'Unethical pricing!' Dinner upset over $1 charge for cup of water at Sengkang cafe

How much would you pay for a cup of plain water when dining out? 

For one customer, $1 was a bit too much. 

On Friday (May 10), netizen Ng Ai Kheng took to Facebook to share her experience. 

She had patronised a Kaffe & Toast outlet at Sengkang General Hospital outlet and ordered a cup of hot water, one which cost her $1. 

Shocked, Ng called it "unethical pricing" for a "small cup of tap water (hot)".

"Many can have the choice of not patronising the shop but someone needs to voice out," she said. 

"I personally feel that this kind of pricing should not be a benchmark for others to follow. It is setting a precedent for unnatural inflation."

She also placed the receipt for that cup of water next to another receipt for an order of kopi-c and teh-o. 

The kopi-c cost $2.20 while the teh-o was $2, which was not very far off from the amount that Ng had paid for her water. 

AsiaOne has reached out to Ng and Kaffe & Toast for more details. 

In the comments, some sided with Ng and said that $1 was too much. 

A few said that 50 cents was a more reasonable amount.

However, a netizen pointed out that while $1 can be considered expensive, the charge wasn't just for the water itself, but for other factors like the cafe employees' salaries and the cost of washing the dishes.

There was also a netizen who said that the cafe probably priced the water high to encourage diners to purchase other drinks instead. 

No intention of overcharging: Kaffe & Toast

In response to AsiaOne's queries, Kaffe & Toast's director Jack Poon said that the cafe used to charge 50 cents for tap water but increased this to $1 in April this year.

He explained that they charge for water so that customers who aren't keen on ordering coffee, tea or other menu items can still use their cafe's space and have the "full experience".

"Our original intention was to give the customers a low cost option to be able to enjoy the cafe. Their water also gets served to them in our porcelain cups and saucers."

Poon also shared that in the past, several customers would simply order water and "abuse the system" by sitting in the cafe for long hours.

This in turn would affect other customers who want to dine in their eatery.

"The cost is not just the water. The cost includes the people who clear the plates, who wash the dishes, who prepare the drinks," elaborated Poon.

"We didn't have the intention of overcharging. We just wanted to make it a fair price for everybody."

Poon said that his staff are trained to explain to diners that while the tap water is chargeable, it's also refillable.

He also shared that customers who purchase food and drinks need not fork out an additional $1 for tap water, unless the item is a low cost one.

Tap water is free for parents with toddlers.

"We genuinely don't want to make money from this," he added.

Paying $1.40 for iced water

This isn't the first case of a diner unhappy over paying for plain water.  

Back in May last year, a netizen took to Facebook to complain about a cup of iced water she had purchased from a stall at Amoy Street Food Centre. 

She had expected to pay less than 50 cents and was shocked when she was charged $1.40. 

"It's more expensive than buying mineral water, coffee or tea," she had lamented. 

In a separate incident in December 2022, a man was taken aback after he was charged 50 cents for a cup of water from a hawker stall. 

The drink stall owner later shared his side of the story and said that he was "forced" to increase the price from 40 cents to 50 cents to keep up with the times. 

"Recently, prices have risen sharply and everyone knows that water and electricity bills have increased," the hawker said, adding that he also had to factor in payment for services such as boiling water and the washing of cups.

ALSO READ: Netizens list pet peeves of dining out in Singapore

melissateo@asiaone.com