After spending S$1 on a cup of hot water in a Kaffe & Toast outlet, a disgruntled diner took to Facebook to air her grievances.

"How much is a cup of water in Singapore?" She asked in a post in Facebook group Complaint Singapore.

A photo of a receipt showed that she had patronised the Kaffe & Toast outlet at Sengkang General Hospital on May 10.

She ordered a Kopi C and a Teh O for S$2.20 and S$2 respectively.

Several minutes later, she ordered a cup of hot water, which cost S$1.

Ng questioned whether it was "unethical pricing" to be charged S$1 for a "small cup" of hot water.

She added that she hoped others would not follow suit in pricing their hot water similarly.

While Ng acknowledged that one could simply choose not to patronise such eateries, she also said she felt the need to "voice out".

Here's a screenshot of her post:

The post drew a range of comments in response.

Some agreed with Ng, saying that S$1 is indeed expensive.

Others offered a different view, explaining that there are other costs that need to be taken into account when running a business. For instance:

Why can't we just have water & be happy?

In 2022, a similar debate was sparked after a cup of hot water from a coffee shop in Serangoon was revealed to cost 50 cents.

A nearby coffee shop, which sold its hot water for 40 cents a cup at that time, told Shin Min Daily News that this was because some patrons would buy one cup of hot water and nurse it for a long time.

These patrons take up seats at the coffee shop and contribute to the opportunity costs of the operator.

And it's not just the price of hot water that has caused unhappiness for some.

Back in 2016, The Straits Times ran an article regarding how more eateries are charging for tap water, resulting in much customer frustration.

One customer was quoted saying that the water should, in fact, be free as diners are already paying service charge.

On the flipside, some common reasons cited by F&B outlets in favour of charging for water include rising business costs and the "time and effort" needed to serve, refill, and wash the glasses.

Top photo via Ng Ai Kheng/Facebook