Restaurant owner here. Can be a number of reasons. We do give our free water at my cafe locations but I can see why others don't. Don't waste my employees' time asking for (often multiple) free waters. If water is set out, there's so much maintenance and clean up. Customers are sloppy. Cups, like the actual plastic/compostable ones, are expensive so it's can add up. And it's a health choice violation to fill a customer's own water bottle ( but ice seen that happen)

I always feel kind of cheap when I ask for water at places like this. If I’m at a sit down restaurant it feels ok but cafe type places, just buy a drink.

That said, OP, just carry a reusable water bottle with you. If this is happening to you frequently, and it sounds like it is, you need to strategize.

Anonymous wrote:Were you a paying customer or just walking in off the street? Were you supplying a clean cup, or expecting them to use a cup they paid for?

Only thing Starbucks is good for -- free ice water in their plastic cup with lid and straw. My wife gets two every time we're anywhere near a Starbucks.

It’s because they don’t want four people coming in to hang out for two hours with one ordering a cup of coffee and the rest getting free cups of water. If you want to use their space, you have to pay for it.

Anonymous wrote:Europe.

+1. Came here to write this, you beat me to it.

^^for occupant load under 15

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's probably a code violation not to provide tap water if asked.

Then it should be a code that can be cited, no?

I found OSHA regs that require an employer to provide drinking water to _employees_
https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1915/1915.88

I suppose one could ask for water from the same source the employees are receiving it from. What I haven't yet found is a requirement to provide it to customers.

I believe DC requires this in bars and nightclubs (I've seen a pitcher at the end of the bar for this reason) but this was in VA and not at a bar.

There isn't a requirement in VA to provide tap water to customers. I mean, people can boycott if they want, but they can't use state coercion at this point to force the matter.

Were you a paying customer or just walking in off the street? Were you supplying a clean cup, or expecting them to use a cup they paid for?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did they have a bathroom on-site. There's a code requirement to have a water fountain by the bathroom in most jurisdctions.

They did and no water fountain. This is in Vienna, Fairfax County.

Who knows? Maybe they need higher profit margins on the people who stick around to eat.

Is it Caffe Amouri? They seem a little full of themselves there.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's probably a code violation not to provide tap water if asked.

Then it should be a code that can be cited, no?

I found OSHA regs that require an employer to provide drinking water to _employees_
https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1915/1915.88

I suppose one could ask for water from the same source the employees are receiving it from. What I haven't yet found is a requirement to provide it to customers.

I believe DC requires this in bars and nightclubs (I've seen a pitcher at the end of the bar for this reason) but this was in VA and not at a bar.

Anonymous wrote:Did they have a bathroom on-site. There's a code requirement to have a water fountain by the bathroom in most jurisdctions.

Water fountain was gross before the pandemic even worse now. I’ve seen homeless people “taking a bath” in the water fountains on the Mall.

I'm used to this from living in Europe, now in SF. The free refills on tea, water and soda are so nice here! I agree with PP who said bottled water sales is probably a way to increase their small profit margin in this struggling economy. Where I lived in Germany, people didn't drink tap water. It was perfectly safe but just not something people did.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Europe.

Is their tap water potable and safe? That is usually the reason other countries don’t offer free water.

All of Europe has safe potable water. No.

Get a passport. And don't come back with your BS about how much you travel, either.

Romania and Hungary are EU countries where tap water may not always be safe to drink:
https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/countries-europe-you-can-drink-23947449

But generally it's safe to drink tap water in the EU. Just like it's safe to drink in the US as well.

Anonymous wrote:It's probably a code violation not to provide tap water if asked.

Then it should be a code that can be cited, no?