Restaurant owners in Dubai call on food and drink businesses to offer filtered water

Restaurants that fail to provide filtered tap water are more concerned with a thirst for profits than customer satisfaction, industry experts have said.

Diners at some venues have complained about being asked to pay been Dh20 and Dh40 ($5.45 to $10.90) for imported bottled water.

There were plans in Dubai in 2020 to mandate hotels and restaurants to offer filtered tap water an alternative to bottled water.

The regulations have not yet been put into effect.

Water bottled in the Emirates is typically sold in shops for Dh1, with imported bottles priced between Dh3 and Dh6.

The difference shows the profits that businesses can make by selling imported water.

Haider Madani, founder and co-owner of the Cassette cafe in Dubai, said businesses should focus on giving customers the best service they can.

Cassette has offered bottles of filtered tap water free of charge for the past four years.

Bottles of mineral water are on sale for Dh12.

“I get that restaurants want to make money, but focusing on customer experience and providing the options they want is the best strategy,” Mr Madani said.

“That will draw in more clientele and, as a result of that, make you more money.

“It’s just really a matter of education and changing the established way of thinking.

“I come from an English background and we always had tap water available to drink in restaurants free of charge.

“That’s the way it should be everywhere.”

Venues should be wary of offering only expensive imported water, he said.

“The profit margins are much higher when you are selling someone a bottle of imported mineral water for more than Dh35, in some cases,” he said.

“In the long run, your customers will start to drift away and go elsewhere.”

The availability of free drinking water is also a concern in other parts of the world.

Licensed restaurants in England, Scotland and Wales are obliged to provide free drinking water on request.

But with many customers unaware of their rights, this has not always been the case.

The Telegraph reported last year that customers at a restaurant in London were charged £4 ($4.95) for jugs of tap water.

The environmental effects of importing bottled water is another concern for the sector.

A report from the World Economic Forum found that bottles comprised about 12 per cent of plastic pollution in the world’s ocean.

Plastic bags accounted for 14 per cent of the waste.

“It’s common to be asked if you want still or sparkling water as soon as you sit down and haven’t even seen a menu,” said Naim Maadad, chief executive of Gates Hospitality, which owns the Reform Social & Grill, folly and Bistro des Arts in Dubai.

“You’re being asked to make an uneducated decision based on a question that’s being thrown at you – the margins are very healthy on that.

“People are happy to take advantage of that but it’s shortterm thinking, as people will analyse what they spend.”

He said most customers would only return to a restaurant if they felt it offered good value for money.

At restaurants run by Gates Hospitality, customers can order bottles of house water for Dh22 that can be refilled as often as they like. The subject of restaurants in Dubai offering filtered water, as well as more expensive options, has been a hot topic on social media.

Emirati entrepreneur Ahmed Zakaria last week broached the subject on Twitter.

“There are times when I go to a restaurant with my family and the cost of water is almost 30 per cent of the total bill,” he said.

“Some places can charge up to Dh40 for a bottle of water and it is just ridiculous.

“I often ask for local water and am told ‘sir, we don’t serve local water.’

“Something needs to change. Restaurants should be offering both local and imported water, to give people the choice.”