There are a few things that restaurant patrons usually take for granted. Say, utensils, napkins and a menu. Oh, and a nice cold glass of tap water.

So imagine my surprise when I recently visited a couple of casual eateries in my New York neighborhood and learned that H20 is now seemingly a profit center. Yes, I was asked to pay for water — as in no tap offered, just bottles for purchase.

As it turns out, I probably shouldn’t have been surprised.

In recent years, reports have surfaced that all sorts of restaurants — from fast-food joints to fine-dining establishments — are charging for water in various ways. Some do make patrons buy bottles, some charge for a cup and some simply tack on a water (or filtration) “surcharge.” The cost can range anywhere from a nickel to a dollar, according to one report — or even higher if the water is the fancier bottled kind. (Remember, we live in an era when restaurants can have a “water menu,” even if they also provide it free.)

Among the restaurants often cited for charging: the Subway sandwich chain, which was one of the places that balked at my request for a free cup. The only employee on duty at the time was apologetic, but said there was nothing he could do. “Store policy,” he said, blaming it on homeless people who ask for a cup for water, then help themselves to soda from the fountain instead.

Water may just be the beginning of a surcharge trend. Complimentary bread could become a thing of the past, according to one report earlier this year. And free chips and salsa at the local Mexican joint could also be on the endangered list.

In many ways, it seems as if restaurants are taking a cue from airlines and finding ways they can pad the total bill. So bread and water become the culinary equivalent of baggage fees. (But at least the airlines will give you complimentary water — or even soda.) Still, some restaurant industry experts and insiders say this is not being done in the name of gouging (or in the name of stopping homeless people from filling up on soda); rather, it’s simply a recognition that there’s a hard cost for certain items, especially if the restaurant is putting a premium on quality.

Can Restaurants Charge for Tap Water?

Take those chips at Mexican restaurants. Abraham Merchant, proprietor of SouthWestNY in New York, says he does charge $7 for them (with two types of salsa included), but he also notes that his aren’t the generic, bagged variety. “They are homemade and they are rather expensive” to prepare, he says.

But there’s another factor prompting restaurants to charge for extras, says veteran food writer Allen Salkin. Namely, the fact the rent is too damn high. Salkin points to some of the high-profile New York restaurants that are closing because of rent spikes — most notably, perennial favorite Union Square Café. “Blame the landlords. Restaurants are being squeezed to death,” says Salkin, who also points out that surcharges for bread are fairly common in Europe.

Which is not to say customers readily buy into the idea of paying for extras, especially water, which is seen as something of a public right. For that matter, some restaurateurs question the wisdom of charging for water. “In a word, it’s insane,” says Merchant.

It’s perhaps telling that some restaurants that once had a water surcharge — most notably, the Border Grill in Las Vegas — have abandoned the practice. (A spokeswoman for the restaurant said she could not answer questions as to why the charge was dropped.) As for Subway, a spokeswoman says that since the chain’s restaurants are operated by franchisees, the charging-for-water issue is up to individual owners. Still, the spokeswoman adds: “Many Subway restaurants provide a courtesy cup to customers if asked. We would prefer that all our restaurants do so.”

Ultimately, some customers believe this is more than a matter of courtesy, saying water — at no extra charge — is their legal right. But the law, particularly at the pertinent local level, says otherwise, according to attorneys and other experts who are familiar with the matter. “I can’t imagine any company being forced to give something for free…You’re there to sell product,” says T.J. Mihill, an Atlanta-based attorney who specializes in the restaurant industry. (The only possible exceptions, say some legal experts, are instances when a medical or disability issue is involved — say, a customer needs a glass of water to ensure they don’t die of dehydration.)

Even if free water is not legally required, I’m not, well, buying the idea that restaurants can charge for it. If you’re in the hospitality business, isn’t the point to be hospitable? I admit I let Subway off the hook on my recent visit because the employee seemed genuinely pained he couldn’t give me a cup. (And to be honest, I really wanted a Subway tuna sandwich no matter what.) But in the case of the other eatery, a new express-style sushi restaurant, I couldn’t quite wrap my head around the fact that I was being charged $15 for what amounted to a late-day snack and yet I was still being asked to pay extra for water — simply because I was a captive diner.

Which is precisely why I walked out the door before finalizing the order, letting employees know in no uncertain terms that the water thing was a deal-breaker. Yes, restaurants can charge extra for it. But in the end, I don’t have to pay.