Would you expect a pint of water to be free in a pub?

Hello_MrFox

If you order a pint of water, do you expect to have to pay for it, if so how much?

The_Mask

Tap water 'NO'
Bottled water 'KEEP IT'

Tugboats

If its not my local ya I would expect to pay

wexie

depends on what I'm ordering with it.

If I just walked into a pub and asked for a pint of water I wouldn't expect it to be free.
If I'm ordering a meal and a drink AND a pint of water I wouldn't expect to pay for it alright.

MJ23

No.

nbar12

I'm not familiar if pubs have to pay water charges these days. If they do, fair enough I have no problem paying for a pint of water but if they don't pay water charges then they can forget me paying for a pint of tap water

efb

3.50

BBDBB

yeah, and I want ice lemon and a straw

Pang

Unless it's bottled, no way.

XxMCRxBabyxX

I always order water in pubs and have never been charged so I'd be pretty taken aback if I was now.

keeponhurling

I'd feel a bit cheap if I went in and it was the only thing I ordered.

But with anything else it should be free.

Drinkaware even advise having the odd glass if water with your pints

jokettle

It's always been free as long as it's tap water. I'd be pretty miffed if they started charging for it, especially considering the mark-up on soft drinks.

keeponhurling

BBDBB wrote: »

yeah, and I want ice lemon and a straw

Yeah, and if its not filled to the top I'm sending it back. No need to be stingy.

Fr_Dougal

Hello_MrFox wrote: »

If you order a pint of water, do you expect to have to pay for it, if so how much?

What does the fox say?

The Backwards Man

Should be free, I wouldn't pay for tea or coffee in a pub either.

old_aussie

If it was to have with a meal, yes

If it was just a drink from the bar, no

Tea-a-Maria

I reckon it's in a pub's interest to give free water in a way.If you don't charge for water,people are more likely to alternate between booze and water,thereby becoming less messy and problematic for staff.

Although I do think it's kinda stingy to just drink tap water all night if you're in a pub!But for pacing yourself,it should definitely be free.

loveBBhate

I wouldn't pay for a steak dinner in a pub, I'd order it, eat it and leg it before they could charge me.

Pub = public house and I don't get charged for eating dinner in my own house so...

timthumbni

I expect a pint of tap water to be free in a bar. I've never ever been charged at a bar for tap water.

Let's face it if you drinking water in a pub you are normally the driver etc and along with people who are drinking the bar dry.

You will find that anyone drinking water in a bar will soon leave or start drinking large amounts of alcohol due to the depressing reality of being in a public bar whilst sober.

Either way the bar will win.

Barna77

Water is free here (so far) so I'd expect it to be free of charge in a pub. And as mentioned above, if I'm drinking or having a meal in a pub I wouldn't imagine of paying for one pint of water.

But I've been abroad, in places where they water charges and if I asked in a bar or restaurant for a glasss of water they'd immediatelly try to sell me bottled water. So when I've answered back "no, just tap water" I'd get a funny look meaning you stingy bastard.
It's just out of habit.

Sleepy

Hell no, if a barman even charges you for a pint of cordial either he's a wanker, his boss is or it's a not too subtle way of saying that he thinks you're a tosser...

the groutch

afaik pubs pay water rates, there's the cost of the labour involved in serving you, the cost of cleaning the glass, not getting into the small % of other overheads that could be attributed to your custom, so why should they give it out free?

loveBBhate

Barna77 wrote: »

Water is free here (so far) so I'd expect it to be free of charge in a pub. And as mentioned above, if I'm drinking or having a meal in a pub I wouldn't imagine of paying for one pint of water.

But I've been abroad, in places where they water charges and if I asked in a bar or restaurant for a glasss of water they'd immediatelly try to sell me bottled water. So when I've answered back "no, just tap water" I'd get a funny look meaning you stingy bastard.
It's just out of habit.

The Twelve and Donnellys are great spots for free pints of water, real icy and cold so they are. Yum!

Thoie

If I've ordered an entire round and ask for a glass/pint of water with it, I'd expect it to be free.

If I walk up and ask for 6 pints of ice water and nothing else I'd expect to be turfed out, or asked to pay.

Talib Fiasco

Water and blackcurrant/raspberry is free in my local. I'd only get it though with a meal or if I was after a rake of pints and wanted something to ease the struggle.

Geomy

A pint of water is free to go wherever it wants to go....

Just let it sit where it likes, it usually takes the shape of whatever vessel its in or surface it lies on or item it soakes into. ..

A pint of water has the freedom to morph into almost anything. ...

canadianwoman

Who drinks water in a pub? :eek:

marialouise

Yes. It's cheap to just go in and ask for one but... I would never pay for tap water!

Over the weekend I was in a venue that had at least 3 bars, and only one had water available. I had been paying for drinks upstairs and wanted to alternate with water so went to the one downstairs. I asked for two pints of water (there were two of us) and was told they had no pint glasses, so I asked for 4 glasses of water. Was given two glasses of water, asked for more water please and was given DAGGERS by the barman. I know there were customers to either side of me who were waiting for not-free drinks but it's not my fault the bars I was paying at didn't serve water, and I paid good money to be in that venue, and I didn't just show up for the water! And what kinda bar doesn't have pint glasses?! Oh, the drama, just for a sip of uisce.

cmore123

Free to a customer, certainly. That's someone who is putting something in the till some other way. He might have already bought an alcoholic or soft drink, or a meal, or be in the company of those who have. There should be no charge for that. But if he just walks in off the street, no. Because first, he isn't a customer as he hasn't carried out any transaction; supermarkets, drapers or fishmongers don't dispense water to the public either. All are businesses, and all have to pay staff who serve it.

Thus, if I was not a customer I might expect either to pay something small as a nominal gesture, or be refused.

Cycling Dumbasses

canadianwoman wrote: »

Who drinks water in a pub? :eek:

D fella who is too starved to run units up his new water meter even though he is not being charged by the unit yet.

NoClues

Feckin water

nxbyveromdwjpg

loveBBhate wrote: »

I wouldn't pay for a steak dinner in a pub, I'd order it, eat it and leg it before they could charge me.

Pub = public house and I don't get charged for eating dinner in my own house so...

What

Cycling Dumbasses

nm wrote: »

What

Couldnt agree more.

Pingi

I always get a pint of water as my last drink of the night, maybe another mid session if its a long one and never been charged.

Would have no problem paying €1-2 for a regular plastic bottle of it in the pub but them mini glass bottles of ballgowan/coke can fack right off. The price of them sickens me

ceegee

Afaik if you serve food you are obliged to provide water free of charge. (This is based on vague memories of being told this when worling in mcdonalds years ago, not sure if its actually true but was told it by the owner).

From a bars perspective, the amount of money lost by pissing off paying customers would greatly outweigh any money taken in by charging for water. Its like chippers that charge for a sachet of ketchup, it pisses people off to the extent they go elsewhere when if they covered the cost by adding 5c to the price of each bag nobody would complain.

fasttalkerchat

I feel awkward when not drinking alcohol and I can't tolerate any more fizzy drinks and they don't charge for blackcurrant/orange.

Cycling Dumbasses

Dont be wasting ur time drinking water, stay on the diesel and if ye cant handle it go to the chipper or go home.

languagenerd

It all depends whether or not someone's already paying for the services they're using. I really hate it when people just order tap water all night - if you're taking up a seat in a busy bar, availing of their music, electricity, staff and glasses, you should make some sort of contribution. Why should you get that service for free?! Bars have overheads and the staff that bring you your water still have to be paid. I'm a non-drinker, but I'll always buy soft-drinks or even a bottle of water.

If you're alternating water with alcohol, or ask for a pint of water to wash down a meal, or if you've paid in to a gig/club night and need water afterwards, that's fine. But I think it's really stingy just to drink tap water all night and get annoyed/indignant if the bar staff get angry with you over it.

Victor

If they insist in charging for water, just bring the matter up at the next licensing court.

nbar12 wrote: »

I'm not familiar if pubs have to pay water charges these days. If they do, fair enough I have no problem paying for a pint of water but if they don't pay water charges then they can forget me paying for a pint of tap water

I imagine they are paying perhaps €1 or less for 1,000 litres.

IM0

u cant just go into pub for free water and stay there, you have to buy other stuff while there and then its rightly free

tfitzgerald

Tap water I would not pay for. But bottled water yes.

KungPao

As long as I'm paying for other drinks, sure I'd expect a quick glass of tap water to be free.

But if thats all somebody's drinking...thats taking the pis for sure and they should be charged.

IrishProd

Just wait until Fine Gael & Labour implement the water meters and charges next year that Fianna Fáil agreed to after they bailed out the banks with taxpayers money.

Then we have to pay for a pint of tap water in all pubs. :mad:

Strumms

as regards having a pint or two of water on a night out with your beer or meal then certainly tap water should be free and like an above poster mentioned I was of the ideally they were legally bound too give it too you for free, I've never been or heard of anyone charged for tap water in any establishment.

Also I have never heard of any cheap bastard who would sit in a pub all night drinking tap water... If it was my bar they wouldn't be served simple.

Rabies

It's a legal requirement here for all licensed premises to provide drinking water free of charge while open for business.
Its only a problem in places where recreational drug use is high, but those venues usually charge on the door so it balances out.
Don't give free tap water when asked and you could end up in front of the courts. Cops and council do under cover checks here and there

Victor

IrishProd wrote: »

Just wait until Fine Gael & Labour implement the water meters and charges next year that Fianna Fáil agreed to after they bailed out the banks with taxpayers money.

Then we have to pay for a pint of tap water in all pubs. :mad:

Most pubs already pay for their water, so nothing will change.

Sunhill

Rabies wrote: »

It's a legal requirement here for all licensed premises to provide drinking water free of charge while open for business.
Its only a problem in places where recreational drug use is high, but those venues usually charge on the door so it balances out.
Don't give free tap water when asked and you could end up in front of the courts. Cops and council do under cover checks here and there

If the above is correct - proper order.

Sir Humphrey Appleby

Sunhill wrote: »

If the above is correct - proper order.

Yeah, but that poster is New Zealand.

Unclebumble

Sunhill wrote: »

If the above is correct - proper order.

There is NO legal requirement.
Urban myth

Edit- didn't realise poster was in NZ!

Teyla Emmagan

I presume this a just hypothetical. Has anyone actually been charged for tap water in a pub? I have never heard of such a thing.

suicide_circus

I was once asked to pay €2.30 for a miwadi in a Dublin pub. I declined.