Singapore Expats

Hi everyone,

There has been lots of debate as to whether it's "legal" to not serve plain heaven sent water at resturants.

Yes some of them will be happy to serve sky juice when asked.

Some wld say they only serve bottled water which is payable.

I know that in many countries especially Europe, water is not really drinkable directly from a tap hence bottled water is quite common place. But Spore's water is drinkable straight from the tap .

So I want to know is , by law, is it illegal to not serve tap water free?

Tap water is not free. Everybody pays for their water here in water scarce Singapore. So yes, it's legal to charge for water.

casting wrote: I know that in many countries especially Europe, water is not really drinkable directly from a tap hence bottled water is quite common place.

Lol... you're kidding right?

sundaymorningstaple wrote:Tap water is not free. Everybody pays for their water here in water scarce Singapore. So yes, it's legal to charge for water.

Anecdote time:

Me: "Do you have some water?"
Waiter: "Bottle water we have."
Me: (looks at menu---5 bucks for water?!?) "Don't you have just tap water?"
Waiter: "Tap water cannot. Only water [imported from halfway across the world]" (Ok, I added that part).
Me: "Not even if I pay for it?"
Waiter: "Cannot."
Me: "Bloody hell. Just give me a beer."


* as a matter of ideals, I don't want to drink water claiming to be from some "spring" halfway across the world and turns out it it tastes just like tap water which probably because it is. It's ludicrous.

+1 oso say

Seems to be moronic. In NYC the corner shop had water from Fiji, France, New Jersey (yes!!!), Italy, UK and so on.

Trucking around loads of water seems so 19th century.

sundaymorningstaple wrote:Tap water is not free. Everybody pays for their water here in water scarce Singapore. So yes, it's legal to charge for water.

I just remembered (and I posted it here before but couldn't find it): for some HDB estates, the cleaning people use high-pressure water jets to "brush" the premises clean...even if it's raining!

@JR8: I read somewhere that some of these bottled waters are just tap water in a nicely designed bottle!

nakatago wrote:

sundaymorningstaple wrote:Tap water is not free. Everybody pays for their water here in water scarce Singapore. So yes, it's legal to charge for water.

I just remembered (and I posted it here before but couldn't find it): for some HDB estates, the cleaning people use high-pressure water jets to "brush" the premises clean...even if it's raining!

@JR8: I read somewhere that some of these bottled waters are just tap water in a nicely designed bottle!

It's true. There is one in the UK that comes under the Coke brand, called Visaya (or SOMETHING like that), and the week it launched about ten years ago it was revealed to be filtered tap water from Croydon. Hahaaaaa!

JR8 wrote:

nakatago wrote:

sundaymorningstaple wrote:Tap water is not free. Everybody pays for their water here in water scarce Singapore. So yes, it's legal to charge for water.

I just remembered (and I posted it here before but couldn't find it): for some HDB estates, the cleaning people use high-pressure water jets to "brush" the premises clean...even if it's raining!

@JR8: I read somewhere that some of these bottled waters are just tap water in a nicely designed bottle!

It's true. There is one in the UK that comes under the Coke brand, called Visaya (or SOMETHING like that), and the week it launched about ten years ago it was revealed to be filtered tap water from Croydon. Hahaaaaa!

Both Coke and Pepsi are guilty of selling bottled municipal tap water.

And when I was a wee lad, I remember only rich people drink bottled water!

Speaking of which...

When I was young no one drunk bottled water... that would have been seen as utterly bonkers, like kicking back on SMS's upstate farm with a bottle of 'Fijian' lol...

Of more 'historical interest' I do recall when drinking mineral water started to become mainstream. It started in the celeb mags with the likes of Bruce Willis appearing in paparazzi pix on nights out clutching .5l bottles of water. Sounds strange now but that really was novel and weird. I remember an article discussing it, suggesting it was a portrayal of a 'new clean me' persona...

JR8 wrote:

nakatago wrote:

sundaymorningstaple wrote:Tap water is not free. Everybody pays for their water here in water scarce Singapore. So yes, it's legal to charge for water.

I just remembered (and I posted it here before but couldn't find it): for some HDB estates, the cleaning people use high-pressure water jets to "brush" the premises clean...even if it's raining!

@JR8: I read somewhere that some of these bottled waters are just tap water in a nicely designed bottle!

It's true. There is one in the UK that comes under the Coke brand, called Visaya (or SOMETHING like that), and the week it launched about ten years ago it was revealed to be filtered tap water from Croydon. Hahaaaaa!

That sounds like the 'Peckham Spring' episode from Only fools and horses!!

Aqua Peckhamia

atleast in a few bars I know, including in OT, water is charged at 7 $ (billed as soft drink as they have no billing item for water) or given free, if the manager is in the mood to judge you as not one of those who is going to be drinking water all night ..

Whereas, beer goes at 6$ a mug .. and the mug is bigger than the glass used to server water

Drink beer ..

And I can safely say Beer is safe and clean .. unlike water that can have dead maids floating around (no offence .. was reading on the woodland's tenents accusation that FT used to shower in the water tanks etc .. )

Plain water should be Free... at least

optrex wrote:Plain water should be Free... at least

Yah, right .. you never operate a F & B outlet, do you ???

Give plain water, and I bet, atleast 90% or more of the customers (local AND Foreigners alike) will avoid buying Coke and any soft drink .. and then you can ask F & N to take back the Dispensers ..

If you charge a token amount for water, like 1$ then the customers will happily choose coke / soft drinks ..



PS: I was once observing a guest, in a bar, for 4 hours, she stuck faithfully to her first glass of Ice Lemon tea... no kidding .. A bar is to make money by selling drinks, and if all the guests choose to nurse one drink for the whole night, I can fire all the staff .. and the said guest kept asking why we want to charge for mineral water, and why we don't have tap water .. I was half tempted to tell her, that guests, who buy a lot of drink get plain water FOC, not for those who want to occupy a whole table and spend a princely sum of 40$ for the whole night .. Tough choice eh ??