Serious Grape: Embracing Corkage Fees
On Fridays, Deb Harkness of Good Wine Under $20 drops by with Serious Grape.
Photograph from neeta_lind on Flickr
I love going out to eat, but do not love the high cost of mediocre wine service that often accompanies it.
Warm red wine, insipid wine list selections, and astronomical markups have finally convinced me that the time has come, wine lovers, to bring wine to restaurants. That means it's time to stop complaining and start embracing corkage fees.
Corkage fees are charges that restaurants assess on diners who bring their own wine to dinner. There is usually a flat fee (on average $5 to $20 per bottle), and it's meant to soften the blow to the restaurant's bottom line that would result if we all stopped buying their overpriced wine selections. And though you may grumble about paying $15 for someone to open your wine bottle, you are still probably paying less than you would ordering off the wine list.
I am a relative novice when it comes to taking wine to restaurants. I usually just swallow my amazement and pay $45 for the same bottle of wine I bought last week for $20. Besides, it's always felt a bit precious to me, as if you were saying "I know more about wine than you do and I want to drink my own stuff." Lately, however, I've been feeling less inspired by restaurant wine lists and more eager to drink my own bottles. It's part economics, part despair. And though I'm still still learning my way, I must say I like the results so far. Dining costs are down, wine quality is up.
If you want to take wine to a restaurant, here's what you need to do:
Call ahead of time and make sure the restaurant permits you to bring your own wine. Not all restaurants are willing or able to do this, and you don't want to show up with wine and get in an argument. Call ahead.
Ask about their corkage policy and fees. Some restaurants ask you not to bring a wine they serve. Some restaurants have a 2 bottle limit. Some restaurants charge $5—some charge $40. Know what you're getting into before you get there.
In general, I find that if you have a bottle of wine that costs under $10, it's probably not worth it to bring your own wine and pay corkage. If you spent $12 or more on a wine, however, you will probably spend less on corkage than you would on a comparable wine.
Let your server know when you sit down that you brought wine. If it needs an ice bucket, they will bring it. In some restaurants, they take it from your table to open, in others they open it right there.
Tip appropriately. Don't forget to include the corkage when you calculate the tip. The wait-staff doesn't determine the corkage fees or the wine markups that led you to bring wine in the first place. You're tipping them for their service, in this case taking care of the wine and pouring it. We're talking $3 to $4—just do it.
Do I still buy wine at restaurants? Absolutely. But given my positive experiences taking my own wine and paying the corkage fees, I'm going to be pickier about the restaurants and wine lists who will earn this business.
What are your thoughts about corkage? Do you take wine to restaurants, and what have your experiences been?
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17 Comments:
I don't drink any alcohol, but this corkage fee has been a curiosity for me...esp. when a restaurant does not serve any alcohol. Is it still appropriate for them to charge for this? I realize that someone will be opening it, but some places do not offer a bucket and the bottle sits there on the table.
I don't see anything wrong with tipping additionally for a service that is not performed at each table...unless it's done poorly.
Cassaendra at 12:05PM on 03/13/09
I don't mind the corkage, at all. Wine is the only edible thing you can bring from home and the relatively small fee is worth the freedom. Can you imagine having the ability to bring your own beer with a small fee? I'd bring my own keg! With restaurant mark-ups (on wine) going anywhere from 3x to even 10x (yes, I've seen them at upscale steakhouses with so-called 'renowned' sommeliers), I can't blame people wanting to bring their own booz. And the last time I asked my server for a suggestion, I drank an overpriced vino that did not match my dish, at all. My humble suggestion to eateries and servers everywhere: Justify your mark-ups. Be knowledgeable and informative about your selections. Give the customers the feeling that they have the freedom with the selection.
a_chef_disguised at 12:27PM on 03/13/09
If I were your waiter and you tipped me on corkage as opposed to what the bottle would have cost had it been on the menu, I would be pissed. Just because you are a cheap bastard, doesn't mean you have to be a dick.
tb1010 at 1:20PM on 03/13/09
I actually offer the server/sommelier a glass when they open the bottle. More often than not, the corkage fee gets waived and and I get better service for the rest of the evening and all subsequent visits.
treducks at 1:27PM on 03/13/09
Uh, tb1010, how am I supposed to know what the restaurant would sell my $15 wine for on their list? I must say I talked to a number of people about tipping and no one suggested tipping based on the wine price--they did suggest tipping based on the entire check and not excluding the corkage fees.
I don't think this is about being cheap. I think this is about feeling ripped off at restaurant markups. Besides, wouldn't you rather have me dining out than face a restaurant full of empty tables??
Deb Harkness at 1:31PM on 03/13/09
treducks, we've also left the rest of the bottle when we don't finish it (frequent occurrence) for the server. And I know of others who have offered tastes of the wine--particularly when it's an old and/or rare bottle. This is a great practice. My wine is usually fairly ordinary!
Deb Harkness at 1:33PM on 03/13/09
If patrons knew that at least 50% of the corkage fee was going to a specific charitable organization, or as much as 100%, most wouldn't think twice about paying up to $40. The restaurant would be receiving a tax receipt for their donated portion, which could certainly add up after a few months, and the wait person would be bearing a bit of good news along with the notification of the 'ding'. Our efforts at structuring a fund to facilitate something like this has been her well received by most restauranteurs who we've pitched it to, interested to know what your readers think. (info@invinocharitus.org)
Invinocharitus at 2:17PM on 03/13/09
Sometimes buying off the wine list is worth it, even considering the markup. Two big reasons for me: Often times I don't know what I want to eat before I get to the restaurant, and of course I'd want a wine to match, so bringing my own wine is not awlays sensible for me. Secondly, there is the possibility you may have a corked wine on your hands. If you bought from the restaurant, you can get a replacement, no worries, no additional cost to you, but if you brought your own, you'd have paid corkage for a wine you're not going to enjoy. Or if you wanted to enjoy something you'd have to buy off their list anyway.
Many restaurants have pride in their wine lists and really take care and effort in storing properly and serving in proper glassware. I would never think of bringing a $15 wine to any of these establishments. These restaurants want to pamper you, so let yourself enjoy the experience instead of trying to save a few bucks.
omymai at 2:38PM on 03/13/09
Is this legal in NYC? My dh once brought a bottle to a restaurant (we did not call ahead though) and was told it was illegal to byob into a NYC restaurant.
Peony at 2:40PM on 03/13/09
As a restaurant manager (who writes the wine list), I don't have a problem with our corkage fee ($10) or people brining in wine. We have won awards in the past for our lists but found them directed to the 5% of the wine drinking crowd that actually know wine. Our lists are now directed at the 95% of the market that wants wine that is good and affordable. In doing so our wine sales have greatly imporved, but we also do not have the breadth of selection that some people may like. Knowing this, if you bring in a bottle that is not on our list, and or special to you, I am happy for you. The only time I have any issues is when people call and ask about corkage fees, then show up with to magnums of yellow tail (which we do not have on the list), and think that this is okay. Fortunatley this is less often than more.
The mar up of bottle costs needs to be addressed. all beverage used to be a major source of profits in restaurants, but as all prices have gone up, the mark up on beverage is now just supplanting the profit lost in other areas. When all things are said and done, the margins on most restaurants are very thin. If we price one thing less, another generally needs to be raised. Focus on the entire bill and less on the costs of one section of the menu. If you spent $65 fo two people, did you get the appropriate value for the dollar spent? Support those restaurants.
bruer26 at 4:54PM on 03/13/09
Re: to Peony
It's certainly not illegal in NYC. Some restaurants (mostly upscale) don't allow it but that's just the policy of the individual establishment, not the district, city nor state.
I can't say the same about our neighbors to the north, however. Last time I was in Whistler, my party and I were told it is illegal to BYO wine in British Columbia. Lame...
a_chef_disguised at 6:06PM on 03/13/09
Most places that have corkage will also allow you to bring beer. As most restaurants that have solid wine lists are sadly lacking an equal quality beer list, my friends and I often take our own beer. The fees are the same as wine, and we have opportunity to educate the restaurant on the wonderful complex world of beer. As always, don't bring something they serve and tip as if you bought from restaurant.
beersnob at 7:46PM on 03/13/09
While I think this has been touched on, the corkage fee not only covers the loss from selling an in-house bottle, but also covers the cost of the glassware, the staff serving the wine, the staff cleaning up after the wine has been poured, etc. While I agree that a $40 corkage fee is out of line, $5 - $15 is not [especially if they've got Riedel on the table]. And this might seem an extreme analogy, but I've heard a couple of chef/owners compare BYOW to bringing in your own rib-eye and expecting a discount on the prepared meal.
At the same time, a taste of an extraordinary wine [I still dream of the '61 Lafite Rothschild a regular shared with me] goes a long way - and if you can, be sure to send some back to the chef!
sallyforth at 9:08PM on 03/14/09
I'll throw in some support for restaurants. As an earlier comment pointed out, margins are very thin and booze is one of the few reliably profitable items. While I agree that some eateries charge way too much for uninspiring selections, I've also discovered lots of great wines while eating out. I don't begrudge the mark-up as part of an overall experience dining out.
I'd also encourage generosity when your server takes good care of you and the wine you brought.
jwallace at 6:59AM on 03/16/09
Deb, I'd say your feelings of being "ripped off" stems from an overdeveloped sense of entitlement. The markup you talk about pays the restaurant's rent, giving you a place to eat and providing storage for the wine; it covers labor- both the people who serve you the wine and the people who select the wines that go on the list; it pays for the frequently-broken glassware you drink out of; the chairs you sit in and the tables you sit at; essentially, all of the things you leave your house for are possible because of the fact that it costs more to eat and drink in a restaurant than it does at home.
There's nothing wrong with bringing a special bottle of wine to a special occasion in a restaurant. But regularly bringing what you call "ordinary wine" because you're cheap and you're too ignorant to realize that restaurants aren't just the same as your house with the exception of it being less work for you? Maybe you should start bringing your own appetizers as well. Maybe you should start bringing your own appetizers, too. I don't know, those calamari seem overpriced to me. You know, I think I'm going to start taking my own oil to the garage where I get my car serviced.
For those of you who want to bring your own wine, here are some pointers:
- This should be reserved for special wines on special occasions. Make sure the restaurant doesn't have the wine you want to drink on their list. Bringing a bottle that they already have is considered extremely rude by people with manners. And classless by people with class.
- Be generous with servers who are generous with you. By which I mean, you aren't expected to tip on what the restaurant would have charged for the bottle, but if the waiter gives you good service, consider the fact that you would've spent more money had you ordered off the list and throw a little extra in. Also, servers are, frequently, people who are interested in wine. If you aren't, say, trying to split a 750 ml bottle seven ways, they may very well be interested in a little taste of what you brought, and even in hearing what you like about it. That said, if the server grumbles when you show him your bottle of wine, he doesn't really want your tip all that badly, anyway.
- If you're planning on regularly bringing your own wine, and if your logic is that, from the restaurant's point of view at least you're coming in to eat, you should be spending enough money- or at least coming in when it's slow enough- to make it worth it the cost of the table.
Kilbeggan at 3:02PM on 03/16/09
Kilbeggan, I don't think we need to get personal about this, do you? I don't really think I deserve being called ignorant and cheap. Also, I would like to point out that I covered 2 of your 3 pointers in my post--and disagree with the 3rd at least in part.
What I object to--and am now refusing to pay for--is the astronomical markup on bad wine. There is something wrong with us as a culture when we assume that it's ok to mark up wine from $7.50 wholesale a bottle/$10-$15 retail to $30-$45 on a wine list. That's not the markup on my steak, or my potatoes, or anything else I put in my mouth.
I don't object to helping restaurant owners pay their rent, and eat out several times every week. But why not charge more for the food? Why not charge a cover? Why is it that you park this cost in wine? Why do Americans feel they are entitled to cheap food??
I'll tell you why--because restaurant owners park their hidden costs in the wine lists and most Americans don't know enough and are too intimidated to say enough is enough, this wine is not worth $45.
So, I don't usually drink wine in restaurants. I drink water. And when I want to drink wine I stay at home, which keeps money out of restaurant accounts. I reached a compromise. I am eating out more and bringing my own wine. Is it less work for me? Yes. Is it more expensive than eating in? Yes. But in this economy, I'd like restaurants stay open so I'm trying to do my part.
I just don't like getting ripped off while doing it. And every restaurant owner charging $35 for a bottle of wine they paid $7.50 for wholesale is doing just that. As a wine drinker, I'm tired of subsidizing the guy's dinner sitting next to me. And I don't think I'm alone.
Deb Harkness at 9:11PM on 03/16/09
"But why not charge more for the food? Why not charge a cover?"
ok that is hilarious and as a result makes the rest of your post seem ridiculous.
Kilbeggan, I am with you point by point!
phoenee at 11:26AM on 03/17/09