Going to a nice steakhouse with four other couples and was thinking about bringing a nice magnum. Corkage is $45/bottle, which is a bit high, but within reason given the restaurant and wine list.
So, figured maybe $90 for a magnum.
Was told $225!! A 5x multiplier!
Makes it an easy decision to just bring two 750s.
Has anyone seen that kind of markup for a magnum?
Makes no sense to me, other than not wanting people to bring magnums.
I’m guessing that’s a mistake or misunderstanding. But who the hell knows, there is a lot of illogical stuff (both favorable and unfavorable to the diner) in the world of corkage.
A lot of places won’t let you bring mags at all. The expectation is that you’ll bring a bottle (750) and order 1 (or more) from the restaurant list. Keep in mind that booze drives profits so not surprised to hear the markup for a mag is that high.
Ah, a perfect illustration of tranching, to create economic value. One “AAA”-rated senior bottle and one non-rated equity bottle, from the same pool, leaving a nice corkage arbitrage.
If it’s not a mistake, then they have a reason, though it may not be the reason they give you when you ask.
It may be something like “the types of people who bring them tend to be a certain way or affect the perceptions of other diners a certain way.” They probably won’t tell you that though.
Some restaurants have this “max bottles per table no matter how many are at the table” rule. If you ask, they’ll tell you something about how they need revenue from wine sales or something.
But that doesn’t survive any scrutiny. Why are four two-person tables with two bottles each okay, but a table of 10 can have a max of four bottles? Why don’t they object to a table of 10 who don’t drink? Those people pay and tip even less than a table with 8 corkage fees.
So they tell you one thing, but the real reason is something else. Probably they don’t like having wine tasting groups, and that rule effectively keeps them out. Or something like that.
That’s really disappointing to see. I do like the restaurant for special occasions, and I bet when Paul Coker was the somm he wouldn’t have let such a charge go through…lame.