TEATRO LIMÓN RESTAURANT

So you want to bring your own wine?
September 16, 2009
Corkage Fee

A corkage fee is charged by a restaurant to patrons bringing their own wines to a meal. The corkage fee is usually minimal and is considered a convenience charge to the restaurant for opening and serving wines from outside their cellar. The use of a corkage fee is widespread in many parts of the world. The corkage fee is not designed to be a penalty for the diner and should not be viewed that way.

When calling to make reservations, inquire about the corkage fee so that you are prepared upon your arrival. Many establishments offer scaled corkage fees depending on the type of wine brought in and how many bottles there are. Others may waive the corkage fee if customers order a bottle or two from the restaurant’s wine list as well. If the wine needs special care, such as chilling or extra breathing time, make appropriate arrangements.

Wine is a major source of markup for restaurants, the world over, and loss of wine sales can depress earnings. For this reason, most restaurants charge a corkage fee equivalent to their cheapest bottle, to recoup at least some of the potential lost revenue. As a general rule, bring in a wine that is at least as expensive as the restaurant’s cheapest offering. Restaurants that invest a great deal of time, energy, and money in developing a wine list, and may be offended by patrons who reject their wines, especially as many chefs keep the wine list in mind when developing new dishes. Exploring a restaurant’s wine list and talking with the staff about their wines is sometimes a wonderful way to make new discoveries.

When bringing in outside wines, it is considered common courtesy to offer the waiter, and sommelier, if the restaurant has one, a taste. Usually, the wines that diners bring in are special and unlikely to be on the wine list. Perhaps the dinner is a special event, or the diner has an extensive cellar at home to choose from. Bickering about the corkage fee is considered poor form – accept it with grace and enjoy your meal.

Please note

If you decide to bring your own wine without informing the management of our establishment ahead of time, it is also considered poor taste.

Here, at Teatro Limon, we strive to maintain a friendly and enthusiastic establishment.

We encourage our guests, to openly discuss our wine list with our sommelier or Chef.

We have gone through great difficulties choosing wine for our establishment that best accompanies our food.

• Our wine prices start off at a very inexpensive 285 pesos per bottle
• Our house wines by the glass starts off at 65 pesos
• We have 6 house wines available by the glass

Thank you
Bruce Byng
Chef and owner of Teatro Limon

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