Comments on: “Dewhurst Bill” Will Allow You to BYOB to Any Restaurant: And Dallas Restaurateurs Are Mad

By: BYOW

BYOW — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 21:42:51 +0000

Congratulations restauranters. The bill died in committee. I guess my dining $ will continue not to go to Al Biernat’s, Fearing’s and the other restaurants that shat their pants out of fear of change. Good luck with the same old, same old in this economy. Would not be surprised to see some heavy hitters fail.

By: G. Bertram

G. Bertram — Fri, 15 May 2009 22:35:36 +0000

Al,

First of all, you are an amazing restaurateur with an incredible restaurant and deserve to be successful(profitable). Like Just Another Customer said and what my specific point is – other restaurants in other states who have the same rules (actually this bill caps the number of bottles a guest may bring at a total of 2)which say that you as the owner can choose if you want to allow or not, choose to charge or not charge a corkage fee, set the fee at whatever amount you would like…restaurants in other states that have been doing this for years and have businesses that are thriving. Most would tell you that they very rarely get anyone asking to bring in wine. (I worked at a very high-end steakhouse in Florida for two years and only had 2 parties ever bring in their own wine and other servers did not have many either). I think this is scary on the surface to all the steakhouses in Texas, but as in other states, it would turn out to be something that is not really an issue

By: al biernat

al biernat — Fri, 15 May 2009 15:54:08 +0000

@Just another customer,I appreciate your comments . Last time we allowed a customer to bring in wine, he carried in 5 bottles for a party of 6. We decanted all of them in crystal decanters, lined up 5 rolls of crystal glasses and had our wine steward pouring them throughout the evening. To be honest they sat there all evening and got upset when we told them about a modest corkage and did not tip the servers except on the food portion. If this law does pass, I hope others will show the same courtesy as you have mentioned.We would love to make special occasion exceptions, if the customers would not get upset if we apply the proper corkage to the bill and PLEASE take care of the staff that is taking care of your party.

By: Just another customer

Just another customer — Fri, 15 May 2009 13:00:22 +0000

@al biernat – “Dear G. Bertram, As Cellarmaster explained above, when other restaurants in other states allow corkage, they make it expensive and you must follow their rules.”

Yes and if the bill were to pass you could do the same. Ultimately the AMOUNT of customers who would BYOB is SMALL especially if corkage charges are involved. We don’t BYOB all the time even when we go to restaurants that allow it. Another part of this admittedly higher-end scenario is that even when we BYOB we will also buy a bottle off of a reasonably priced wine list.
Finally,the repeat business you could gain from these scenarios might just offset concerns about your profits.

By: al biernat

al biernat — Wed, 13 May 2009 22:48:29 +0000

That is 12%-14% not 114%– SORRY

By: al biernat

al biernat — Wed, 13 May 2009 22:43:56 +0000

Dear G. Bertram, As Cellarmaster explained above, when other restaurants in other states allow corkage, they make it expensive and you must follow their rules. The high end restaurants do so because wine sales are a big part of making a profit. My restaurant breaks even if it doesn’t generate large volume. Wine sales amount to 30% of the total sales. When a steakhouse has a 41% food cost and a 40% overall beverage cost,which includes the wine sales it might bring 12%-114% to the net operating profit. Some restaurants only have a 32% food cost. The best quality and generous portions cost a lot to put on the plate. Everything helps to make it a business and not a hobby.If a restaurant eliminates linen, or Empire bread on the table, or crystal stemware ,to name a few,they still can make money. If you take away something , you must compensate somewhere else.

By: G. Bertram

G. Bertram — Wed, 13 May 2009 19:46:51 +0000

I’ve not seen much discussion about something that seems in-your-face obvious to me…

none of the restaurant folks seem to acknowledge a very clear fact – that other states like NY, FL, CA, GA, etc have allowed for corkage (at the option of the restaurant) for YEARS and the restaurant business in those states is doing fine.

Anyone care to respond to that with a logical argument?

By: dan landsberg

dan landsberg — Wed, 13 May 2009 18:07:09 +0000

Do any of you restaurant haters realize that besides the US government, RESTAURANTS employ the highest number of workers in the United States economy? I don’t know what you all do for a living, but if we restauranteurs, servers, chefs, cooks, dishwashers, busboys, hosts and owners do not have a job WE WON’T BE SPENDING MONEY IN YOUR BUSINESSES EITHER and not by choice, but because we are unemployed. Think about that for a while because if we go out of business you can drink your yellow taxi at TACO BELL. Speak about things you know about and, like mamma used to say, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

By: PlanoWineLover

PlanoWineLover — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:15:12 +0000

I am not surprised at the uproar by the restaurants..you have had it your way for way to long..most states allow BYOB..it will force the weaker food places out and mean better product at the remainder..this reminds of me of all the whinning when the state allowed its residents to buy wine direct from Wineries out of state..the world did not come to an end, everyone adjusted..as for tipping, I tip 20% on the food but not the wine, that tip 10%.

By: joiei

joiei — Wed, 13 May 2009 01:25:33 +0000

How often to you really see anyone taking their own wine into a restaurant for dinner. Not all that often. Otherwise the wine shops would all be very behind this bill because they would be seeing a huge increase in wine sales to people heading off for dinner. Most people just don’t do that including me. If I want wine with dinner I will most times order off the wine list. In 60 years, I have only taken with with me once. Me thinks there is much ado about not much going on here.

By: Irish

Irish — Tue, 12 May 2009 00:27:28 +0000

Have you guys ever tried Nutella?

Man, I’ve recently developed a slight addiction to the stuff.

By: curious

curious — Mon, 11 May 2009 20:09:42 +0000

I have a little place that I eat at from time to time.

They sell wine by the glass but does not seem like they sell much. If 20 folks are in there from what I recall 3 or 4 with a glass.

So I could ask them if they would let me byow.

By: Gastronome

Gastronome — Mon, 11 May 2009 19:57:55 +0000

@JG: Quaint optional customs often lead to unintended consequences. Look at the thread on tips – once a nod by the customer to the waiter for prompt service, they have become such an integral part of the billing process that the restrauteur can now pay the server 1/2 of minimum wage and the IRS presumes a certain level of tip income on the part of the waiter. You effectively get two bills at the end of the meal, one for the food and an unwritten one for the service. Amy, Al and the others are trying to show the logical negative effects of the Dewhurst Bill to those who are not big chains and we should be asking ourselves if this is where we want things to go. One thing you can be certain of is that if they thought the bill would be good for restaurants like theirs (small, one of a kind, owner operated, mid to upper level) thier comments here would be all in favor of it.

By: JG

JG — Mon, 11 May 2009 19:09:07 +0000

Finally. So, right now, if you 1) do not have an alcohol permit or 2) have a wine beer permit, you can choose to offer BYO, or not.

But if you have a Mixed Beverage permit, you cannot choose to offer BYO. You can’t.

Dewhurst bill will allow Mixed Beverage permit holders to choose to allow BYO, or not.

Dewhurst bill opponents think that many Mixed Beverage holders, particularly large chains, will decide to offer BYO, and this will effectively force all Mixed Beverage holders to offer BYO to compete.

It looks like the real question is whether you think the Dewhurst bill oppnents are correct about that competition assumption. Frankly, if a chain offers BYO, and say, Al’s and Sevy’s don’t, I’m not going to pick a chain over Al’s or Sevy’s, because the food isn’t the same. If I want Sevy’s food I have to go to Sevy’s.

So I don’t understand the fear that your customers will desert you in order to go somewhere else and bring their own hooch.

By: clarification

clarification — Mon, 11 May 2009 19:00:55 +0000

Under current law can a restraurant offer BYOW if it wants too?

By: BYOW

BYOW — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:02:58 +0000

@tim…maybe restaurants will make up for lost revenue by attracting more diners to their restaurants with creative marketing based on BYOW.

By: BYOW

BYOW — Mon, 11 May 2009 17:58:20 +0000

That survey and press release are head scratchers. How they come to the conclusion in the press release based on the statistics provided in the survey is nonsensical.

By: Tim

Tim — Mon, 11 May 2009 16:10:36 +0000

If you don’t believe me read the statistics the big-chain PR reps and lobbyists have cooked up.
http://tinyurl.com/c9ne8t

By: Tim

Tim — Mon, 11 May 2009 16:05:23 +0000

@jg Let me try to explain. BYOB will be forced upon all mixed beverage permit holders because of the competition in the market. This will create an unfair standard of industry that all will be forced to follow. AKA Big chains can take Dewhurst up on his bill and make up the difference in customer volume while the smaller restaurants go under because they rely on this revenue. Small business owners are the foundation of the American economy. Dewhurst Bill = rise in unemployment.

By: Tim

Tim — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:50:32 +0000

@sgtm Restaurant owners will have to make up lost revenue from lost alcohol sales. Your $6.99 bbq plate will now cost a few bucks more for you and everyone else who don’t buy beverages while the people who do drink recieve all the benefit.

By: JG

JG — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:14:07 +0000

I suppose I’ll have to voice my support to my representative about this bill since no one on the anti BYOB/BYOW side can explain how a bill that purports only to allow BOYB will in fact force BOYB on mixed beverage permit holders.

By: dallaswineguy

dallaswineguy — Mon, 11 May 2009 04:22:54 +0000

I work in the wine industry and sell to restaurants. This bill could affect not only jobs in the restaurant business but also jobs in the wine distributing business. If it passes most likely retailers will have fewer options than they currently have so restaurants will have more exclusives. Most wineries have a restaurant/retail mix that they aim for. That might change a little and no one will be able to buy the better wines except at restaurants.Also it is unbelievable that people will complain about a 2.5 to three time markup on wine, when a glass of tea cost 3 cents a soda 5, domestic beer cost 68cents. What is the markup of the shoes you are wearing and the watch on your wrist. If you look at it reasonably outrageous markups of 300% is low compared to the markups of almost everything we buy.

By: Gastronome

Gastronome — Mon, 11 May 2009 04:03:04 +0000

What if they sell Mr. Pibb, can I bring a Dublin Dr Pepper? Oh wait, if its a BBQ joint that sells Pibb then its out of business anyway. Hmmmm… what about Pepsi vs. Coke?

By: Nancy Nichols

Nancy Nichols — Sun, 10 May 2009 17:17:09 +0000

Sounds good to me: you aren’t wrong, your just off target. You are not seeing the economic impact this bill could have on restaurants that rely on wine sales in order to operate. A corkage fee is anything but silly. Well, maybe in a BBQ joint it would be but in a restaurant that supplies glasses and servers it is an appropriate charge for service. The cost of the napkin has already been figured into the price you paid for your ribs.

By: sounds good to me

sounds good to me — Sun, 10 May 2009 02:32:18 +0000

Gastronome,

See #3 on the 3:32pm post. Don’t tend to buy beverages when I eat out. Drink water.

To try and put a little humor in this: One reason I don’t buy beverages is my bev of choice is caffiene free diet cola. Most places don’t carry this. Just regular diet cola. If I were lt gov I’d not be interested in a BYOW bill, I’d be pushing thru a BYO Caffiene Free/Diet Cola bill.

By: Gastronome

Gastronome — Sat, 09 May 2009 22:31:24 +0000

@SGTM, What about the owner of the BBQ joint who now misses the sale of a round of beverages to your table? And the manager, whose bonus is figured on profits (which disappeared when you brought your own wine to his restaurant).

By: sounds good to me

sounds good to me — Sat, 09 May 2009 21:52:22 +0000

For what it’s worth I’ll add an example of how BYOW is likely to work for me in practice.

We’ll grab a $5 bottle of wine and our own corkscrew. We’ll head to the local BBQ joint with counter service. They serve beer but not wine. We’ll order a couple of 6.99 plates. Then we’ll open our wine. Probably pour it into plastic cups (which I’d be happy to bring along with my corkscrew).

We’ll enjoy our aprox $20 meal. And none of you complaining about BYOW would lose a nickle.

By: sounds good to me

sounds good to me — Sat, 09 May 2009 20:32:11 +0000

I raised a question near the beginning of the thread. Never really got an answer. So I am going to revise and repeat it:

I’m someone who:

1. Eats out with my spouse a couple of times a month

2. Doesn’t go to upscale places but also doesn’t frequent national chains. Likes neighborhood joints. A $30 check is a big one. I’d consider $50 huge as in celebrating a birthday/anniv.

3. Usually doesn’t buy beverages (alcoholic or otherwise) when I eat out. So if I were to BYOB a sale won’t be lost.

4. would not ordinarily pay more than $15 for a bottle of wine at the store.

5. Thinks a corkage fee is about the silliest thing I have ever heard. That’s like charging for a napkin.

This bill sounds like good legislation to me even if it’s origins are kind of fishy.

Plese tell me why I’m wrong. Why should I not call my state rep next week and ask him to support it.

By: Tim

Tim — Sat, 09 May 2009 19:21:18 +0000

As a journalist student, I have done communications work for various non-profit agencies– they rely heavily on community businesses like restaurants for support. Meals on Wheels in particular. Meals on Wheels has been shutting down locations across America because of the economy (rising food and gas prices). If this current economy, has taught us anything it is that everything is connected. If restauranteurs go down, Meals on Wheels suffers all because connoisseurs want to save a few bucks on a bottle of booze. That is greed. http://www.mowaa.org

By: al biernat

al biernat — Sat, 09 May 2009 16:21:20 +0000

25,000-33,000 tabc tax monthly—25,000-35,000 sales tax monthly—23,000 payroll tax monthly—20,000 franchise tax yearly—85,000 property tax yearly—33% personal IRS taxes —and you call restauranteurs greedy?