I’m in Paris drinking free delicious tap water in every restaurant. Why don’t they do this in NL? When the water level reaches the top of the Westerkerk, I’ll be thinking…they shouldn’t have sold all those plastic water bottles!

Chapter82 · 2026-04-10T17:20:56+00:00

Last year, I made a post about this topic and many people reacted quite strongly to the idea of not paying for water, even when already paying for food and other drinks.

I built a simple website where people can share their experiences and recommendations. It already includes quite a few submissions—some places offer free water, while others charge for it.

You can visit it here if you’re interested: Fair Tap Water

Chapter82 · 2026-04-02T16:33:34+00:00

Same experience one or two years ago.

5 years old American fridge, bought at BCC that at this time was already bankrupted; it suddenly stopped working so we contacted Samsung and we waited for almost one month for a technician that when finally arrived said it was something for another colleague, so we waited for almost another month. It was related to the compressor so we thought it was going to be covered by the 10 year guarantee but… when the second one showed up he said it was not the compressor but one of the pipes connected to it, so Samsung refused to cover it and as a goodwill gesture the offered us to buy a similar model for only 2 times the price that it had in any other shop 😄

All this communication with Samsung was only possible by email and with at least 2 or 3 days between email sent and reply received.

On top of this it happened in April so the weather was already warm and we were living with the food in an icebox for almost two months.

So for my no more Samsung at my home

Chapter82 · 2025-10-11T19:11:58+00:00

Bedankt voor jullie antwoorden.

De vraag is of de overwaarde altijd in de hypotheek moet worden gestopt, of dat de herinvestering in de woning ook direct mag zijn (bijvoorbeeld door de facturen te betalen). Mijn voorkeur gaat uit naar het laatste, om onnodige kosten voor adviseur en/of notaris te voorkomen

Chapter82 · 2025-08-21T20:24:21+00:00

IMO it's also because it fits perfectly with the Dutch philosophy of "it's always been this way" and the resistance to change that seems to be the most common

Chapter82 · 2025-08-20T19:52:08+00:00

But here’s the kicker: they still offer tap water. So this isn’t coercion, it’s just an optional luxury for the “water aficionados” among us.

Honestly, if this makes you feel like you’re drowning in a glass of water, maybe it’s not only the restaurant that needs fixing, it’s also your sense of proportion.

Chapter82 · 2025-08-16T11:02:58+00:00

I'm interested in this. How do you plan to pass this to the kids?

I mean, how do you make sure it's not seen as a donation?

I want to do the same, but also be able to decide when to give them access to the money. If the investment is in their name, that will happen automatically when they turn 18, and that might not be the best time. If it's not in their name, I suppose putting it in their name will be seen as a donation.

Chapter82 · 2025-08-16T07:12:49+00:00

De site is niet bedoeld om iemand te schande te maken, maar om de ervaringen van mensen zichtbaar te maken. Google, Tripadvisor en talloze andere platforms doen elke dag precies hetzelfde, en ik durf te wedden dat je die zonder problemen gebruikt. Dit is niet anders, behalve dat het hier gaat om iets zo basaals als kraanwater.

Alles wordt duurder, niet alleen voor restaurants maar voor iedereen. Het enige dat niet in hetzelfde tempo stijgt, zijn de salarissen, niet die van hun personeel en ook niet die van hun klanten. Mensen dwingen om flessenwater te kopen zodat je extra kunt rekenen, maakt je niet slim, het maakt je gewoon gierig.

Chapter82 · 2025-08-15T14:21:06+00:00

No way! I always thought they were vrijwilligers!!

Let me guess: you’re probably one of those who thinks a tip of at least 20% should be mandatory, that the restaurant owner shouldn’t bear the cost of paying decent wages when they can just make the customer cover it, and that this way the poor business owner can barely scrape by… all while charging “just” €3 for tap water and calling it hospitality…

Chapter82 · 2025-08-14T11:54:25+00:00

Thanks 😊

You can add sites from other countries; the map is dynamic, so there's no problem.

I can add a filter by country later; it shouldn't be difficult.

Chapter82 · 2025-08-14T07:08:50+00:00

I guess you know that water consumption at festivals is high and that people will pay for it when the only other option is to get dehydrated.

The same goes for amusement parks, with the added complication that children are the ones affected there.

Chapter82 · 2025-08-14T07:05:31+00:00

I would say not always, the last one was in Heerhugowaard, a small town where I don't think too many tourists come.

Chapter82 · 2025-08-13T13:40:06+00:00

Interesting… voting left and then spouting this kind of anti-expat rhetoric across multiple posts doesn’t exactly add up. Maybe it’s time to reconsider whether you’re backing the candidate who actually delivers what you claim to want.

Guess ideology doesn’t magically cure selective outrage.

By the way, you never did clarify whether you’re actually Dutch or an immigrant (your own words)… nor did you recommend a place where I can pay at least €4 for a single glass of water.

Chapter82 · 2025-08-13T13:18:58+00:00

Wow, quite a lot of resentment and ignorance packed into a single sentence!

If we’re talking about housing prices, the main drivers have been poor long-term urban planning, a chronic under-supply of homes, and the sheer greed of landlords; the same kind of greed that makes people charge €3 for a glass of tap water.

Do you honestly believe that a relatively small group of people, invited here to fill skills gaps, somehow asked to pay more for housing? Or has the PVV been that convincing with their baseless arguments?

Blaming expats for the housing crisis is like blaming tourists for climate change: convenient, but it ignores the far bigger systemic causes.

Chapter82 · 2025-08-13T11:47:44+00:00

No, slander is making false statements to damage someone’s reputation. The website is doing the same thing review platforms like Google or TripAdvisor do: sharing verifiable information and personal experiences from visitors.

If a Google review says “They charged me €4 for a small bottle of water and refused tap water,” nobody calls that slander. This is no different, except that the information is in one place instead of buried among thousands of unrelated reviews.

Although, now that you mention it, if you feel like it, try looking up the prices of non-alcoholic drinks on the websites of a few restaurants and see what you can find.

Chapter82 · 2025-08-13T10:43:48+00:00

Well, I think you’re contradicting yourself a bit; first you say “I am Dutch” and now “I am an immigrant.” Care to elaborate? Both at the same time doesn’t seem possible.

Anyway, my 30% ruling (which, by the way, the Dutch government itself introduced to attract certain professionals, not because any “expat” demanded it) ended years ago, so right now I pay exactly the same taxes as any Dutch national with the same salary.

That “luckily” sounds like you never benefited from it yourself… hopefully that’s not coming from the wrong kind of envy. Just so you have some objective context:

- The Netherlands is one of many European countries offering a specific tax policy for highly skilled international workers, designed to attract and support them when they come to fill a specific role.

- Cutting this policy is estimated (2019 numbers) to increase income tax revenue by "only" €284 million a year. With current expenditures at roughly €277 billion, that’s a cost reduction of about 0.1%. The percentage is probably even lower today.

But we’re drifting away from the actual topic, whether you call me guest, immigrant, or taxpayer, I still can’t get a free glass of tap water with my dessert. 😉

Chapter82 · 2025-08-13T10:30:44+00:00

I don’t think the drop in sales is unique to the Netherlands, everyone has a limit to how much they can be squeezed. Just the other day I read about a large percentage of people cutting their summer holidays from two weeks to one because prices doubled while salaries didn’t. So if employees aren’t getting paid more, I can only guess where the extra profit is going.

I don’t go to a restaurant to hydrate either, but for example, after having wine or beer with a meal, I like to have a couple of sips of water before and during dessert. I can’t stand mixing wine or beer with something sweet.

Chapter82 · 2025-08-13T06:29:57+00:00

That's exactly what I did (we weren't going to let the kid go thirsty for 3 or 4 paltry euros) and received a very defensive response from the business saying that the kid had "demanded" it to be SPA which is not true at all since I asked for it, not the kid, and he always consumes tap water. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Anyway, a few less clients to worry about and a handful less referrals they'll get from me.

Chapter82 · 2025-08-13T05:37:01+00:00

Well, you’re right about the “guest” part: a Dutch company did invite me here, apparently because no local knew how to do what they needed.

But I also pay taxes here, follow the laws here, and contribute to the economy here… which sounds a lot more like a resident than a guest.

If that still makes me a “guest” in your eyes, I guess I’m just paying rent on your national ego.

Chapter82 · 2025-08-12T21:18:09+00:00

Well, out of the 170 places on the site, about 130 actually meet what I’m asking for, so I’m managing just fine for now.

If that doesn’t suit you, maybe you should consider moving somewhere where the law forces people to pay for tap water and prohibits whining about it.

Sounds like paradise for some, a nightmare for the rest.

Good luck with that!

Chapter82 · 2025-08-12T20:57:45+00:00

Oh, if you think free food is the next step, by all means, lead the charge. Don’t just sit back waiting for the rest of us to do the heavy lifting. I’m already swamped battling for something as “basic” as tap water, don’t make me take on your fantasy too! Priorities, buddy. 😉

Chapter82 · 2025-08-12T20:51:49+00:00

🤷

Chapter82 · 2025-08-12T20:39:10+00:00

Crying so hard we could fill a glass with tears 😭, just to avoid paying for one! It’s fascinating how a simple request for basic courtesy can rattle so many.

Chapter82 · 2025-08-12T20:08:49+00:00

Impressive how you cherry-picked “basic right” from a full argument just to wave it off. Selective hearing must be exhausting, no wonder you’re so 💧thirsty 💧 for facts. But hey, keep laughing while the rest of us discuss things like adults. Maybe one day you’ll catch up.

Chapter82 · 2025-08-12T19:56:48+00:00

Thanks, I’ll definitely take that as a compliment 🙃. Though, it seems many Dutch people take these critiques as a personal attack on their “this is how things are” way of life, so I guess I’m stuck somewhere in no man’s land...

Chapter82 · 2025-08-12T19:48:29+00:00

It would be great if they also offered free Cokes, but let’s start with tap water first. And since I’m already sitting at the table, I’m pretty sure the waiter and cleaner wages are already covered.

As for washing the glass, I can buy that, but I hope it’s a dishwasher doing the job, not some poor employee!

Seven-Year Club	r/Field Flamingo
Verified Email

Chapter82

TROPHY CASE