Strictly BYOB places bother me.
Yes, I know about the pernicious restaurant mark ups. In general, management will triple the price of lower cost wines and double the more expensive labels. They often tack on rather impressive corkage fees for those who insist on carting in a bottle, as well. Bring your own policies benefit customers in other ways, too--allowing large parties to sample a range of wines without spending a week's take home pay, for example, and discerning types to bring in a particular vintage.
But several weeks ago I sat across from a couple toting Wal-Mart's
house wine into Citrus Bistro. Figure they either couldn't bear the
thought of an alcohol-free dinner and stopped by a super center on
their way over or they're incredibly cheap. And when I walked into
Normandie Alliance sometime last fall, learned of their BYOB ways, and
asked directions to the nearest liqour store, they pointed toward a
corner 7-Eleven.
So while BYOB may be inexpensive, it's not always sophisticated.
Yet
that's not what troubles me about the policy. Depending upon where you
live, it can be rather inconvenient to pick up a bottle on your way to
the restaurant. If you don't manage to finish your wine (never
encountered this phenomenon myself, but I'm sure it happens), you end
up driving home with an open container (or a loosely re-corked bottle
rolling around in the trunk).
Those are minor quibbles, of course. More importantly, at least for
connoisseurs who appreciate a good pairing, guests must know their
orders before reaching the place...unless they carry along a half dozen
different options.
Oh, wine and food pairings occasionally come down to something simple,
like red or white. But the intensity of a certain spice may damage one
red varietal and bring another to life. Your favorite Chardonnay may
die against a dish that cries for a Viognier. If you really care about
such things (and don't know the menu that well), you're stuck bringing
the most generally food friendly wines.
OK, OK--most of us order by familiarity and price, anyway. And it's
nice that a few strictly BYOB places exist, just so people have the
option of a low or no corkage fee experience. The key question remains:
how long will newly opened bring your own restaurants hang on?
Small operations like Citrus Bistro or the neighboring Cava likely went
the BYOB route to avoid alcoholic beverage license fees. Sales of wine,
beer and spirits account for 10 to 30 percent--or more--of a
restaurant's take. With profit margins of chef-owned establishments
rarely topping 15 percent, that $15,000 expenditure (two years of fees,
tax bond and legal assistance) to sell booze would seem like a good
investment.
Unless the business plan calls for slashing food costs, there's only faint hope for longevity. Better to use the full bar and less than $10 corkage fee approach.
Yeah, a few such places exist.
So for price and special occasion wines from your cellar, strictly BYOB
places are a welcome part of the Dallas landscape. But from so many
perspectives, the idea makes no sense at all.
