Grrrrr.....calling about the corkage policy only to be told.....

WINE TALK
101

h good god, I just re-checked their 54 page list, and found the 2004 Dom there. $470. Calling them right away. I have other choices, but wanted the Dom for the kids.

Call and offer a deal. Explain the situation and offer to pay double corkage for the the Dom and see what they say.

102

you’re not understanding my point or Brian’s.

103

When corkage gets up to $40 or $50 a bottle or above, it’s my impression that the restaurant is saying without saying that they really don’t want outside wine brought in, knowing that the vast majority of people will decline. So if someone is going to do so, it really is imperative that what they bring in isn’t on the list and preferably has some age. None of this insures that one still won’t encounter an attitude due to resentment. Sommeliers are there to provide wine service regardless if the wine is off the list or is brought by the diner. A pro will do their job the same in either case.

104

Decided not to call. I will also take a 2006 Tatt Comtes. I’ll send the kids to check out the table, and deal with the situation at the desk then. Kids won’t be here until late Saturday, and I can’t tell what they want to drink. Last time it was Mimosas until they tasted my untainted champagne. I don’t want to overdo this based on my guesswork. That will take the pleasure out of it. Maybe they want the Dom at home Saturday night on the porch? Oh, mom! Can’t wait to spend time with my kids! Not going to overthink this.

105

Mr. Fu: I think I can’t embed the number of quotes that I would like to. Please explain what you and Brian are referring to. But I do recall being shown the worst table in the restaurant in my younger years, and that sort of thing. And then things shift. Or you shift them. A quiet demonstration of respect and knowledge go further than indignation.

106

[rofl.gif] [thumbs-up.gif]

107

I don’t know about you, but when somebody treats me with disrespect, my reaction usually isn’t to treat them with even more respect than I have already afforded them. I do agree with the “quiet knowledge” part, however. I encounter this when wine tasting more than anywhere else — no quicker way to Zero Sales when the person pouring the wine cops a condescending attitude towards me, and then quickly makes it apparent that they know way less about the wines they’re pouring (or wines in general) than I do.

108

Why are we trying to demonstrate that we know more about wine than the restaurant staff?
Somebody once said that the way to judge a person is how they treat a waiter. Being a wine geek does not entitle someone to be rude to staff at a restaurant by trying to act superior.
If the staff makes a mistake, either let it go or point it out politely, but trying to impress them with your superior knowlege makes you a jerk and a snob.
Phil Jones

109

You’re missing the point as well. Please read Brian’s post in totality.

110

At least two of the posts above suggested that one should “quietly” demonstrate one’s knowledge.
Every time I quietly point out that I received the Nobel prize and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth and have an IQ of 172, for some strange reason people think I am a jerk and a snob. I just can’t figure it out, despite that IQ.
Phil Jones

111

Missing the point still. Brian explained it very succinctly. What you just posted has nothing to do with what we are saying.

112

Yes, his most recent post succinctly indicated that he did not want to show “more respect” to the waitstaff, but instead he wanted to “quietly demonstrate” to the waitstaff that they “knew less than he knew.” Yes, he was very succinct about it. If there was some other succinct point made, perhaps you can explain succinctly exactly what it was.
Phil Jones

113

So, how did lunch go?

114

I view the corkage fee/policy a little differently than most and often I find corkage fee get waived or a gift card is given to offset the corkage fee.
I have spoken to many owners/somm’s/wine stewards and managers on this matter. Higher end restaurants do not like it when you bring a current release or a inexpensive bottle for dinner as it is often viewed as bypassing their wine list/markups. Bringing a well aged bottle of non plonk (who ages bad wine???) and offering a pour to the steward/somm/manager/owner usually gets the waiving/gift card.I also try to order a bottle from their list for every bottle I am bringing from my cellar (often order champagne and whites from list and brings reds and port from cellar)

115

Sounds like a good policy. But the one thing you neglected to mention is your tipping policy, knowing the bottom line of the check is significantly less than it would be if all wine was purchasd from the list. And what about for the wine service specificly?

116

But the point of this thread has nothing to do with specific corkage policy. I think pretty much everyone agrees that restaurants have the right to set it as they see fit. The point is either not honoring a stated policy or treating a customer poorly who follows the stated policy neither of which are acceptable.

117

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So you and Brian are hot and bothered that you don’t get standard and polite respect. As a result, you talk of retaliation. I think Merrill understands the relevant point entirely.

118

I find the dichotomy between the restaurateur’s and the diner’s perspective to be interesting. There are reasons why there are sayings in the business like “asses in chairs” or “butts in seats”. To most restaurateurs it’s a numbers game. Conversely, the diner wants to be treated like they are family. It’s been pointed out that regardless of the stated policy going in, there is no assurance that the experience will be pleasant. Therefore the only really important decision to be made is what is the diner going to do about it.

119

We all decided we would rather not go in 100 degree heat. It was the outdoor seating at Auberge du Soleil that we were looking forward to. We will do it next time the kids are up here.

120

You should open a restaurant.

This thought is simplistic, it misses the fact that restaurant sales volume is almost never static, and that many of the wines desired for the list are also not always available, and that customers like a range to choose from, among a hundred other things that would become fodder for a thread like this, if a wine list just could be based upon (non-existent) regular sales numbers.
From week to week things affect wine sales from weather changes, religious holidays, and local events. Most wine lists try to encompass all these things and more, and usually wind up with more inventory than is optimal(wine buyer enthusiasm is a factor as well).

The heart of this issue is the servers handling of the inconsistency of the corkage pricing. Customers do get to be huffy, or annoyed, and servers don’t. I spent nearly two decades in service, and why restaurant people get agitated over corkage still boggles my mind. Guests spend what they are going to spend, whether BYO, mid-level wine consumer($45-85), or someone who likes high end wines. I never found a reason to complain when a customer dropped $300-500 on a bottle of Bordeaux, why should I bitch if someone spends $15 on a wine they feel is special enough to bring to my restaurant. My job was to facilitate their experience so they enjoyed themselves enough to tell their friends, many of whom are probably not BYO people, and come back themselves.
Oh yeah, and the BYO people were almost always courteous enough to leave me tastes, and occasionally more, of wines ranging from 59 Latour, 82 Leoville Barton, 90 Pousse d’Or, etc. this would be a huge list if I put down all the great wines people shared with me over the years. It facilitated my knowledge, especially of great Bordeaux, and improved my skill set.