BYOB is on the Rise

The mark-up on wine in restaurants is the bane of oenophiles everywhere. 200%, 300% mark-ups are common in major cities, and when you're ordering nicer wines to begin with, we're talking about some serious cash for a single bottle. But, thankfully, it looks like there's an old idea that's making a big comeback as of late . . . the BYOB phenomenon. Restaurants in cities across the country are opening up to the idea of carry in booze, mostly as a result of poor sales numbers and a majority of their clientele not ordering wine anyway. It's an interesting way to bolster business, and great news for wine lovers who enjoy eating out every once and a while. The AP released a great article on the subject, which you can find in full on The Baltimore Sun's Website.

From the article:

With sales and traffic dwindling, many restaurants are either offering BYOB nights or chopping the "corkage" fee to open bottles bought elsewhere, to entice more wine-drinking diners to pay for a meal out. "My fiance and I are wine freaks, so we have been going to more BYOBs as a way to continue to drink great wine while not blowing our budget," said Christopher McGrath, a 26-year old money market trader and liability manager who lives in Montclair, N.J. -- where BYOB restaurants thrive since state law restricts the number of liquor licenses available. The signs that bringing your own is on the rise are still largely anecdotal. Christina Preiss, a 27-year-old Chicago resident, said wait times at her favorite haunts that let customers bring their own are on the rise. More restaurants are also advertising special BYOB nights and more aggressively promoting the fee cuts.