Stem the Water

I heard Ian Tostenson, the president of the BC Restaurant and Food Services Association on CBC Radio recently during a piece about the drought in Vancouver. With stage three water restrictions in place throughout Metro Vancouver, the announcer was curious what the restaurant industry was doing to help ­– such as not automatically serving water to customers. Tostenson wouldn’t commit though, only saying he was sure restaurant owners would do their part. I have eaten out probably five times since that interview and each time, the waiter automatically filled the water glasses, without asking us if we wanted the water first. What is worse in my mind, is the incessant and annoying refilling of the water glass, particularly towards the end of the meal. There’s no doubt that a lot of perfectly good water goes down the drain because of this outdated and unnecessary practice. Restaurants use a lot of water anyways, this is one way they could help conserve during this ongoing drought. Restaurant owners and managers will respond to customer feedback though, so we can all help to educate our favourite restaurants about this one small way they can stem the wasteful flow of drinking water.