The Hidden Costs of Bottled Water Delivery Services for Businesses

Drinking water should be clear, cold, and refreshing, but in reality, the taste can be shaped by a range of factors, some of which are less than obvious.

For example, bacteria and fungi can accumulate in unexpected places and end up in the water supply. Rubber fittings, pipe joints, and even neglected storage tanks can lead to bacteria and fungi appearing in drinking water. They can make your water taste earthy or musty, which can become very noticeable.

Minerals can also negatively impact the flavour of water. Calcium, magnesium, iron and others can create a chalky, unpleasant taste. Oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide can also subtly influence the taste of water, causing it to feel flat. With the right solutions, these factors could no longer be a concern.

Some elements could also impact your water quality. Chlorine is used for disinfection and can leave a chemical aftertaste. Metals could also be an issue - copper and lead can enter the pipework, while nickel and zinc may come from fixtures surrounding the water supply pipes, finding a way to leech in. Even small amounts are enough to alter flavour and raise health concerns.

Sediment and micro-particles are also another potential concern, as they are barely visible but can impact the clarity and freshness of the water. This highlights one of the fundamental issues with maintaining water quality - many elements that can taint your drinking water are not visible. Unless you get your water consistently tested, you may have no idea they're even present.

There are so many potential quality issues that you need to find a way to manage them actively. Otherwise, they can negatively impact your customers' experience.

In hospitality, perception is crucial to maintaining a healthy and thriving business. Often, with guests, they can fixate on the aspect of their experience they didn't like because it stands out from the premium, high-quality service they expect. A five-star service implies that it is impeccable, so if a particular element, such as water taste or quality, doesn't meet that standard, it can stick out like a sore thumb.

For a hotel, a guest drinking low-quality water that tastes metallic could be seen as a small moment, but it erodes the sense of trust and care the hotel is attempting to sustain. For restaurants, the risk cuts deeper. A table sipping flat or chlorine-heavy water between courses may not complain outright, but it can colour their experience. If you're charging premium prices, customers understandably expect flawless service and low-quality water can create a gap between their expectations and the service you're providing.

If you want to supply customers with drinking water, you may think bottled water is the answer. However, there are also potential issues with this.

Water dispensers are an excellent solution to many of these potential issues regarding water quality and taste. WRAS-approved dispensers are designed for hospitality settings, such as our range of hotel, restaurant, and cafe water dispensers, to strip out impurities affecting taste and quality. They also help stabilise mineral content, meaning you get consistent results daily. Brita water dispensers use mains-fed water, meaning they can easily be integrated into your business.

You may consider not supplying customers with mains-fed water, but this solution has environmental, health, and cost issues. Bottled water from plastic bottles can contain hidden plastic particles that can impact your customers' long-term health. Using these for your hotel or restaurant is also not an environmentally friendly or sustainable solution. If you want bottled water from glass bottles, you need to weigh up the potential cost. Often, these alternatives are much more expensive than filtered mains-fed water.

Read our guides to learn which water dispenser is right for your business and how BRITA can help you reduce water costs and increase revenue.

This is where investing in BRITA's water dispensers can instantly solve the issue of poor water quality. Our dispensers provide a structured, reliable water solution that can change how your business is run by delivering crisp, clean water cost-effectively without any negative environmental impact. The key benefits of using these water dispensers include:

• They eliminate up to 99.9% of bacteria, keeping your water supply hygienic and safe to drink.
• Filtering mains water, which helps it taste crisp and clean every time.
• Providing a cheaper solution than buying bottled water in bulk, significantly so over a prolonged period.
• Cutting out single-use plastic waste, while glass bottles remain expensive and impractical.
• Creating an easy-to-use, eco-friendly option that aligns with sustainability goals.

Using these high-quality water solutions creates a reliable and sustainable solution that staff can manage easily. It also removes any potential customer dissatisfaction concerning the water you serve them, ensuring that it is crisp, clean and refreshing every time. Furthermore, it also lowers your running costs and is another practical step to help you establish a financially sustainable business.

To read more about how we can help you, read how BRITA water dispensers improve the taste of water and what your workspace requires to install a water dispenser.