Should tap water be free in Singapore restaurants? F&B operators weigh in
The debate about whether tap water should be complimentary in Singapore's dine-in food establishments is back in the spotlight, thanks to a Facebook post on Jun 12 by Workers' Party Member of Parliament Gerald Giam, who also highlighted a public petition on the issue.
'Some eateries charge as much for water as they do for sugary drinks. This unintentionally nudges consumers toward less healthy options, increasing the risk of obesity and diabetes,' he said in his post.
'In March 2025, I called for the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) to encourage F&B outlets, coffeeshops and malls to offer low-cost drinking water as best practice.'
Mr Giam added: 'While I acknowledge that F&B establishments incur some cost to provide plain water, these can be recovered by offering plain water at cost. Importantly, it should be priced lower than sugary beverages to support healthier choices and sustainability goals. I continue to urge MSE to promote this as best practice across dine-in establishments.'
The petition he cited, which was posted on Change.org in late May, urged the Singapore government to 'mandate that dine-in F&B establishments provide free-flow tap water to all customers at no additional cost.'
'In a country where tap water is clean, safe, and abundantly available, it is unjustified to restrict access to tap water, especially in establishments that already impose a 10% service charge,' the petition read.
THE PRICE OF FREE TAP WATER
Several restaurateurs CNA Lifestyle spoke to said that while they used to charge for tap water, they stopped long before the petition, mainly due to customer complaints. Among them is nasi lemak restaurant The Coconut Club. Chef-owner Daniel Sia said: 'It's more important that customers are happy.'
Similarly, chain restaurants such as Swensen's and French bakery-cafe Paul said they've offered free tap water since opening. 'We believe in offering a welcoming and thoughtful experience, and providing complimentary drinking water is part of that,' said Paul's chief executive officer, Asia Pacific, David Yang.
A spokesperson for Swensen's, a pioneer partner of the Health Promotion Board's Healthier Dining Programme, said: 'Serving tap water aligns with our ongoing commitment to support healthier choices for our guests."
Still, while tap water is abundantly available in Singapore, it does come at a cost to restaurants. 'Utilities cost money and (when you offer free tap water), it often translates to reduced beverage sales, so it's an opportunity cost at the end of the day,' Sia explained.
Yang pointed out that 'the cost, though not insignificant, is relatively minimal compared to the goodwill it generates'.
While that may be the case for larger chain establishments like Paul and Swensen's, it is a harder pill to swallow for smaller, independent restaurants.
'On a good month, eateries like ours make about 10 to 20 per cent profit,' said the sole owner of a neighbourhood cafe who declined to be named. 'More often than not, we make a lot less, especially in this current economic climate. So we charge 50 cents for free-flow of tap water because every cent counts.'
The cost, though not insignificant, is relatively minimal compared to the goodwill it generates.
FILTERING THE COST
Other restaurant owners who charge for tap water also requested anonymity for fear of public backlash.
'Business is already so bad, we don't want people to take this against us,' said the owner of a Korean restaurant. 'The restaurant business is tough. Our profit margin is small. In what other industry would making 10 to 20 per cent profit on a good month count as good business? But that's the norm for restaurants. Bigger restaurant groups may be able to absorb the cost, but utilities are just one of many overheads for small businesses like ours.'
Another restaurateur pointed out that almost no establishments price tap water on par with soft drinks. 'No one in the right mind goes into business to antagonise the customer. Everyone knows the cost of tap water, so who's going to sell tap water in their restaurant for S$3 to S$4, which is the price of a soft drink in many restaurants?'
Upscale restaurants that charge for water typically serve water pumped from a filtration system at S$3 per person, free-flow.
For them, the concern is more about flavour than cost. Operations manager of Angie's Oyster Bar & Grill said: 'We understand some diners prefer water with their meal instead of wine or beer. However, tap water can negatively alter the delicate taste of live oysters. To ensure a pleasant dining experience, we serve unlimited premium Nordaq water. However, we do not want to profit from water sales. We decided that with water sales, 80 per cent of the proceeds will go towards The Helping Hand charity, supporting a good cause.'
Ronald Kamiyama, managing partner and sommelier of The Cicheti Group, echoed similar sentiments. 'At our restaurants, we serve filtered water that uses a charcoal system that's not only sustainable, but part of what we pay also supports jobs for women in Sumatra who plant trees in the region.'
Water filtration systems cost anywhere from S$1,000 to S$3,000 a month. 'When you factor in wear and tear, which at restaurants oscillate around S$50 to S$200 a month, plus human hours, plus a series of minor costs that aren't accounted for… it works out to a good amount of money,' said the chef-owner of a fine dining restaurant that does not charge for water. 'We absorb the cost in our menu pricing.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Independent Singapore
7 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
Founder of Little India's iconic Jothi Store & Flower Shop passes away at age 93
- Advertisement - SINGAPORE: Murugaiah Ramachandran, the founder of the iconic Jothi Store & Flower Shop in Singapore's Little India, has passed away at the age of 93. Born in Tamil Nadu, India, Mr Murugaiah arrived in Singapore in 1948 as a teenager, working first as a compositor at The Straits Times and later as chief librarian at the Singapore Tiger Standard. In the early 1960s, he took a leap into entrepreneurship, opening a humble ottukadai—named 'Jothi Store' in honour of his daughter—to supply flower garlands, betel leaves, and essentials for the devout worshippers in Little India or Tekka as it is known among locals. Under his stewardship, Jothi Store expanded from a small stall to occupy a five-storey building at 1 Campbell Lane. It soon became a cultural mainstay and its reach now extends beyond Singapore, with exports to Malaysia, the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe. - Advertisement - In 1986, his son, Rajkumar took the reins and steered the business to new heights—modernising operations while retaining the family's commitment to serving the Singaporean Indian community . For more than six decades, Jothi Store became synonymous with Little India, providing goods for daily worship, Indian festivals, weddings, and community celebrations. It was honoured by the National Heritage Board as part of the 'Street‑Corner Heritage Galleries,' cementing its place in the nation's cultural tapestry . Despite semi-retirement, Mr Murugaiah remained a regular presence behind the counter well into his 90s. Tributes poured in as the Indian Heritage Centre confirmed his passing in a Facebook post on Friday (20 June). Members of the public, long-time customers, and community leaders shared heartfelt messages remembering the entrepreneur's kindness, humility, and lasting impact on Singapore's Indian community. - Advertisement - Many recalled personal interactions with Mr Murugaiah from his early days as a shopkeeper at Campbell Lane. Sowaran Singh, a former customer, recounted, 'I will remember him when he had a semi push cart cum shop in Campbell Lane. He was very kind and soft spoken. I did loads of events using his shop later. I last met him about nine months ago—he still came to the shop for a few hours. God bless his soul.' Fellow netizen, Vickna Anandarajah, described Jothi Store as an essential part of community life: 'Jothi Store became the go-to place to get traditional Indian, especially South Indian and Jaffna cookery and worship items. It became an icon of Tekka. My mum used to reserve Indian calendars from them, making it a yearly trip for her and then me.' Another Facebook user, Mathilda Dsilva, wrote: 'These are the pillars of the Singaporean Indian community, whose support and strong business commitment drive all of us forward. Singaporeans of all races have lost a prominent business role model and icon.' - Advertisement - Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry board director Shobha Tsering Bhalla added: 'We used to buy flowers and other puja essentials directly from him in the early days, 39 years ago, when we made Singapore our home. We have had the privilege of seeing his shop grow into a Singapore landmark.' She added, 'He was an institution. May his noble soul attain Sadgati. Om Shanti.' Mr Murugaiah's family has been moved by the tributes. His son Rajkumar said in a Facebook comment, 'On behalf of Jothi Store & Flower Shop ,we thank each and every one for your condolence on passing of my father, founder of JSFS Mr M Ramachandra. 'Truly appreciate your kind words about my father, a legend, truly a humble person who had built a 65 years old traditional business for the needs of the Indian Community for all religious festivals and Celebrations.'
Independent Singapore
18 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
Where NUS and NTU outshine Oxbridge in global rankings
One in three students at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU) is a foreigner. The attraction is clear: NUS ranks fourth globally—behind only the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford, and Carnegie Mellon—in computer science and information systems in the 2025 QS World University Rankings By Subject. In electrical and electronic engineering, both NUS and NTU share the fourth spot with Harvard, trailing just MIT, Stanford, and the University of California, Berkeley, according to the same source. Either or both of the universities excel in other fields as well, including law, medicine, and architecture. With their strong showing in the 2026 QS World University Rankings, could NUS and NTU be seen as the Oxford and Cambridge of Asia? Sticklers may disagree, and not without reason. For one, NUS and NTU are located far closer together than the dreaming spires of Oxford are to Cambridge. More importantly, they cannot yet rival the rich Oxbridge tradition in the arts and humanities. Still, in many other fields, they are catching up—or have already overtaken—and that progress is clearly reflected in the rankings. NUS and NTU are ranked eighth and 12th respectively, just behind Oxford and Cambridge, which come in at fourth and sixth. The strong performance of Singapore's universities is no longer a novelty. This marks the third consecutive year NUS has held eighth place. NTU, which ranked 15th in 2025, has returned to 12th, a position it surpassed in 2018 and 2020 when it ranked 11th. Splitting the two Singapore institutions in this year's rankings is the University of Hong Kong at 11th. See also Singapore experts weigh in on the Covid-19 situation NUS is the only Asian university in the global top 10. The only other non-Anglo-American presence is ETH Zurich of Switzerland, in seventh. The broader Asia-Pacific region has a growing presence in the top 20: China's Peking University and Tsinghua University are ranked 14th and 17th, while Australia's University of Melbourne and the University of New South Wales are 19th and 20th. NUS, NTU: Areas of excellence The Singapore universities are no longer known solely for their engineering prowess. NUS ranks 10th globally in law—making it the only non-Anglo-American university in the top 10 for legal studies. NTU stands at 82nd. In medicine, NUS ranks 18th—the highest for any Asian university—while NTU is 84th. NTU, however, shines in communication and media studies, coming in fourth behind the University of Amsterdam, Harvard, and the University of Texas at Austin. NUS ranks 14th in this field. While Oxford and Cambridge still reign supreme in the arts and humanities, NUS is gaining ground. It ranks second globally in art history, eighth in linguistics, ninth in architecture, 15th in English language and literature, and 17th in history. See also SATIRE: Pokemon GO releases sad news for its Singapore fans This academic success is underpinned by scale and diversity. With over 33,000 students, NUS has the second-largest student body among the top 10 universities—trailing only University College London, which has over 45,000 students. NTU has more than 25,000 students. International students and staff International students and staff contribute significantly to the success of both institutions. Foreigners make up 36% of the student body at NUS and 33% at NTU. The faculty is even more international, with 65% of staff at both universities coming from overseas. In comparison, Harvard has around 24,300 students, including 6,700 international students, and over 4,400 faculty and staff, only 27% of whom are international. Oxford has over 22,000 students, more than 9,000 of them from abroad, and 6,500 faculty and staff, with 44% from overseas. The international students and staff carry weight in the QS World University Rankings. QS applies the following weightage when ranking universities: Academic reputation: 30% Citations per faculty: 20% Employer reputation: 15% Employment outcomes: 5% Faculty-student ratio: 10% International faculty ratio: 5% International research network: 5% International student ratio: 5% International student diversity: 0% See also SP overcharges bill, claims they 'overestimated' $1500 There's an old story about Benjamin Jowett, the 19th-century Master of Balliol College, Oxford, who once declared, 'I am the Master of this College; what I don't know isn't knowledge.' Today, such a claim would be inconceivable. From NUS to NTU, Oxford to Harvard, the global groves of academe are constantly striving for the next breakthrough, the next frontier of knowledge. Top 20 in QS World University Rankings 2026: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Imperial College London Stanford University University of Oxford Harvard University University of Cambridge ETH Zurich National University of Singapore University College London California Institute of Technology (Caltech) University of Hong Kong Nanyang Technological University University of Chicago Peking University University of Pennsylvania Cornell University Tsinghua University University of California, Berkeley University of Melbourne University of New South Wales
Independent Singapore
18 hours ago
- Independent Singapore
‘More vouchers?' Singaporeans on what they expect from PM Wong's National Day Rally speech
SINGAPORE: After it was announced on Wednesday (Jun 18) that Prime Minister (PM) Lawrence Wong will be delivering the National Day Rally speech on Aug 17, commenters online expressed what they were looking forward to or expected from it. The PM's Office said that the speech will be held at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College Central in Ang Mo Kio. This is the second time Mr Wong will be giving the speech, and the first since Singapore handed the People's Action Party (PAP) a very strong mandate in last month's General Election. The speech is widely recognised to be the most significant political one of the year, since important policy announcements are made. In last year's speech, PM Wong made announcements concerning SkillsFuture, public housing, and other social support measures. This year, based on comments online, a number of Singaporeans appear to expect more announcements about vouchers. One Facebook user, perhaps mostly in jest, wrote that they expected the speech to be '50% about vouchers.' See also Employees in retrenching companies experiencing lower morale A Reddit user decided to play it twee, writing 'Papa Wong, I want more vouchers.' Others, however, decided to take things more seriously, and more than a few netizens across various social media platforms expressed hope for a rollback on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike. For one, however, public housing was high on their wish list. 'I just want affordable housing for young and future Singaporeans. Million-dollar public housing while the youth struggle with one of the worst job markets in history,' they wrote. 'Housing, housing, housing. The snowball keeps growing bigger,' another agreed. A commenter on Reddit was also concerned about jobs, writing, 'Please do something to prevent companies /jobs from leaving. Once they leave, they can only return back to our shores in next five to 10 years given the investments and commitment of their contracts in the countries they relocate to, so what will happen to us during these years, eat grass?' For one Facebook user, meanwhile, wi-fi costs are a big concern. 'Your speech should include reducing internet, WiFi Data cost for the people. Currently, it is just too high. Many competitors in the market, but all are game to con and swindle the people money. First month price is good. Second month, they just increase it like crazy… We want you to address these issues if we are to move forward Sir.' /TISG Read also: IN FULL: Lawrence Wong stresses strategies to navigate new world in maiden National Day message as PM
