If I were a Restaurant (without having or applying for a liquor license)
owner, would welcome ANY bottle carrying customers AND make them feel like
Kings & Queens....

Giving then two wine glasses & a corkscrew (I would NEVER expect my good
guest to carry a corkscrew with them to an Italian or French, or for the
matter, any upscale restaurant, unless they were fond of the one they owned)
would be as SIMPLE as setting the table.........AS SIMPLE......

To mingle with the customers, be it the owner, chef or manager & complement
on the wine selection (possibly be invited to sample it) would endear any
diner to become a faithful customer....

WHEN will Restaurant owners comprehend that they have the unique opportunity
to have a customer become part of their family?

Joe







"Afta12345" > wrote in message
om...
> I recently thought about going to an Italian restaurant near where I
> live (Cincinnati), and I found out that they don't have a liquor
> license, but allow you to bring in your own wine. However, they
> charge you a $5.00 uncorking fee *even if you bring your own corkscrew
> and do it yourself*. I think that's nuts.
>
> I think uncorking fees make fine sense if a restaurant *already*
> serves wine. Then they're charging you a fee to allow you to bring in
> an outside wine, which cuts into their sales. Fair enough exchange in
> my eyes.
>
> But when we're talking about an Italian restaurant with no wine. Of
> course, 99% of the clientele are going to want wine with an Italian
> dish. So if I want to go to this place, it is incumbent on *me* to go
> to the store, buy wine, and haul it to the restaurant. Then for them
> to charge me for that wine that I took the trouble to get, *and* have
> me *tip* more on the basis of the total check, I'm getting charged
> *three* times for that wine. Crazy.
>
> And I don't buy it when people say "Oh, they're providing you with
> labor, glasses, and dishwashing, so they need to cover their costs."
> Look, I proposed that *I* will do the uncorking with *my* corkscrew,
> but she insisted they will still charge the fee. So labor is not an
> issue. If my lady and I ask for a couple of glasses of water, it
> "costs" the restaurant "labor, glasses, and dishwashing," so I don't
> see a difference there. If they started charging customers $5.00 for
> a couple of glasses of water, they'd all get up, walk out, and never
> come back.
>
> Once again, I think uncorking fees make perfect sense if the
> restaurant has a liquor license and offers wine. Frankly, it's crap
> otherwise. I know of other very nice restaurants without licenses
> that *don't* charge uncorking fees and are doing nicely.
>
> Bottom line: I'm not going to any license-less restaurant with corking
> fees, making sure restaurants that do this know how I feel, and I hope
> you guys do the same. Together we can change the world! (or at least
> put an end to a fee without any justification that only exists because
> people tolerate it due to lack of reflection on the issue.)
>
> Cheers!