It is one thing to pay for a bottle of water in the supermarket, or at an airport, or in Starbucks.  It is quite another thing to pay for a drink of water at your table in a sit-down restaurant.

A couple of weeks ago I was having a lobster roll at a restaurant in Las Vegas.  I also ordered a glass of water with no ice, please.  In fact, I told the waiter that I drink a lot of water, so could he bring me a large glass of water?

We are talking about tap water here.  Not some bottled water like Pellegrino or Evian.

When my waiter came back I was surprised to see my glass of water in a see-through plastic cup.  They must be out of glasses, I muttered to myself.  Or, they just use plastic cups to reduce the washing and other hassles that must come with using regular glasses, I mused.

I did not think much more of it, until I got the bill.  When I perused the bill, I was shocked to see a charge for the water.   Yes, a charge for the water!  I could not believe it.

Admittedly the charge was only $1.  However, I don’t believe that I have ever been charged for a glass, much less a plastic cup, of tap water while sitting down for a meal in a restaurant.

What gives, I am saying to myself.

It was not about the $1. It was about the principle of it.

No one told me that my water was going to come in a plastic cup.

No one told me that my water was going to cost me $1.

When did we start charging customers for water out of the tap.  Water with no ice, no less.

When the bill came, I reached into my pocket to pull out my credit card.  When the waiter came over to my table, I had to ask him about the charge for water.  I said to him that I saw the charge for the water on my bill and wondered why I was charged for my cup of water.

He responded that he did not know but that they always did.  I asked him what if I had ordered a small glass (excuse me, cup) of water, what would the charge be?   He said there was no charge for a small glass/cup of water.  just a $1 charge for a “large” glass/cup of water.

Wow! I said.  “I have never seen that before” I added.  He said, “would you like to talk to the manager?”

I said that I was not asking for the $1 charge to be removed, but that I was just curious on why I was being charged for water.  I gave him my credit card and told him to process it, but I added that I would like to talk with the manager.

Very soon the manager arrived, and I asked him about the charge for water, telling him that I am not objecting to it, but I just wanted to know why he did this.

To his credit, he offered to take it off the bill.  I immediately responded that no, that was not what I was seeking.  I just wanted to understand what was behind his decision to charge for a cup of water.

He said that, this being Las Vegas, he had over the years several people stop by the sit down counter in his restaurant and ask for a cup of water, but then not order anything to eat.  So, he decided to charge $1 to try to discourage that behavior.

I pointed out to him that I did order something to eat.  I also pointed out that if I had ordered a small glass/cup of water there would have been no charge.  And I could have asked to have had my cup of water refilled several times, again resulting in no charge.  Yet, by ordering a large glass/cup of water I was charged.

I told him it was his call of course.  I told him that I was just curious about why a charge, when I had never seen it before.  I thanked him for taking the time to explain his decision making.

The cost of bottled water in restaurants is crazy enough, but to have a charge for tap water is really over the top.

Let’s look at the bright side of this story.  The cost of bottled water in restaurants is often outrageously high.  The cost of tap water in the restaurant I patronized was only $1.

The other part of this story to be thankful for is that in many countries of the world, getting good, clean and healthy tap water is not an option.  It is not available.  Bottled water is the only health conscious alternative available.

 

In the United States, most of our communities have good, clean, healthy tap water available.  I say most.  The residents of Flint Michigan and Jackson Mississippi know first-hand what it means not to be able to trust your local water supply.

By chance, tonight I am watching a documentary about Bill Gates, and it outlines what he and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have been doing to address the human tragedy that is occurring every day in underdeveloped countries throughout the world because of the lack of adequate sanitation and clean water.

 

What a reminder to me about how important water really is, how much of a scarce resource it is, and how its availability and quality is crucial for the health and welfare of millions of people, especially babies and toddlers in underdeveloped countries.

Bottom line, my frustration with being charged $1 for a large plastic cup of water is so misplaced and so insignificant in the bigger picture.

Thank goodness we have people like Bill Gates and others who are working to bring clean water to people that really need it.

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