Since bottled water costs can be a large portion of a coffee-break budget, meeting planners are turning to water coolers. They are cheaper, for one thing, and green-friendly, for another.

A new choice we’re seeing on banqueting menus is the addition of fruit and/or cucumber mint to water. Personally, I love water with cucumber in it. Nothing tastes fresher to me.

But this takes me back to menus with a “planners beware” tip.

I’m planning an event for a client that has water with fruit garnish on its banqueting menu. The cost is $50.00++ per gallon. That sounded high, so I asked if we could do this for $50 per three gallons. The agreeable hotel came back and said, “Sure, no problem.”

It was then that a light bulb went off. This water is filtered, of course? RIGHT? WRONG! It was tap water to which cut fruit was being added.

My point: In banqueting we are experiencing scenarios like this more and more, so learn to ask questions and then go in and negotiate price points accordingly.

This is my watered-down story for now, and I am sticking to it.