BYO at restaurants that serve liquor
 

Headed to a nicer restaurant tonight in Chicago...they have a thorough wine list, but nothing that appeals to me...so I'd like to bring my own wine.

Is this a common practice, or should I call to find out if it's allowed?

Against the law in most US states, but I don't know about IL....

Don't know about Chicago restaurants, but in NYC you'd want to call and see if it was allowed, as well as check on their corkage fee.

By "allowed" here I mean by the restaurant. Some places won't let you, some will but with a rather high corkage charge, etc....

Interesting. I know we have BYO restaurants here, so I don't think BYO is against the law...

But it may be against the restaurant's laws...

In CA, this can be done...

The majority of states prohibit it by law (but the 2 important states for restaurants, CA and NY, do allow it). Expect to pay a corkage fee of between USD 10 and 20 per bottle (which is fair, they have to provide your wine glasses and ice bucket, as well as pour the wine). Some restaurants charge a percentage of the wine's presumed value (which is unfair). I generally bring my own corkscrew (it works for fragile corks) and sometimes my own glassware (if needing to use the right Riedel glass, but that is only for specific and special wines). Rather ironically the more expensive your wine is, the more likely the restaurant is to waive the corkage fee (it helps if you offer the sommelier a taste of the wine, if it is something rare).

Actually Chicago has many restaurants that encourage BYOB and some that charge zero corkage fees (but these are not generally the famous restaurants). See http://chicago.citysearch.com/roundup/37677

Wine Spectator shows 41 restaurants in Chicago that permit BYOB. Corkage fees range from $5 - $50, and 15, 20, 25 are typical fees in that city.
http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Di...t_Search_Page/ I subscribe to their magazine and website, and am not sure if the restaurant search feature is for only subscribers.

Do call the restaurant beforehand. If you do take your own wine it is polite to offer the sommelier or waiter a small taste of the deliciousness of your bottle.

Remember, nicer does not equal important, so try to enjoy your meal

One should call ahead and ask if the wine you are considering bringing is on the restaurant's wine list. A restaurant is much more amenable to one bringing in wine that is not on the list.

The restaurant didn't allow it -- I called beforehand.

They did have a different wine list than what was posted on the website. We wound up have a few bottles of 2002 Leonetti Cab. It was good.

A very good list of BYO's nationwide is here..

http://dat.erobertparker.com/bboard/...splay.php?f=14

I do it all the time because most wine lists have become so overpriced. There are a few savvy restaurant owners who figure out that a lot more people will come to their restaurant and order wine if it's fairly priced and I'll gladly buy their wine. But those reasonable wine lists are few and far between.
Example: You can buy Bogle Merlot, a great value wine for $8 or $9 a bottle. I know a restaurant here in Sac that charges $27 for the same bottle that they are probably paying less than $6 for the bottle. I'll pay top dollar for food because the talent of the chef and the restaurant in general is reflected in it. Not so for the wine. I'll pay a reasonable corkage, up to $15 for using their glasses and opening the bottle for us.
I've recently joined the Wine Patrol and am a card-carrying member who is always on the alert for "wine crimes", i.e. overpriced wine lists. See their website here www.winepatrol.com and check on the WinePal program. I've got no financial interest in them but just think it's a great idea.

I 100% agree with your thoughts, and thanks for pointing out that website! ^

You should check to see if it's allowed or not both by law and by the restaurant. Some states don't allow it if the restaurant has a permit to serve, other states do. Some restaurants don't allow it even if the law does, and most are not at all happy if you bring something they already serve to save their markup (hence the corkage fees of $50 or more).

I don't think its unfair for restaurants to charge you based on value. They have a finite amount of seating space and have huge bills to pay with only that space. Letting you bring in really nice wines instead of buying them really hurts their revenue possibilities. I know many of you think that restaurants are cash cows, but they really are not. They have huge fixed and variable costs, a finicky clientelle and have a great deal of competition. They have a right to refuse you corkage or charge what they feel they want. They are charging you for more than the glasses. Think of a full flight where you expect the airline to only charge you for the fuel it costs to bring you from point A to point B. There is an opportunity cost there.

"Example: You can buy Bogle Merlot, a great value wine for $8 or $9 a bottle. I know a restaurant here in Sac that charges $27 for the same bottle that they are probably paying less than $6 for the bottle. I'll pay top dollar for food because the talent of the chef and the restaurant in general is reflected in it. Not so for the wine. I'll pay a reasonable corkage, up to $15 for using their glasses and opening the bottle for us.
I've recently joined the Wine Patrol and am a card-carrying member who is always on the alert for "wine crimes", i.e. overpriced wine lists. See their website here www.winepatrol.com and check on the WinePal program. I've got no financial interest in them but just think it's a great idea."

Perhaps if you only drink cheap crap then you don't realize the pricing structure. The markup on lower priced wines is generally much higher. As you drink wines that aren't the cheapest thing you can find, the markup percentage goes down. I should also point out that restaurants generally pay MORE than the average consumer. Many have additional fees/taxes depending upon jurisdiction. Also, according to your math $9 + $15 for the Bogle Merlot is $24. You're on here .....ing about $3? Please. When you start seeing restaurants lined with gold and waiters and owners driving Bentleys then start complaining. It's a tough industry and they're doing their best to break even.

A glass of cheap house wine at a bar is $5 or $6. There are 5 to a bottle. Do you really expect to get that they should sell it to you at close to the cost per glass? What about a beer? I'm sure they can source Bud at close to a buck a bottle. Does that mean I should only pay $1.50? What if I drink it out of the bottle? Should that be $1.25? I can see your point if they were charging $150 for a bottle of wine that costs $40, but come on. Don't you think you're bieng a little tight here? There is a budget travel forum.

Moral of the story is restaurants don't allow corkage as a way to make money. It is normally a way to be nice to guests who want to bring in their own special bottle of wine. It isn't so some guy can bring in a bottle of cooking sherry to make his meal cheaper. Call up, ask nicely, pay the corkage and off you go. If you show up with a $10 bottle though, you'll look like a cheap skate loser, the staff won't respect you and will likely make fun of you all night and no doubt your date won't be all that impressed.

I've done corkage before when I've found a nice bottle from a hard to find wine. I usually buy a bottle too. When I eat out, for leisure, I always force my waiter to have some of my wine. I always go to independant restaurants where you have professional staff and they're always appreciative.

Last week I came across a USD 30 wine being sold for USD 118 on a wine list -- does that qualify? And to make it FT related, this was at Cool River Cafe in Terminal D at DFW.

My own feeling is that 100% markup over current retail is fair for expensive wines, plus perhaps some flat fee, but anything more is excessive. Note that for restaurants who actually cellar their wines, 100% over current retail usually means 300% or more over their acquisition cost -- a pretty healthy markup.