Restaurants can’t charge for glasses of tap water

Food and beverage businesses are now required to provide customers with tap water and disposable cups for on-site consumption and cannot charge any fee, AHRESP explained on Tuesday.

The entry into force of the amendments made by Law no. 52/2021 of August 10 “made it mandatory to keep containers of tap water and disinfected disposable cups free of charge for consumption on site at the disposal of customers. without being able to charge even a lower price than bottled water,” said Ana Jacinto, secretary general of the Portuguese Association of Hotels, Restaurants and Similar Establishments (AHRESP).

In a clarification sent to Lusa, the head of AHRESP also clarifies that “customer means someone who uses the services provided by the establishment, and not someone who just walks by.”

On Friday, regarding water glasses, AHRESP noted that “it is also permitted to charge a fee” for their availability, “provided that this information is properly indicated and defined in the price list of the establishment, and it must be available.” at the entrance and inside institutions”, the situation existed before the entry into force of Law no. 52/2021 of 10 August.

According to several reports given to Luce, there are restaurants that charge for the use of utensils when, for example, at a gala dinner, customers take a cake and use the establishment’s utensils, as well as ice or glasses of water.

“Food and beverage establishments may define as internal operating rules the charging of fees for the use of dishes or other certain situations. However […] these internal operating rules should be properly promulgated and also posted in a conspicuous place, next to the entrance to the establishments, in order to conveniently inform customers,” Ana Jacinto clarified in a written response to Luce.