#frequentlyasked: can you order only water in a bar?
Recently, I came across an interesting post on Reddit, and I’m very curious to hear what other people think about it. The post was written by an American, and of course service is somewhat different there (in many states, for example, employees mainly live off tips), but it’s something many people in the Netherlands also have an opinion on: drinking water in a bar.
And not Spa sparkling water, but actual tap water. This anonymous Redditor wondered about it: are you allowed to order only tap water if you also order something to eat?
‘I don’t drink alcohol and I don’t plan to start’
‘However, I do enjoy going to bars, for example to watch sports matches, meet up with friends, and simply for the atmosphere. I also enjoy eating in a bar. Am I allowed not to order alcoholic drinks (just plain water), and only order food? Especially since tap water is free anyway.’
Opinions are quite divided on Reddit, but generally people think it’s fine — as long as you give an extra-large tip. From the age of eighteen, I also worked in hospitality for a long time, and it did happen that people ordered only food and otherwise drank only tap water. Side note: at a restaurant in Amsterdam where I worked, the owner refused to serve tap water and allowed only bottles of still water costing €6.50. I didn’t work there for long.
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