Do you drink "tap" water at restaurants?

[misskitty100]

This is my latest pet peeve...being asked by your waiter what you would like to drink with your dinner. You answer water and the waiter says "oh...tap water is okay?" since you didn't order the Pellegrino.

This has happened to me several times in the past couple of years and it always bothers me. Makes me feel like the waiter is implying that since I willingly drink "tap" water I must be really low class.

DH and I went out to dinner last night and had a wonderful meal. I don't usually drink alcoholic drinks with a meal and didn't want anything caffienated so ice tea wasn't an option. I certainly didn't want a rootbeer or 7-Up either. I just wanted a regular glass of water -- afterall, we weren't dining in Tijuana, Mexico or anything.

Anyway, just wanted to vent. Thank you!

[foodfiend]

It's par for the course at restaurants. The higher the bill, the more tip the server gets. At one restaurant I was at, they trained the waiters to get us a bottle of Perrier. Usually I order regular tap, but our waiter pushed "Perrier" onto us. After he left, I noticed that almost every other table had a bottle of Perrier as well. Turns out it cost $6 a piece :eek: Man, was I steamed. Never went there again.

[leightx]

I get tap water all the time! The only time I regretted it b/c the water tasted terrible, I asked for bottled and they didn't have any!! :eek: :confused: (at Houston's in Austin). I was pretty shocked at that.

I haven't noticed waiters pushing the bottled water too much around here. I did experience that in Boston - the waiter had us convinced that we would grow a third arm if we drank the water there. :rolleyes:

[Robyn1007]

I don't even buy bottled water for home, the only time I buy it is if I'm out and about and want something to drink. I'm fortunate that Denver has some of the best tap water in the country and I would be peeved if bottled water was pushed on me and then I was charged for it.

[Angelina]

Sometimes the tap water in restaurants does taste pretty bad. Here in NY, unless they filter it, you would get a glass of stale chlorine.

Still, when I want water they just bring me water and they don't ask what kind of water. To be perfectly honest, I couldn't care less what a waiter thinks of me.

Angela

[TKay]

I usually get asked if I'd like bottled water or not. I simple say, no thank you. Then they bring me the regular old water from the dispenser. The water doesn't taste bad around here and is filtered and supposed to be drinkable. I drink it at home, so I figure it's okay while out. The truth is, I don't care for bubbly water. And the bottled plain water seems like such a waste at $6 a pop.
I understand your being perturbed by it. It does sort of make you feel like you're a loser for drinking tap.

[Canice]

Hmm, I'm not sure I even get the question: Sometimes thread titles and the actual question being asked don't mesh up, and that's where I get lost.

But if the question is whether I drink tap water at restaurants: Yes, I do -- all the time -- that's what they put on the table when you sit down. I drink it, and the glass is refilled regularly.
And yes, the server *does* ask what the customer would like to drink. At dinner I order wine, DBF usually orders a large bottle of sparkling mineral water.

As Angelina mentioned, in some places tap water doesn't taste very nice, so "water" can mean bottled water -- flat or fizzy.

I have a few friends who are (sober) alcoholics, so of course it's fizzy water or other non-alcoholic drinks over dinner. The fact is, though, that it's disappointing to servers, as it cuts into their expected "take" for the evening and/or they make assumptions about the guests. But in a quality restaurant, service is service, and no customer is insulted or given poor service for not ordering wine.

[ChristyMarie]

Depends on my mood but I often order sparkling water with lime since I'm still off alcohol while losing baby weight. Got into the habit while I was pregnant.

However, I've never had a server look weird at just having requested regular water.

[Andrea_2]

I almost always just ask for water when we got out to a restaurant, and we eat out quite a bit. I don't think I have ever been asked if I wanted bottled water, or been looked at funny. Now that I say that, it'll probably happen next time! :p

[HejazSunKat]

You answer water and the waiter says "oh...tap water is okay?" since you didn't order the Pellegrino.

This has happened to me several times in the past couple of years and it always bothers me. Makes me feel like the waiter is implying that since I willingly drink "tap" water I must be really low class.


Do you think you're reading more into the question? Sounds to me like they don't want people to assume they're going to get bottled if they order water and they want guests to know that if they want spring water they'll be charged for it. If the server didn't ask then the guest who wanted spring water would be mad about getting tap or if they automatically served spring without asking and charged for it the guest could be mad about that. I think they need to ask to clarify the guest's wishes and the restaurant's policy and it's never occurred to me that any social judgements were being made. If they were making judgements I frankly wouldn't care what some snooty waiter thought of me or my habits.

[Debralynn]

I always drink tap water, even at restaurants. I do order it with lemon, which seems to tick some waiters off! I refuse to drink soda, and could not afford to buy the amount of water that I drink everyday, including my family.

[Kay Henderson]

From my experience it's regional and heavily dependent upon what the tap water tastes like in any given area.

Kay

[Hammster]

This has happened to me several times in the past couple of years and it always bothers me. Makes me feel like the waiter is implying that since I willingly drink "tap" water I must be really low class.


I'm not aiming this response at anyone in particular. I'm quoting MissKitty because this is a real sore subject with me. If any server or restaurant employee treated me in any way except as the only customer in the restaurant and that their livelihood depended on me being a happy customer, someone would hear about it. Most restaurants depend on return customers and word of mouth referrals. (There are some, of course, that don't and that's because they are the only game in town such as some hotel restaurants being the only place in a 5 mile radius for instance) You are not the victim. If a server shows any signs of anything other than a professional demeanor then you have to say and do something. And, the amount of the tip for bad service has nothing to do with the amount of the bill. I'll gladly tip extra for exemplary service even if I have a low total on my bill. And I'll be sure to make sure the server knows why they are getting a lousy tip if service is bad. I agree in that they might have to ask what kind of water as they want to make sure they get the order correct. But how the question is worded is just as important as getting the order correct.
I couldn't care less what the server thinks of me and if he, or she, is having a bad day that should not come across when they are serving me.
For the record, I'm not a demanding customer. I'm congenial and check any issues I might have had during the day at the door. As I cook every day I try to make the best of an evening out. It's a special occasion regardless of where I go. I generally order straight off the menu and rarely ask for any exceptions. I do ask for leaf lettuce instead of shredded on hamburgers, but rarely any other exceptions. My tip philosophy is 15% as a baseline. Goes up for better than average service, goes down for worse than average. (DW sometimes gives me an "eye" when I get toward 25% however. ;) )
Speak up with your dollars and your words. You are the customer, not the victim. :D :D :D

[sneezles]

I drink tap water at restaurants but it has to have at least 2 slices of lemon or lime (DH gives me his) because of the chlorine taste. We have well water at home that is aerated, then softened and then goes through an R.O. filter (the ice maker is hooked up to the R.O. filter also). Most city water tastes off to me because of it.

[mst]

We had an experience that was eye-opening. We went out with a big group (not our friends...our friend invited out a bunch of his friends.) Anyway, the bill comes and everyone throws in money, and we were $100 short. People threw in a dollar or two more. :rolleyes: Turns out, we had a $40 water bill, plus tax and tip on that!:eek: Unless you ask for tap water, they assume water is bottled at that restaurant. They served the water in pretty wine-type bottles- hard to tell if it was the "pitcher" since everyone at every table was being served from it.

Live and learn, I guess. I was pretty peeved at the time.

[FruitsAlive]

Not to hijack, but I mostly agree with Hammster. We live in the same area, so I'm sure we get similar service as far as water is concerned. I would never let a waiter make me feel bad for anything I order. That's not their job. I think the water thing is probably less judgmental out her in socal because of the droughts and such in the past. I remember when restaurants started putting cards on the table telling you to ask for water because it used to be automatic. It was an effort to stop wasting it, and I'm sure it helped significantly. I'm pretty sure that most places here purify their water.
I have been known to let my tip reflect the service I got. I rarely complain during my meal, though. I'm usually afraid of what they'll do to the food. My parents are such horrible customers, that I'm sure I've endured my fair share of spit in my food. I generally tip 20%. This has more to do with the fact that "two for every ten" is easy to remember than anything else, though. :o I've only put my "two cents" in a few times for really horrific service. I think a two cent tip gets the message across way better than stiffing.

[erinlovesmarc]

It's par for the course at restaurants. The higher the bill, the more tip the server gets. At one restaurant I was at, they trained the waiters to get us a bottle of Perrier. Usually I order regular tap, but our waiter pushed "Perrier" onto us. After he left, I noticed that almost every other table had a bottle of Perrier as well. Turns out it cost $6 a piece :eek: Man, was I steamed. Never went there again.

Alot of restaurants do this...usually Italian restaurants for some reason in our city, don't know why...they bring you a bottle and they don't open it - if you open it then they charge you....slightly dishonest of course but I guess they figure they have to make some money somehow...alot of restaurants only make money on the booze, desserts, and beverages...I do disagree with the bottled water but having been a manager at 2 restaurants in the past, I can see both sides....

[misskitty100]

We arrived at the restaurant right on time for our reservations and then waited 15 minutes!!! before the waiter (or anybody else) came to our table. I was pretty thirsty by then and really did want "just" a glass of water. The water in Seattle tastes good to me.

Hammster, you are right that it is appropriate to speak up if you don't receive 100% from your waiter. The water thing, for me wasn't a deal breaker on a nice night out but it has bothered me before so I was just curious what everybody else's experience was. :)

[sneezles]

We arrived at the restaurant right on time for our reservations and then waited 15 minutes!!! before the waiter (or anybody else) came to our table.

I would have been gone by then! It happened to us last week. Walked into a Mexican restaurant and were seated right away, place wasn't busy but the service was no where to be seen. 'Round here chips and salsa are at the table in less than 5 minutes. We sat there almost ten and no one came by...too many other places to spend my money!

[MKSquared]

OK, let me get this straight. You're upset because you WANTED tap water to drink and the server confirmed that it was tap water that you wanted? What's that famous quote? The one about no one can make me feel bad without my permission?

They ARE trying to upsell! It is a BUSINESS, and servers are not only there for your dining pleasure, but they are also acting as SALES PEOPLE. Would you be insulted if a sales associate tried to sell you on the All-Clad when you were just thinking of Circulon? Or if a car sales person tried to sell you the luxury model instead of the standard?

My guess is that your servers have been inexperienced - the better way to upsell would be to ask if you'd prefer Panna or Pellegrino, and have YOU request tap water.