Even cruder examples than the Schilthorn bar: Blick readers even paid 10 francs per liter of tap water.

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Schilthornbahn AG’s restaurants charge 8 francs for a liter of “Mürrenwasser”, which is ultimately tap water fed from Mürrenquelle. This creates a topic of conversation in the Blick community. How much can tap water cost in a restaurant?

“10 francs per liter flow from cards,” says one reader. Not entirely unjustified: a reader reporter from the Zurich restaurant Bauschänzli reports that a 3-deciliter glass of “table water” costs 5 francs and a liter of 10 francs. “Tafelwasser” is usually self-tapping tap water, ideally filtered and perhaps enriched with carbonic acid.

Another reader paid ten francs for tap water at the Buschenschenke Chressibuch in Hefenhofen TG. When Blick wants to confirm this, they hang up. A reader claims to have paid 7.50 for half a liter of tap water at the Ustria Alpsu restaurant in the Oberalp Pass. Here the landlady says the price is only 4 francs and that food, wine or coffee consumption and tap water are free.

4000 percent margin?

Second, it’s an acceptable practice for many Blick readers. The problem isn’t that they charge for tap water. Most Blick readers would agree that a service should have a price.

The Swiss Gas and Water Association (SVGW) recommends that “free drinking water be provided without asking” with a meal, coffee or glass of wine. The water supply company in Zurich “welcomes free delivery of our excellent Zurich drinking water to restaurants”. They give the numbers: 1 liter of drinking water from the tap costs only 0.2 cents.

This means that at a price of 8 francs per litre, a margin of almost 4000 percent is calculated!

High personnel costs as a reason

Of course, a restaurant doesn’t just calculate the cost of tap water from the low cost of the water. There are also infrastructure, personnel, cleaning, electricity and heating expenses. Industry association Gastrosuisse leaves it to the companies to collect these costs from the guests or to provide the service free of charge, in line with the goodwill of the guests.

According to Gastrosuisse spokesperson Patrick Hasler, more than 90 percent of companies surveyed by Gastrosuisse offer tap water. According to the umbrella organization, 62 percent of companies that offer tap water do not charge for it. Each one charges customers about 8 percent CHF 1 to 2 or CHF 2 to 3 per liter of tap water. Higher prices per liter are not common, but they do happen. In this context, 8 to 10 francs seem very expensive.

Special assignment as a number?

Hasler of Gastrosuisse explains that almost a quarter of companies have their tap water supply on the map.

Sometimes, however, terms are used that dilute the distinction. Example “Mürrenwasser” is not a brand but a geographic term for plain tap water. Guests feel cheated after first not realizing that this is tap water.

In the city of Zurich there is a particularly interesting solution: the so-called «Zuriwasser». If this tap water is served in restaurants, one franc per liter goes to the “Drink and Donate” organization. This transfers the proceeds to donations to clean drinking water projects. In countries where there is no drinking water dripping from taps.

Source :Blick