That’s why Bruce Called to ask. This is the top 1% that do care if they don’t see it on the menu or website.
Maybe if you were on Mars or Venus.
One also needs to ask or if listed on the menu, the corkage based on the size of the bottle - per 750, per mag, etc. I learned that lesson asking per bottle fee, but not that I was bringing a magnum.
Even bringing your own bottle of wine gets some people upset. ![[wink.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/04707e6a7bbb03e0153e349d8a9270d30e1e9525.gif "wink"){kind=small}
I always assume a magnum will cost twice in terms of per bottle corkage and end up very pleased if just charged the 750 ml price.
I agree with most on here regarding restaurants having their right to whatever policy they desire, but should have that policy clear for at the very least, the staff.
As for restaurants worried about losing money. I disagree. By having a corkage policy, they are making a near pure profit (not counting stem breakage) off of a wine they don’t have to keep in inventory. Restaurants are foolish to not have at least some byob policy. I for one refuse to pay 3-4x markup for anything other than a bottle of house wine at a restaurant. So if I’m spending $40 on a bottle of wine, or spending $35 corkage on a significantly better wine, the restaurant is going to make more profit and have a happier patron. Not to mention, I always order a cocktail or two to accompany my wine. This is something I don’t do when I order wine from their list.
The restaurant, if they allow corkage, should have the policy on their web site that makes things really easy. I often e-mail the restaurant and ask for the policy. I print their reply and take it with me or keep it on my phone. Then if there is a problem it gets solved pretty quickly. There is no BYOB in Indiana (except private clubs) so it isn’t a regular issue for me.
Restaurants are a tough business. And one would think that they would try a bit harder and be a bit more organized if they are or are not going to allow corkage. I don’t know what the problem is in stating a clear policy. I had horrible time with Acadia in Chicago over corkage. I was told three different prices and that they didn’t allow it. I don’t care if they don’t allow it but jerking me around only guaranteed that I’ll never, ever be back.
My kind of place:
WE DO NOT HAVE A CORKAGE FEE
We feature a Wine List which has a variety of selections to please most palettes,
but for those who would like something other than what we offer,
please feel free to bring you own wines which we will happily serve for you.
Feel free to take any leftover bottled wine home with you, ours or yours.
My favorite corkage “issue” was when I called a high end restaurant several years back (on Long Island) and what asked what was the policy regarding bringing in wine the person who answered laughed and said “there’s no need to bring your on wine ; we have plenty here”.
But for every corkage fee they charge, it’s a bottle that remains in their inventory, so it’s a moot point.
I think there is sense in restaurants having a sharply priced but tight list, plus corkage priced to a similar profit margin.
The tight list won’t stress out those intimidated by wine in a restaurant setting, whilst the turnover of those wines should remain very strong. For those more interested, and perhaps with a cute tie-in to a local wine shop, there is then a huge choice for those that are really into wine.
This is probably why most restaurants don’t put it on the wine list or menu. Even nice places would have people bringing in Apothic Red thinking they’re somehow beating the system. Really, everyone loses. Thorough staff training is extremely important, though, and it needs to start with “if you’re not completely sure of the answer, get someone who is.”
Yeah, I find it hard to fathom why the waiter would take something like this as his battle to fight. Just listen to the customer, say, “I understand the situation; let me check on it for you,” go find a manager, explain the situation, and let the manager either honor what was said over the phone or take the heat for disappointing the customer. I can’t believe this is the kind of decision that either the waiter or management wants made at the table. They both stand a much better chance of avoiding customer ill-will if the decision is put in the hands of (and if adverse, delivered by) a manager who has both more authority to smooth over the issue and (in most cases) a greater depth of experience handling sticky situations.
– Matt
With respect to the stories being told, keep in mind that we have only one side of the story. I know nothing about these particular incidents, but it is remotely possible that maybe perhaps the customer might possibly perhaps have been rude to the staff. Yes, the restaurant screwed up in their communicating regarding their corkage policy. But the customer still has a duty to keep his/her cool. After all, we are talking about only five or ten dollars. Being a wine geek does not give the customer the right to get huffy.
Phil Jones
I would be interested in seeing how people who are in the restaurant business feel about this. Are there any on this board?
Owners have a right to resent outside wine being brought into their restaurants but the smart way to handle this is to have a corkage prohibitively high to dissuade customers from bringing their own. If a restaurant is regularly filling their seats with wine buying customers then they have the luxury of doing their best not to accommodate those who to prefer bringing their own. But if they are not filling their places regularly, or are doing so with iced tea drinkers, a more welcoming wine policy including both a reasonable corkage and restrained list prices would seem to be in their best interest. There is no point of dining in a place that resents wine being brought in, if that is a contingency for where one chooses to patronize.
Eh. I understand your point, but that’s not really how inventory works. You have to keep a certain amount of stock to supply enough to meet all demands. It’s not the easiest thing to do perfectly, but some restaurants are very good at predicting sales. Think about it this way. If the average wine consumption in your restaurant is 200 bottles a week, but 10% of those wines are customer bottles, for sake of argument, you should now theoretically be able to stock 20 bottles less than you would otherwise have to. Thus increasing your profit margins.
That assumes all patrons who bring a bottle and pay corkage would buy a bottle if corkage was not available. I have no data, but suspect that a significant portion of those who would bring their own bottle would not order a bottle off of the list or would go elsewhere. That’s my routine.
Went to Chi Spacca in LA this past weekend to celebrate my wedding anniversary with another couple we’re close with and I really liked how they were very clear about their corkage policy on their website:
– max of 2 bottles corkage
– one corkage waived with purchase of one bottle
Their wine list online was outdated, but that’s understandable.
Staff was happy to open our two bottles: Ace of Spades to start from my generous friend. I brought a bottle of 2008 La Jota Cab for the meat courses. And we purchased an easy going Dolcetto in between the two bottles. Happy customer, and the restaurant makes some money. Wish all restaurants were that transparent about corkage.
I agree with this. As many have said, the most important thing is communication. Restaurants obviously consider many things in their pricing, including cost, profit, and customer appeal. Having a corkage of 20-25 deals with those who will try to “game” the system by bringing in two buck chuck. A much higher corkage probably limits its use to those bringing in pretty expensive wines. And of course not allowing BYOB means you are comfortable with limiting patrons to the wine list. Personally I rarely buy a whole bottle off of a list, preferring glass pours to try something new. When I do buy off a list I try to focus on the lower priced items – someone in the business once told me to focus on the cheapest or second cheapest bottle on a really good list. Restaurants with serious wine lists often want something good at the low price point.