TAP WATER? SORRY, WE DON'T SERVE IT

It’s a busy Friday night at a German restaurant in the city. A customer orders water, iced water. The waiter politely but shamefully responds that it’s not the company policy to serve it. Now, the customer’s options are to order a bottle of mineral water (7 SGD ++) or… keep drinking pints of beer.

Wow.

We understand that many restaurants are going through tough times. We understand that constantly refilling water glasses means extra work for the service staff. We understand that 20 to 30% of a restaurant’s total earnings come from drinks.

But not serving tap water should NOT be an option.

Especially when Singapore's tap water is well within international guidelines for drinking water set by the World Health Organization.

There are alternatives and solutions which could satisfy both the restaurants and the customers: restaurants could charge a small fee (30-50 cents) per glass, or leave a big bottle of tap water on the table, so people can simply help themselves. We can handle refilling a glass of water, right?

It’s also proven that without access to free water, people tend to drink more alcohol or sugary drinks, which has an obvious negative impact on their health. Aside from the environmental footprint left by (unnecessary) bottled water.

Choose tap water!