BYOB

Full Definition

BYOB ("bring your own bottle") describes restaurants that allow — or require — diners to bring their own wine. The format is common in three contexts: Australian dining (where BYOB is a long-established cultural norm), parts of California (small neighborhood bistros without full liquor licences), and US states with restrictive liquor laws (BYOB is the workaround). At BYOB rooms, the wine you drink is the wine you bring; the restaurant's role is corkage, stemware, and service.

Corkage at BYOB rooms typically runs $15–$30 per bottle — much lower than the corkage at a fine-dining room with a full cellar, because BYOB is the model rather than an exception. Some BYOB restaurants waive corkage entirely on weeknights or for wine-club members.

Etiquette at BYOB: bring something serious. The kitchen has thought about what to cook; you should think about what to drink. Avoid grocery-store wines and obvious supermarket producers — the staff sees them every night and silently judges. Bring something with a story (a small producer, a vintage that matches a course, a wine you've been holding) and the room responds with better service.

Hybrid BYOB restaurants — those with a small wine list of their own plus permission to bring outside bottles — are growing in markets like New York, London, and Sydney. The model lets the kitchen recoup wine revenue on the casual nights and lets serious diners bring something the cellar doesn't carry on the special nights.