By Courtney Price
Centretown residents may have the opportunity to bring their own wine to their favourite restaurants if a provincial bring-your-own-wine initiative is adopted.
Jim Watson, the Ontario minister of consumer and business services, proposed the idea on March 5.
“We shouldn’t be afraid to try different ways of enjoying a meal. I think it’s a civilized next step for people who want to enjoy a night out,” says Watson.
However, not all restaurants in Centretown are eager about the idea.
“I don’t think it’s good for restaurants because it’s the way they make their money. But I know the customers would love it,” says Luigi Meliambro, co-owner of Zibibbo, an Italian eatery on Somerset.
Zibibbo’s wine bottles cost between $20 to $100. Meliambro says wine sales account for almost 35 per cent of the restaurant’s total revenue.
Watson says he’s aware of the potential dip in revenue and is reassuring restaurant owners that the BYOB proposal would not be mandatory.
“It’s all voluntary,” says Watson. “Just because somebody is opposed to it does not mean they should stop others who are in favour of it.”
Peter Yeung, general manager of Sushi 88, agrees.
His restaurant only serves sake, a Japanese rice wine. The BYOB policy would allow customers more choice.
Yeung says although the
BYOB policy could be beneficial, he’d need to consider the pros and cons before implementing it.
Other restaurateurs seem to already have made up their minds, though.
“I don’t think it’s a good idea. Business is tough. We have to fight for everything,” said Peter So, owner of So Good, a Chinese restaurant on Somerset.
Wine at So Good accounts for only five per cent of the total revenue, but So says he’s concerned that cheaper and easier access to alcohol poses a danger to the public.
He says he’s worried his customers would drink too much.
“If every time you have a bottle it costs $35, you’re going to think twice about having another one. What they bring in, we might not know about. Are we going to be liable for that?” asks So.
Some owners say their insurance is already extremely high and they are concerned this would make it even higher.
However, Watson says there would be no increased liability for restaurants. He says when Quebec and Alberta established their BYOB policies, there was no evidence of a rise in insurance rates.
In fact, Watson suggests that the proposal is actually more socially responsible, because BYOB would allow customers to re-seal their wine so they can take it home instead of drinking it all.
“If you buy an expensive bottle of wine, you feel almost obligated to drink it, and that’s not good from a drinking and driving stance,” says Watson.
While restaurateurs are reluctant to embrace the BYOB policy, liquor vendors stand to profit.
“I think it’ll be good for retailers like us and the LCBO. On the other hand, it may bring down high quality dining experiences,” says Wes Porteous, who works at the Wine Rack on the corner of Bank and Somerset.
He added that restaurants often set their wine list to compliment their menu.
Mitch Leitman, a diner at Sushi 88, agrees that bringing wine might not be as classy as ordering it at the restaurant, but he likes the idea.
“It allows you to enjoy wine with a meal without the rather high mark-up price,” he says. Bottles sold in restaurants can be marked up to 300 per cent.
Watson says restaurants could charge a corkage fee for opening a customer’s bottle of wine to help offset revenue loss.
Even though there is a lot of discussion surrounding BYOB, Watson remains hopeful of the potential for restaurants to benefit.