This article is absurd…and I say that as a former wine director of a WS 2 glass restaurant. There is a level of expectation and entitlement that runs under this article that’s almost pretentious.
Do bring the wine that they do not have on their list…even if they have wines from that producer. That’s just plain silly to think that’s “expected etiquette”.
Do NOT tip on the price of the restaurant mark-up for the bottle. When I was in, I did not (nor did the wait staff) expect tips on the bottle price. It’s a nice surprise when it happens, and that is above & beyond what was expected. We understand that wine is marked up 3x from retail price. Having said that, I’ve also tipped 100% of the bill (probably 5-10 times in the last 20 years) when service was above & beyond.
If you’re bringing in something rare or obscure…leaving a 2 oz taste of a wine is a generous gift to the Somm & their education about wine. It does not need to be, nor should it be a full glass. Maintaining sobriety would be a challenge by the end of service if 4-5 tables did this…but some restaurants have 20 - 50 tables. A 2 oz. pour is more than enough to taste & understand a wine.
The comments about the markup on wine on the list and what restaurants should or shouldn’t be able to live with needs to be addressed. Unlike many here I would guess, I’m a partner in a restaurant group and am intimately aware of the financials in running a restaurant.
The markup on food is less than 10%, sometimes much less, especially in the post-Covid era of what I would call hyper-inflation. So the alcohol sales are what really keeps a place profitable. And forget the thought “just charge more for the food”. Good luck doing that and keeping butts in seats. People know that inflation is out of control, but when they see the price on the menu increase, they immediately think the restaurant is gouging.
Also consider carrying cost on the wine. The price the restaurant is paying is usually more than the price that a local wine store conglomerate such as Binny’s in my area pays. You’re wrong if you think the restaurant is paying some deeply discounted price for the wine on their list.
Anyway, I just wanted to do a little education on the economics of a restaurant.
Even more nuts, none of the restaurants (that I’ve ever seen) with this policy specify how their policy works. It would take one short sentence to say whether different vintages and/or bottlings still count as a bottle they sell.
I’m not one who regularly brings bottles to restaurants. What’s the thought process behind “needing” to offer the somm a taste? I can understand it being a courtesy if the somm seems particularly engaged or interested in what you brought, but if they’re just opening and pouring it seems somewhat excessive to be expected to offer them “a large tasting pour or even a full glass”.
I don’t know where you live, but in FL there are absolutely discounts available to places with an on premises license vs a retail license on many wines. Sometimes there’s strings attached (I.e. must be on BTG list), but the discounts are very real.
Are retailers not paying the carrying cost of wines? How can they afford to sell it at a ~30% markup to wholesale while restaurants can’t manage to get it below 300% of retail?
Hey John, thanks for posting and sharing real info about what goes on in restaurants. In the spirit of the subject of this thread (BYO), I would just offer thoughts on BYO and corkage. I’ve figured that the price of corkage is something like the average of the margin on bottles in the restaurant. So if someone pays that corkage, you’re as happy as selling them a typical bottle, maybe even happier because you have effectively zero cost.
But I still assume that corkage/BYO is done by such a small percentage of customers for most restaurants that complex policies are not worth the effort. Come up with something simple that the wait staff can manage without hassle or time and move on.
The opportunity that I think is missed by restaurants is going from thinking about BYO as a minor annoyance to something that can actually drive activity & margin at your restaurant. For example, a local neighborhood French restaurant here in San Francisco has zero corkage Tuesdays. On other week nights this place is busy but nowhere close to full. Tuesdays? Jammed. Not only does this increase overall volumes, but also has built a brand for this restaurant in a very competitive market. I go there all the time on other nights as well because I know it, like it, and appreciate how inviting they are for we wine lovers.
Agree on zero or very low corkage on slow nights. I thought that was common. (Also wines half off in some cases).
I wonder about what the optimum markup might be, especially on expensive bottles versus average. Would they increase wine revenue with lower markups, and which gives better profit. It’s not at all clear to me this is an efficient market.
Whatever the exact economics, we all know that the level of profitability of a restaurant (with a license) is driven by the beverage program. Since everyone is structured this way, a restaurant can’t just charge more for the food. It upsets the competitive balance.
If the industry was brand new, and there could be a do over on practices and policies, I’m sure things would be set up differently (including tipping policies).
But for now, it’s conforming to the norm and maximizing profit. Not to say creativity can’t be used, but the default is what we already have.
Restaurants without a license have a different model obviously but they generally are less lavish, pay less rent, pay staff less, no benefits, simple ingredients, delivery and table turnover
I think way too much is made of this, both in terms of it being a necessary courtesy to the somm or the server, or in terms of some wine geeks (unfortunately) thinking that sharing pours entitles them to waived corkage fees or reduced tipping on the BYO bottles.
For me, if the server shows interest and seems like he or she might appreciate a taste, I offer it, but whether I do or don’t, or they accept or don’t, I don’t change anything else I do or expect as a result.
I am guessing this sharing of pours with staff happens a small fraction as often in actuality as compared to how often it seems to come up in our conversations about corkage.
If the restaurant I’m going to only has current release vintages on their list and I bring an aged version of this wine, is this considered bringing something on their list? I have a 1983 Mayacamas I was planning on taking for a special dinner, but they do have current Mayacamas vintages on the list. I just of felt wine with < 10yrs of age was probably a no-no, but 40yrs would probably be ok.
I’m guessing in practice (1) very few restaurants with that policy bother to enforce it, and (2) if they do, it’s probably to thwart a customer from bringing in recent vintage Rombauer, Silver Oak, Prisoner, Santa Margerita, or something extremely common/generic like that.
It’s hard to imagine a server writing down the bottles you brought, going back and looking through the wine list to see if any of them are on there, making decisions about whether vintage or SVD differences count or not, coming back and confronting their customers, etc. All just to create an unpleasant and uncomfortable situation with the customer?
Again, if you brought current vintage Rombauer Chardonnay, then I could imagine the server mentioning the policy.
It shouldn’t be, by any rational person. If it were me, I’d just bring it and not worry about it. If you are really concerned, call them in advance and as them what they think.
