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Is it really ok to bring your own wine to a restaurant?
I was involved in a heated debate over the weekend as to whether it was acceptable or frowned upon to bring your own wine to a restaurant, even if the establishment was corkage friendly. The general feeling in the group was that it was seen as cheap and definitely frowned upon even by the restaurants that allow corkage. What do you think?
2 Answers
As far as I'm concerned, bringing your own wine will depend on the wine, the meal and the restaurant you go to. If you have a bottle you've been saving (say an anniversary wine, or a special bottle you know the restaurant doesn't stock) then I think it's fine and most restaurants will understand.
That being said, if you are rocking up at a fancy restaurant with a R30 bottle, maybe reconsider. Yes, it does reduce the overall price of your meal, but generally restaurants put a lot of time and effort into their wine lists, and bringing your Four Cousins to the table is a bit of a slap in the face.
I think it is perfectly fine up to a point.....depending on the establishment you are visiting! If they mind maybe they should put a policy in place that says no wine to be brought in or only wine from our menu may be consumed on the premises. We have come across one or two who do that. More and more restaurants we have visited recently are not even charging corkage anymore which is great and an indication that they understand the reason why patrons bring their own and they'd rather have the bums in the seats ordering meals than not have them there at all. But then again, they are not very high end establishments but more family orientated as our current budget situation allows!