Login / RegisterB.C. restaurants reveal participation in Bring Your Own Wine; ministry confirms no cap on corkage fee
Following theannouncement Thursday (July 19) that diners at participating B.C. restaurants will now be allowed to bring their own bottle of wine to have with a meal, a handful of restaurants across the province have already indicated that they will be participating in the program.
NOVO Pizzeria , Gramercy Grill, The Cascade Room, Habit, El Caminos, Burnaby’s Romana’s Pizza, and Kelowna’s Ricardo’s Mediterranean Grill have announced their participation in the Bring Your Own Wine program but have not disclosed a corkage fee. Meanwhile, Fray on Fraser, Chambar , Le Parisien, Via Tevere Pizzeria, West, and Burnaby’s Cotto Enoteca have indicated that they will be charging a corkage fee in the range of $5 to $50.
“There’s no cap [on the corkage fee] because it’s voluntary,” Sandra Steilo, public affairs officer for the Ministry of Energy and Mines—the ministry overseeing the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch—told the Straight by phone Friday (July 20).
Steilo also confirmed that the ministry will not be releasing an official list of participating B.C. restaurants and that it will be a restaurant’s responsibility to declare its participation in the program.
According to the policy directive announcing the amendment to the Liquor Control and Licensing Regulation affecting food-primary restaurants, participation is up to individual restaurants with valid liquor licenses, and restaurants are not required to seek approval or provide notice to the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch that they are participating.
Additionally, bottles of wine brought by customers must be unopened and commercially produced, and customers must hand bottles to a restaurant staff member upon entering the restaurant. Customers will be allowed to take away unfinished bottles of wine; however, restaurant staff are required to remind customers who are driving to store opened bottles of wine behind the rear seat of the car.
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Currently wine markups are 3-4 times retail. For that the restaurant purchases the wine, stores it until bought, serves it and pays wages to the server, possibly sommelier and dishwasher. They supply the glass and eat any corked bottles.
Now, they do not have to purchase the wine, they mostly will not need a sommelier but will still pay a server and dishwasher and purchase glasses. However they want the same markup.
My position will be that if I feel the urge to go to a restaurant that charges more than double for their wine or more than $20 corkage, I will drink tap water. No wine, no sparking water, no other alcohol. I will have a glass of wine at home as an aperatif. I am tired of being ripped off.
BC might as well forget about having a wine industry until it figures out what Australia and New Zealand do. When high quality wine sold is at a decent price tourism, will improve. When tourists pay too much for gas, ferries, wines and taxes they won't be seen in BC.
This cork fee scam will do nothing to solve this problem because restaurants will simply charge to soak up the difference that might have been saved by the customer.