water from them if i wanted a drink.

[fistralboy]

Its not a legal requirement but if you're spending money then its pretty poor for them to refuse to give you a class of tap water! I've never come across it before, seems silly for them to jeapordise future custom by refusing such a simple low cost request! If you had just walked in off the street and not bought anything fair enough but........

[leelapops]

No law in a restaurant, although there is in a nightclub, due to the high levels of dehydration previously.

It's petty of them though. A lovely chinese restaurant here charges me 20p for tap water! Which I think is very cheeky, but better than �2 for bottled.

I only drink water when eating 'cos otherwise I can't fit all my dinner in!
x

[ackoi]

What I really wanted to know is it a Legal requirement under these ciercumstances to serve tap water.

[ackoi]

Sorry guys misread your answers. Thanks for the replies.

[shaneystar2]

Restaurants do not legally have to provide free tap water. Only licensed clubs do, a hangover from the old highways and inn laws that said tap water had to be given out for free to thirsty travellers. In a restaurant however when you order a meal you're agreeing to pay for the food and drink and service and this is a contract for work and materials to which the Supply of Goods and Services Act applies. While a restaurant can't force you to buy mineral water, it can legitimately charge you for providing tap water as mean as it might sound. The provision of any water includes an element of service, such as pouring water into a jug and cleaning it after you.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/consumer/your_rights/food .shtml

[Kaz081992]

Just like to point out that the water isn't actually free........ the restaurant has to pay water rates etc, and if they're on a meter then every drop is charged for. So if they do make a small charge to contribute towards this cost and also towards the cost of wages of the person serving it to you and the wages of the person in the kitchen that has to wash the glass it came in, is it really that big a deal?

[heathfield]

It can be a legal requirement for a public house to provide free potable water on demand.

It's quite common for such a requirement to be included by local authorities in the terms and conditions for granting a license to operate a public house.

[chinois]

I wouldnt go back to a place that was so desperate to rip me off. Best thing is to boycott it and tell them/others why. Too many people let them get away with that kind ridiculousness.
Word of mouth works well, i guess none of us apart from kaz would go to the place if we knew what it was called.