Thanks for the thoughtful reply. You make many provoking comments.
I'll address each one below:

> First, I don't feel you have a case to complain about being charged a
> corking fee. The restaurant is providing you a service, whether you agree or
> not, and that service is as simple as a table and roof from which to enjoy
> your wine. (And, no, not everyone expects wine with their Italian meals.)

Well, in a sense, you're right. If someone doesn't like the way
restaurants charge for the dining experience, then they just shouldn't
go there. It's entirely up to the restaurant owner to decide how he
wants to break up the charges (mark up the wine, mark down the dishes,
charge a corking fee or not, etc.).

I guess my issue with uncorking-fees-at-licenseless-restaurants (UFLR)
is that the practice strikes me as unfair and arbitrary. Again,
you're right that it's their call, their right to charge what they
want for whatever. I guess my original post was basically a venting
of sorts at what I perceived as unfair and hence it was unfortunate
that there goes a potentially good restaurant that I won't be trying.

Imagine going to a restaurant and being told that there is a $5.00
"table-setting fee". Every reason people have given against my
initial response to UFLR (it's the owner's right to charge what he
wants, they're providing services, a roof, dishes, labor) could be
used to justify a "table-setting fee." I suppose some of you would
have no problem with paying a "table-setting fee" for those reasons.
However, such a fee would bug me and I would not go to that restaurant
because of what I perceived to be an arbitrary fee. So the question I
would ask is would such a fee bother you, and if so, why?

Am I the only one who has felt a tad put off by the oodles of fees
that show up at the end of your monthly phone bills and cellular
bills? If you've ever felt like any of those fees were annoying or
unfair, well then that's where I'm at with UFLR.

> > I think uncorking fees make fine sense if a restaurant *already*
> > serves wine.
>
> Why? Both business are charging you for the privilege of using their
> restaurant and servers.

Well, the historically understood justification for an uncorking fee
at a restaurant that serves wine is that they are letting you bring in
an outside wine *instead* of buying one of theirs. Clearly that
justification can't fully apply to UFLR.

> Is this a fine-dining restaurant or a family restaurant. There's a BIG
> difference and the manner in which sales are conducted are different as a
> result.

This restaurant attempts fine-dining. I never went, so I can't say
how well it succeeds.

> Wine glasswares are higher in cost than institutional water glassware. (Not
> by much but in a business that only has an average ROI of 7-8%, that adds up
> quickly.)

Fair enough.

> > 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.
>
> No, the customers would stop getting water.

I suppose we would see a variety of responses by customers. However,
at minimum, such a fee for water would be a foolish business practice
as there *are* people who would consider it preposterous and not
return to that restaurant. Some of my surprise at UFLR is it seems
like poor business practice. If a restaurant owner can't afford a
license (which I can understand), then he should realize he is at a
*disadvantage* to those similar restaurants that do have a license,
and that charging an uncorking fee while without a license will seem
arbitrary to at least a few people, and hence put himself at an even
*further* disadvantage overall. If it's $5.00 a visit he needs, then
he ought to consider putting those charges *into* other items. If
dinner there costs $45 for two people normally, how many people who
are willing to pay that will be upset if each item costs $1.00 more,
resulting in $50 for the overall check? Probably not that many.

> > Frankly, it's
> > crap otherwise. I know of other very nice restaurants without
> > licenses that *don't* charge uncorking fees and are doing nicely.
>
> Yet you don't eat there; why?

I *do* eat at those restaurants. Did I say somewhere that I didn't?

> > making sure restaurants that do this know how I feel,
>
> Please do. You should always let management know how you feel (in writing)
> when you feel something is unfair, or not up to expectations. They
> appreciate non-provocative* feedback.

Thanks for the tip. I told them over the phone in a polite way.

> Corkage fees are justified and assist the business.

But from your reasoning, so would be table-setting fees, busboy fees,
candle-lighting fees, draping-your-coat-on-the-chair fees,
smile-from-the-owner fees, and background-music fees. It wouldn't
bother you to see any of these fees show up on your check?

Thanks again for the intelligent and level-headed response!