I've been asked by a neighbouring business for a bit of advice regarding corkage.

The business is a cafe but most of the clientele regard it as a restaurant due to its high quality food and service. The cafe owner has been asked by his customers on a regular basis when will he open in the evening for meals.

The owner has decided that he will do trial for 3 months to see if it will be a viable thing to do.

He currently does not have a license to serve alcohol so is willing to let customers bring their own wine etc. (if the trial is successful then he would apply for a license).

So here's the dilemma,

How much should he charge for corkage?

I have suggested that he works out what the physical cost would be i.e. buying wine glasses, the cost of washing them, breakages etc.

Also there is the hidden costs, i.e. by bringing their own drinks, how much will he lose in soft drink sales, sales of coffee and tea and suchlike.

I suggested as an off the cuff calculation £5.00 per bottle but he seemed to think that was a little bit on the pricey side.

Has anyone come across this type of situation before and if so, what price was acceptable to all?

£5 is actually on the low side I think the last BYOB charged £7.50 a bottle

It's very popular in the US, where the fee is around $10 so £7.50 would be about right

I've never paid more than £2.50 per bottle corkage, anything more than that is extortionate! The most successful BYOB restaurants near me don't charge any corkage at all and they are packed to capacity every night of the week.

Seconded. Before they were licensed our nearby, very popular, Italian charged £2.50 per bottle but would negotiate depending on total spend.
OP, why is your neighbour asking you if you need to ask on here?

£5 seems a bit low to me too, but what area are you in?
We have paid £4 pp in a trendy cafe in London but £5 per bottle here in the North.
They have to provide glasses, ice buckets etc, then wash and clean them. Also, a member of staff to open it and complement you on your choice of wine!!😀

I have a few corner shops with off sales. Cafe owner buys bits and bobs from me so we have a bit of a rapport. I also eat at his cafe from time to time so chit chat turned to what ifs regarding him opening in the evening. As I have off sales he though I might have an inkling as to what was involved. I gave him my thoughts and as I know DS has a wealth of knowledge and views I reckoned it was worth a punt to see what happens elsewhere.

I think the best answer is to go with a slightly lower amount than the going rate in the area. It's clear from the posts that this is very different depending on where you live. Find out what the local BYOB restaurants are charging, and as its a new venture, pitch yourself at the lower end.

Blimey, even the higher price range of wines in most supermarkets are screw top - how hard is that?

I once stayed in a country hotel and we took some fizz with us in a cool bag as it was our anniversary. We arrived mid afternoon and had a drink in the bar to be charged £8 for a beer and £5 for a small bottle of cider.
We had the same drink in the village an hour or so later for just over £5.
Before going down to dinner we opened the cold fizz and had a glass or two.
Browsing their information booklet I found that "guests who consume their own wine in their room will be charged £20 per bottle" and that ice buckets could be provided at £20.
That's what I call greed.

I guess one question we should ask is; "What's the price of the meals in the place" ?

Obviously if the meals are only £20 a head then a lower fee should be charged. If a Meal for two comes in at around £100 then a higher fee could be charged

How about 10% the price of an average meal?

I think most Brits will still like to spend about £5 on a supermarket bottle of wine. They won't be pleased to be charged the same again or more just to have it unscrewed! (I know there's more to it than that, but its not obvious to the punter!)
I'd pitch it at £2.00-£3.00 to cover costs for now, you wouldn't want to strangle the new venture at birth through bad feeling over something that is really just a nice extra to the revenue stream.

Or maybe don’t charge at all.

There is a great BYO Bistro restaurant I know where they do it all for free!...you can take as much beer, wine, spirits as you like. They’ll stick it in their fridge and serve it as and when you require.

They have a separate evening menu (with prices adjusted accordingly no doubt) that starts at 7.00pm when the BYO policy kicks in.

Many restaurants struggle to get people through the door but that place always thrives;…and it’s been going for many years. Always has a great atmosphere,….probably because everyone’s pissed.

As it is a trial, to see if it would be worth opening in the evening on a perenment basses I wouldn't change, and just build it in to the cost of the food.

I know I shouldn't laugh , but that post tickled me somewhat

A local Indian restaurant to me charges nothing for bringing your own drinks as they never bothered getting a alcohol license saying they just want to concentrate on providing excellent food at a good price.

The place is rammed full virtually every night, much to my dismay