Join Early Retirement Today
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Bringing Wine to a Restaurant
Old 10-19-2018, 05:24 PM   #1
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 483
Bringing Wine to a Restaurant

Have you ever brought your own wine to a restaurant? What wine and what did they charge you to serve? We brought a bottle of Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet to an Italian restaurant and the server said he would wave the corkage if we gave him a decent sample. They did not have anything similar on their wine list.
Idnar7 is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 10-19-2018, 05:50 PM   #2
Recycles dryer sheets
Blueskies123's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Miami
Posts: 337
I have some wine connoisseur friends with literally a house full of expensive wind. They always bring a very nice bottle and pay the corkage fee. They pay $60-$80 their cost from their worldwide trips. If we were to buy it at the restaurant it would $300 so paying the corkage fee is negligible
__________________
FIRE July 2015
Blueskies123 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2018, 05:56 PM   #3
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Souschef's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Santa Paula
Posts: 4,067
I have done it on occasion, and invited the maitre d' to have a taste
__________________
Retired Jan 2009 Have not looked back.
AA 60/35/5 considering SS and pensions a SP annuity
WR 2% with 2SS & 2 Pensions
Souschef is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2018, 06:26 PM   #4
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: W Wash
Posts: 1,643
It is my understanding, that when paying corkage, leaving a reasonable taste for waiter is considered proper etiquette. One our favorite dining places, allows corkage for any wine they do not carry on their menu.
nwsteve is offline   Reply With Quote
Bringing Wine to a Restaurant
Old 10-19-2018, 06:35 PM   #5
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Lawn chair in Texas
Posts: 14,183
Bringing Wine to a Restaurant

Quote:
Originally Posted by Blueskies123 View Post
I have some wine connoisseur friends with literally a house full of expensive wind.

Yeah, I’ve gotten more gassy with age, but for the same low price...

A local fav hole-in-the-wall Italian place is BYOW. Corkage fee is $5, plus I leave a pretty generous tip to compensate a bit for the lower overall ticket. Saves a ton when your table consumes five bottles.
__________________
Have Funds, Will Retire

...not doing anything of true substance...
HFWR is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2018, 06:57 PM   #6
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Rustward's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,684
Not too much into wine here, but someone who is into wine once told me (20 years ago) that if you offer a pour to the waitperson they will almost always waive the corkage fee. Then they showed me how it works.
Rustward is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2018, 06:58 PM   #7
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Colorado
Posts: 8,971
It varies by state. In Colorado it’s illegal.
COcheesehead is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2018, 07:27 PM   #8
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 8,332
Quote:
Originally Posted by COcheesehead View Post
It varies by state. In Colorado it’s illegal.
Same in Mass. If they serve wine/beer/liquor already you cannot bring in your own bottle.
__________________
Living well is the best revenge!
Retired @ 52 in 2005
marko is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2018, 08:31 PM   #9
Confused about dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Mar 2017
Posts: 6
Very common in NJ. BYOB. Many restaurants don’t have a liquor license and will uncork at nc. Those with a bar will charge an uncorking fee. They’d rather you buy their booze.
dr watson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2018, 09:06 PM   #10
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
nash031's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Bonita (San Diego)
Posts: 1,795
Quote:
Originally Posted by Idnar7 View Post
Have you ever brought your own wine to a restaurant? What wine and what did they charge you to serve? We brought a bottle of Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet to an Italian restaurant and the server said he would wave the corkage if we gave him a decent sample. They did not have anything similar on their wine list.
A bunch of times. Usually $15-25 corkage, though we like to hunt for free corkage nights during off-peak times. We've taken stuff from our go-to wineries every time, ranging from $20 bottles to $100 bottles depending on the occasion.
__________________
"So we beat to our own drummer in the sun;
We ask for nobody's permission to run.
I just wanna live in a world like that;
Now I'm gonna live in a world like that!" - World Like That, O.A.R.
nash031 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2018, 09:34 PM   #11
Recycles dryer sheets
Floridatennisplayer's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 485
I would never.
__________________
Central Ohio and Ft.Myers, Florida

Retired January 2019, age 63
35/65 AA
0.00 WR
Floridatennisplayer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2018, 09:40 PM   #12
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: The Great Wide Open
Posts: 3,779
It all depends on local law and custom., as mentioned above. The corkage fee compensates the restaurant for the inability to make some money from selling you a bottle of wine.

As always, it is always about the money.
Winemaker is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2018, 09:52 PM   #13
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Lawn chair in Texas
Posts: 14,183
Some restaurants choose to avoid the hassle of getting a license.
__________________
Have Funds, Will Retire

...not doing anything of true substance...
HFWR is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2018, 11:41 PM   #14
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Sunset's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Spending the Kids Inheritance and living in Chicago
Posts: 16,973
I noticed a local restaurant has a sign in window, "Bring your own wine".
I guess they don't have a license.
__________________
Fortune favors the prepared mind. ... Louis Pasteur
Sunset is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 10-20-2018, 06:47 AM   #15
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 483
Here in MN there is an unwritten rule that you can bring a wine that they do not offer on their wine list. I don't have a problem with corkage as they open the wine for you, provide glasses, pour your wine, and offer to refill your glass. Restaurant wines are generally marked up 3 or 4 times what you could buy them at retail. Also it seems the higher the price of the wine the lower the markup.
Idnar7 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-20-2018, 07:14 AM   #16
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 1,644
Not often but only if it is something unusual that would not appear on a list. Typically, it would be two couples and we would order something off their list like a proseco or champagne and then have the bottle we bought with the meal.
jebmke is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-20-2018, 07:19 AM   #17
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Posts: 203
Of all the places I’ve been, Minnesota appears to have the largest markup on wine. 4X markup or more isn’t uncommon. They are now starting to have the highest corkage fees. Fogo jacked theirs to $35/$70 mag. It’s still cheaper to bring your own bottle, and it’s nice to not have to stare at the wine list.
Kelor is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-20-2018, 07:31 AM   #18
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
athena53's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,306
Quote:
Originally Posted by HFWR View Post
Some restaurants choose to avoid the hassle of getting a license.
I lived in NJ and they had some antiquated law that limited the number of liquor licenses in each town based on the population as it was decades ago. Most places in my area (Bergen County) were BYOB. I was really steamed when, after one liquor store burned down, the license went to the son of the local state senator. Wonder how that happened.

But to get back to the OP- have never seen it in KS/MO so it may be illegal here. We did it all the time in NJ.
athena53 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-20-2018, 07:51 AM   #19
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,743
Quote:
Originally Posted by marko View Post
Same in Mass. If they serve wine/beer/liquor already you cannot bring in your own bottle.

That's correct but there are numerous restaurants in or around Boston without a full liquor license that have a BYOB licenses where you can bring your own wine or beer.
Corporateburnout is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-20-2018, 09:39 AM   #20
Full time employment: Posting here.
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 575
Living here in the Sonoma/Napa area, my daughter works for a higher-end winery and brings home an undrinkable amount of wine, so much we have cases and cases of it stored everywhere and most are $50. to $200. bottles. Yes, spoiled.

It wasn't until she started working for a winery (and getting free wine) that we started bringing bottles of wine to restaurants. I think the average corkage fee we pay around here is between $10. and $15. and of course in this area restaurants are use to people (mostly tourists) bringing in bottles.

For us, paying a $10. corkage fee is still a great deal compared to what we would typically pay for drinks. As for leaving a reasonable taste for a waiter being considered proper etiquette, I've never heard or seen that before. And I would assume not legal, at least here in California.
Drake3287 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
The compromise vacation..when did u stop bringing the kids along? rayinpenn Other topics 21 02-11-2018 02:22 PM
US Still Bringing Home WWII Dead RISP Other topics 0 07-26-2012 01:44 PM
Repo Man - Bringing the Bad News Wags Other topics 14 04-04-2008 11:00 AM
Great! Now they're bringing in leprosy.... Walt34 Other topics 14 02-08-2008 05:58 PM
Favorite Restaurant and Favorite Dish Eagle43 Other topics 71 02-19-2006 12:39 PM

» Quick Links

 
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 10:29 PM.
 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.