A handful of B.C. restaurant owners have decided to embrace the province’s newly-relaxed wine rules with zero-corkage-fee promotions.
The government announced last Thursday that diners were allowed to bring their own bottles to participating restaurants, but said the wine would still have to be poured by staff and businesses could charge a corkage fee for the service.
Many restaurateurs said they felt blindsided by the announcement and unsure about whether to participate, while others, like Verace Pizzeria owner Roberta Lee, pounced on the new promotional opportunity.
“It’s a great way to get our neighbourhood in,” Lee told CTV News. “Otherwise, maybe they’d be eating at home with their bottle of wine. Now they might decide to come out.”
Lee said her pizzeria has decided on a Wine Wednesday promotion, when the usual corkage fee of $10 per bottle will be waived.
Other businesses have proposed similar measures, like the Chop Steakhouse in Richmond, which has decided to offer free corkage until the end of August.
Some establishments have declined to participate, or chosen only to allow patrons to bring bottles not offered on the menu.
Those participating have proposed a wide range of prices, from the BoatHouse Restaurant’s flat rate of $20 per bottle to the $2 fee charged at Vera’s Burger Shack.
The new rules were announced Thursday by Rich Coleman, the provincial minister responsible for liquor, who said the government was responding to pressure from the B.C. Restaurant and Food Service Association and the public.
With a report from CTV British Columbia’s St. John Alexander
