'My customers say bottle ban is best thing I've ever done'

Leading London cook Aldo Zilli is to ban all bottled water from his restaurants in support of the Evening Standard's Water On Tap campaign.

He has called on all restaurants and bars to follow his lead.

"Environmental issues are something extremely close to my heart and I was shocked to hear about the wasteful nature of the bottled water industry," he said.

"All restaurants and bars should be doing this. My 23-year-old daughter keeps telling me how she's charged £4 for a bottle of water in clubs - that is absurd, and has got to stop."

Zilli has been running the trial scheme at Zilli Fish in Brewer Street, Soho, for the past week, and the ban will be in place from today at all his restaurants.

"There is obviously a financial implication for restaurants - we were charging £4 for a bottle of water," said Mr Zilli. "However, there are some amazing benefits as well.

For instance, we've gained a whole new office from the space we used to use to store bottles. It was incredible, we would have hundreds and hundreds of glass bottles coming in every single day.

"The environmental impact was incredible. But I have to admit my first worry was whether tap water was good enough, but I talked to my family and friends, and they all loved the idea of banning bottled water.

"People can bring their own sparkling water if they prefer it, but we definitely won't be selling it."

From today, customers will automatically be given a glass jug of chilled tap water on their table as soon as they sit down.

"Even I was amazed at first by how good London tap water is. I certainly can't tell the difference between a glass of chilled tap water and the water we used to charge £4 a bottle from."

Mr Zilli says his customers have been impressed. "I've been astounded - my customers are telling me it's the best thing I've ever done," he said.

"We've actually already had to go out and buy more water jugs. We've also noticed people now drink a lot more water, which is fantastic from a health point of view."

Mr Zilli also said he has converted his wife the cause.

"We've stopped using bottled water at home as well, and it has made a huge difference. My wife, who is five months pregnant, was struggling to carry home huge numbers of bottles."

Lunchtime customers backed the initiative and said they were not missing bottled water.

Jonathan Maitland, 46, a television presenter from Chiswick, said: "Bottled water is one of the biggest con tricks in the modern world. I have stormed out of restaurants before because they have tried to charge me £5 for a bottle of water. But I have to admit I tend to order it out of habit.

"I think it's something we've been brainwashed into. What Aldo is doing is fantastic and more people should be following in his footsteps."

Mr Maitland was dining with Ryan Morgan, 34, a tax consultant from Essex, who said: "The problem is that all too often when you ask for tap water in a restaurant the waiter will look down his nose at you."

Katrina Kutchinsky, 26, a PR consultant from Notting Hill, said: "In the past I used to order bottled water out of habit or because it seemed to be the done thing.

"But now I increasingly order tap water and find I prefer it, especially with lemon which you don't get in bottled water."

Graham Buckingham, 38, from Kingston, is campaign director of marine conservation charity Bite-Back. He said: "I always ask for tap water as a matter of principle. Tap water in a restaurant should be the first thing to be offered not an expensive bottled variety."