Is it legal to charge for tap water in place that sales alcohol???

Question

Is it legal to charge for tap water in place that sales alcohol???

Answer 1

yes, its legal. If you do not like, do not buy it.

Answer 2

Of coarse.  A business has the right to charge whatever they want for anything.  

Answer 3

no it is not.  In the UK recently there was something on the news about this, saying they are obliged to offer free tap water.

Answer 4

Private property, sweetheart.  They can charge you 50 bucks for a book of matches if they want.  You can take or leave the offer.

Answer 5

It is in the UK although most places wouldn't and personally I wouldn't pay, I'd rather leave and find somewhere else to spend my hard-earned money.

Answer 6

Not really.

It's illegal to re-sell water. If they're selling it, they have to pay taxes on it, and that's why you generally will get it for free.

However a busy bartender loses money every time someone orders tap water (only so many hours in his shift) so he charges for it to say "Don't order tap water here."

Another possible thing is that the place selling you the tap water is in debt, and they simply can't afford to give away free water.

Now, all of that said, the people behind water being illegal to resell are at the local water company. They don't have the time, the desire, or the money to go after a bar reselling a few cups of water. Not unless the bar was making thousands of dollars in profit.

Telling the cops about it is disservice to them. In the city there are murders, burglary, stabbings. Let them attend to more important things than resellers of tap water.  

Answer 7

Yep, I live in the UK, they can charge you as much as they want for it. Loads of restaurants, bars etc. around where I work in London charge up to £3.00 just for a glass of tapwater.

Answer 8

I'm sure that it is, but not many would charge. They would say the time the staff took doing it washing the glass etc after if was used,  they could be really petty.

Answer 9

when i worked in a bar, at all levels i was told right from the get go it has to be provided by law for free, there usually has to be a sign saying so too i think, its basic standards, pretty sure its in the licence of a place that they have too.

Answer 10

Yes, if someones willing to pay, you can sell anything. ( that's not proscribed by law)

Answer 11

Sure it's legal, but I think it's bad business.

Answer 12

There is one state that has passed a law requiring free tap water to those who are in need of water, but no state has gone farther and limited your ability to choose a bar based on its policies of charging or not charging for tap water.

Answer 13

Of course it is. They can charge you to just come in...right? (cover charge...)

Answer 14

Yes, I think it is.

The bar or restaurant still have to supply the glass, wash the glass, pay staff to serve it etc.

A bar I know used to charge 50p but it went to charity, not in the till.

Answer 15

The bar has to pay for it just like they pay for the alcohol they sell you.  There is a place here that started charging for water or whatever is usually free to regular patron. There were quite a few homeless that were coming in for matches,water or to try to bum drinks or cigarettes. It was causing her some problems and driving off business so she quit giving out free anything. They stopped hanging around her place.