Written by Petr Bokuvka, journalist with experience in newspaper editing, radio and TV news.
Czech restaurants have never done so well in terms of profits when it comes to non-alcoholic drinks, the iDNES.cz news server writes, having done the math.
Generally speaking the purchase price for a .3L bottle of water in wholesale is CZK 4 (yes, FOUR), but if you go to a restaurant, a coffee house or a similar place, you pay CZK 18, according to the most recent Czech Stats Office figures.
There are towns and places, however, where a thirsty guest might pay even CZK 50, which represents a 1,000-percent margin, the daily wrote. Charging this much for soft drinks is the best way to compensate lower prices on other menu items.
If you watch TV commercials for one day, you will see four to five ads trying to convince you that this or that mineral water is the best for you because it contains something. TV ad authors are very good [sarcasm warning] at inventing new names of miraculous contents that no other product contains. Meanwhile, doctors say that the best water in the Czech Republic is the one that you have in your homes.
The beer paradox
I don’t drink alcohol with the exception of Bailey’s so when I go to a pub with friends, my check is usually bigger than theirs because they pay much less for their four half-liter glasses of beer than I do for my three bottles of Pepsi or similar beverage. The same with NORMAL WATER which is more expensive than beer.
Plus, the daily mentions another strange thing that most foreign tourists are pissed off about: no free mug of water with your order. You have to pay for it.
The Czech Daily Word 
Here in Aruba, a desert island with a desal plant to make water, you still get water for free at your restaurant table. Thanks for the Czech update from us at http://www.bentpage.wordpress.com.
[…] Czech Daily Word reports on how Czech restaurants are making money on drinking water: “Generally speaking the purchase […]
DANIEL: Aruba?? Wow!! My kind of place!!
Petr,
Come on down, the water is warm, the sun strong, the drink ice-cold.
To tell the truth, I’ve always thought I would like to live and work in the “Dutch colonies” [no political incorrectness intented, just a general term] in the Carribean. Aruba, Sint Maarten, etc.