As writer and cookbook author Joshua David Stein argued in Esquire a few years ago, "Still or sparkling' is a clever rhetorical sleight of hand meant to befuddle, goad and mislead the diner into paying for what should naturally be free."
Offering filtered, carbonated water for free 'costs us $300 a month for each restaurant. We could probably stand to make 4-5 times that in profit per month by selling sparkling.'
For many chefs, it's about conveying value. 'It felt like nickel and diming people to also charge them a few bucks for sparkling water,' says David Barzelay of San Francisco.
While charging $9 for a bottle of Perrier is a value add for the restaurant, more chefs are willing to eat the costs of free sparkling water if it makes diners feel like they're getting a deal - which might just make them return.
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