Moving to Columbus, OH

[Mike_Cohen]

Go Buckeyes!

[markjchambers]

Corkage is not illegal in Ohio. It’s becoming rare, but I know of three restaurants in the Dayton area that allow it. I brought an Aubert Pinot to one in Yellow Springs last weekend.

It is. That some places allow it - usually from ignorance - doesn’t make it less illegal. I know a couple places that would allow me to BYO and I won’t do it. They will pay a larger price that I am comfortable with should there be enforcement (as rare as it is.) There have been actions at various points when the State wanted to make a point.

Businesses with a liquor permit are strictly prohibited from allowing an open container of an alcoholic beverage on their premises that was not purchased from them. > Charging corking, cup, storage or any other additional fees related to BYOB and the consumption of that alcohol on the business permit premises, may constitute the illegal sale of alcohol and result in citations for the permit holder. >

https://www.oiu.ohio.gov/links/BYOB_Notice.pdf

Suppose the restaurant also has a license to sell wine at retail. That is the case with the restaurant I mentioned. You can purchase a bottle at their wine store and take it right into the restaurant. That is also true for a couple of restaurans inthe Cleveland area.

There was also a restaurant, in Dayton, that had no liqour license and simply charged for glassware, $2 a stem. I’ve been aware of several places that did something like this while they were waiting for liquor license approval.

[Andrew_Hall]

Suppose the restaurant also has a license to sell wine at retail. That is the case with the restaurant I mentioned. You can purchase a bottle at their wine store and take it right into the restaurant. That is also true for a couple of restaurans inthe Cleveland area.

There was also a restaurant, in Dayton, that had no liqour license and simply charged for glassware, $2 a stem. I’ve been aware of several places that did something like this while they were waiting for liquor license approval.

In case one, they have a license that allows on-premise which covers the whole establishment even if they decided to use part of it to be retail display. This is not uncommon.

In the second case, they are in violation. Sorry, no way around it. Not defending the law, but consumers and restaurants should be aware of the risks they run should the wrong person be there or the state agency decides on another round of enforcement on this. Low probability, yes. But every so often, the authorities decide they need to make some busts at more upscale places versus the parade of bars in some neighborhoods that they are usually doing. And yes, you can read between the lines on that one. I know a high end restaurant that had their license suspended when caught out on corkage. And also of open container citations in a different case at another casual place, though that was more a chain of events versus directed enforcement.

An entertainment district would be another possibility where open container laws are different, but I am not up on the exact coverage of the law there (and really should be since it is relevant for my wife’s business soon.) I know you can be outdoors in public with alcoholic beverages and I think you can bring them into a place that doesn’t have a license, but not another place with a license even if it is in the same district. There are also licenses that cover larger premises that are not single entities like food halls, but I do think it has to be a single property lot.

I used to leverage friendship/goodwill at restaurants to bring wine. Won’t do it anymore as that is putting all the risk on them and I am not comfortable with it.

[J_Ramos]

@Kurt_L - did you ever find a club? I’m interested in joining/creating one in the Columbus area.

[Kurt_L]

Hey Javier! No, I haven’t connected with any local berserkers. I’d definitely be up for joining or starting something.

[J_Ramos]

I know a few people in the Muirfield area that should be interested, although they don’t seem to be at Berserker levels of wine fanaticism/obsession. Good thing for them.