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How to break a no-BYO policy

Cathy Gowdie

It's OK to break a no-BYO policy if you take the right approach.
It's OK to break a no-BYO policy if you take the right approach.Jennifer Soo

I was planning to take my family to a well-known restaurant for a birthday celebration. Drinks are very expensive and I know they discreetly allow BYO by prior arrangement. When I phoned to book, I mentioned that I would like to bring wine and they said, "That may be possible. What were you thinking of bringing?" I hadn't settled on what to take. They refused to confirm it was OK without "knowing what the wine is". I thought this was a very poor attitude. Needless to say, we went elsewhere.

Himalayan wine mark-ups make all of us wince, but there's no getting around the fact that selling booze at a profit is central to most licensed restaurants' business models. Some squeeze that profit centre harder than others, hence the eye-watering wine prices at establishments with an especially keen eye for the bottom line.

But no one is forcing you to go to such places, and while we're thinking about attitude, let's talk about yours. When you phone to ask a restaurateur to forgo a slice of profit, you're asking a favour. As when seeking any kind of favour, it helps to be humble and to have a convincing backstory.

The restaurant asked what you were bringing for one or all of three reasons. First, to check you weren't planning to bring something on their list. Second, they may have wanted to note the specifics of the agreed BYO bottle alongside your booking. For this you can thank past customers who were granted permission to bring a ''special'' bottle and showed up flourishing Chateau Ordinaire from the discounter down the road.

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Third, to ensure they would be breaking their official no-BYO policy for a good reason. Restaurateurs' ideas of what constitutes a good reason vary but ''your list is too expensive'' won't cut much ice. You may get a more sympathetic hearing if the bottle has sentimental significance, such as wedding-gift wine for an anniversary dinner; if you have cellared the wine for years; or if it is sought-after, rare or obscure.

If you take this approach in future and succeed, ask what the corkage will be; if there's a hefty charge, you may not save yourself much at all.

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