Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

wine is already prohibitively priced in restaurants in NY, with the majority marking it up by 400%. should someone choose to lash out on an expensive bottle why doesnt the restaurant owner slip the waiter some cash for upselling the customer to a more expensive bottle? the customer has already shelled out the 400% mark-up - adding an additional 20% is ludicrous. some of the best restaurants i have eaten at around the globe cap wine mark ups once you get over about $300 a bottle to a set $$ amount, i.e. instead of incurring the standard % mark-up they will only apply a set $$ amount. This encourages consumers to trade up on their wine purchase, and would you believe it but most people find that a great bottle of wine actually enhances the whole dining experience, promotes positive word of mouth and ultimately brings people back again and again.
Opening an old bottle is not that hard that it warrant's an exhorbitant tip - and if it has been stored correctly the cork should be in good condition and not require any additional effort than a younger bottle. How about screw-caps? they are starting to appear on expensive bottles now, that blows the argument of 'being hard to open'completely out of the water.
I agree with previous poster's who point the finger at the restaurant industry, changes need to be made, the hourly pay rate is a joke and on par with sweatshops.