I am less likely than ever to buy a bottle off the list - pay the corkage fee and bring in a better bottle. As far as throwing the restaurant a bone I probably will order a cocktail or a glass of sparking.
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There are 51 different answers to your question.strong text
In terms of %, what is this cut?
What is the markup for most restaurants per bottle?
Weekday diners are far, far more desirable than weekend ones in almost every restaurant in a major city. The bridge and tunnel crowd do not spend money and are not āseasonedā diners.
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Wholesale markup is usually ~30% +/-, As for restaurants, it is whatever the restaurant chooses. Usually not the same across wine lists, however, A complex issue.
I would say 30% is on the low side for wholesalers. A factor but not the primary culprit. It would be hard to stay in business with considerably lesser margins. And the logistics just are going to work at scale for every restauranteur to drive to each winery across the US or take their boat over to Europe to pick up a few cases.
Most restaurants are going minimum 3x. Itās apparent when they going significantly lower. Those are the places people note when they talk about great restaurant deals/pricing.
As I said, distributors play a key role, especially where there are great distances between wineries and stores or restaurants. As for restaurant markups, they are all over the place. Same margin for easy to find inexpensive wines as for older or scarcer ones? I doubt it.
What is Momoyamaās corkage policy? And do they limit bottles? Iāve been eyeing it up for a dinner in January. Iāve eaten there (and loved it), but I havenāt brought any wine
You also used the word culprit for distributors. That implies they are committing some crime or at least responsible for a problem. While I am not opposed to loosening regulations of the 3-tier system, I think it is unfair and inaccurate to hold them accountable when, for the most part, they are not operating with greedy margins.
I think you would be surprised how similarly many restaurants mark up commodity wines as they do the rarities. Sure, exceptions abound, but on average most places just follow a formula they inherited from someplace else.
For a long time, here in CA, a bottle which retailed for $30 was sold to the distributor for $15. The bottle was sold to the wine store or restaurant for $20, a markup of 33 and 1/3%. The wine store then marked it up to $30, a 50% markup. Restaurants marked it up as they saw fit.
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Thatās pretty accurate. As always, exceptions are everywhere. Costco and some big box chains (not allowed in all states to sell alcohol) are working much lower.
Restos are pretty near 3x, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. BTG they usually charge for a glass what they pay for the bottle.
Have to give a shout out to the Hillstone group of restaurants. Their lists arent huge, but theyre very well priced.
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To add to that in regards to Euro pricing:
Note that the delta between retail and resto pricing is much narrower than in the US. Ditto for Argentina which operates more like the EU model. Iām not completely familiar with the system there but I assure you that 1, there are middlemen often involved and 2, especially in Italy, the incentive for black market is much greater due to high taxation so wine loaded into the trunk may mean more than just buying direct.
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I brought last time (2 bottles among four people), no issues, but I didnāt pick up the check, so I donāt know what the cost was. Iāll get a refresher tonight and post an update
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I think youāre throwing them a bigger bone by paying them to open a bottle you paid for and sourced/stored.
I lived there for 12 years. I would say similar things about Pittsburgh. It is really the major reason I continue to hope the State Store system continues to exist. I can BYO at most of the restaurants I love, and turn the money I would spend on buying heavily marked up wine into cash in the servers pocket. Any BYO with a reasonable corkage policy and decent service gets a 25% tip from me. The restaurant gets corkage fee with minimal effort ( I donāt even ask for a chill bucket for a sparkling wine), probably include a cocktail as a starter to boot. The server gets a bit more cash and I can eat out more often. Win/win.
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Perhaps - depends on what the corkage fee is and what wine you are bringing.
Me and many folks in nyc. Super happily.
Tuesday and Weds are the best nights to eat out in NYC. You can hear yourself think. Itās not a complete madhouse. You get the chance to actually converse and with the restaurant team, who arenāt exhausted yet, and create a relationship.
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Living here in Frederick , MD we have a very solid restaurant with $12 corkage. Great specials. Another which is a step up has half price wine on Wednesdays. Even Voltagioās restaurant has $25 corkage before it closed.
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We donāt do the 4x thing so perhaps thatās part of it, but our total red wine sales are not down. What dried up was sales of red fruit bombs, especially those that donāt pair with food. It has become hard to sale the big Zins and Petite Syrahs, regardless of winery, as they languish in my cellar. Those Caymus and Dave P, style wines are out of favor iwith our customers. Bring in new wine that pairs with the meals, price them reasonably, introduce them to your customers, and they sell.
Some of my competitors have stale wine lists of wines people have moved on from, but they donāt change their wine list. If your wine list today is identical ( except for vintage) to your list 2+ years ago, youāll assuredly see decreased sales. Amazing how often this is the case.
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