The restaurant in the upmarket ski resort of Val Thorens has been fined €8,000 by the country's anti-fraud office, for telling customers that tap water was not available in the establishment.
A press release from the Direction générale de la Concurrence, de la Consommation et de la Répression des fraudes (DGCCRF), said that the restaurant, Les Aiguilles du Péclet in Val Thorens, "refused to serve tap water to customers with their meal . . . only paid-for bottles of mineral water were available".
They added that the practice is illegal under article L.112-1 of the Code de la consommation, which states that tap water must be provided for free to customers who ask.
READ ALSO: Six things to know about tap water in France✎
Although all French restaurants, bars and cafés are obliged to offer free tap water, foreigners are often charged for expensive mineral water if they make the mistake of not specifying tap water.
If you ask for simply 'de l'eau' (water) you will usually be brought mineral water. If you want tap water you need to specify either 'une carafe d'eau' or 'un pichet d'eau'.
Mineral water can be more expensive than wine, especially in touristy areas.
However it's not only foreigners that are affected, several French consumers have reported being incorrectly told that tap water is not available, with ski resorts appearing to be a particular problem.
A report in local media Ici Pays de Savoie reported that customers in another Alpine resort were told that tap water was not available, only mineral water at €12 per bottle.
When they cited the law, the server told them that the area's tap water was not drinkable.
Ici Pays de Savoie cited similar cases in the ski resorts of Courcheval and Méribel.
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