Corkage Break-Even Calculator

How to use the break-even number

Use this before bringing a bottle to a restaurant or choosing from the list. The calculator compares your bottle cost plus corkage with the equivalent restaurant list price, helping you see when BYO is genuinely economical.

Include the real replacement cost of the bottle, not only what you paid years ago.
Check whether the restaurant charges corkage per bottle, per table, or per person.
Remember that a list bottle may include service, storage, glassware, and convenience.

What a corkage break-even really means

The calculation is not just about saving money. It asks whether bringing your own bottle gives you better value than buying something acceptable from the restaurant list. If the wine list has a strong option close to your total BYO cost, paying corkage may not be worth the effort.

BYO tends to make the most sense for a bottle with personal value, mature provenance, or a quality level that the list does not offer at a reasonable price. It makes less sense for ordinary bottles where the corkage fee absorbs most of the advantage.

Use the real replacement cost of your bottle, not what you paid years ago.
Compare against the best acceptable list bottle, not the most expensive similar name.
Check bottle limits and stemware policies before arriving.

Compare against the bottle you would actually order

Corkage is only a saving if your brought bottle plus the fee beats a realistic choice from the list. Do not compare your best-cellar bottle against the cheapest list wine unless that is truly the alternative you would have ordered.

Best use

Deciding whether BYO is worth it for a specific meal and bottle.

Do not skip

Restaurant corkage rules, bottle limits, service charge, and whether the wine duplicates the list.

How It Works

This calculator compares BYO plus corkage against ordering from the restaurant list.

Enter your retail bottle cost and corkage fee per bottle.
Enter restaurant list price and planned bottle count.
Review break-even list price and total savings estimate.

Worked example

If a bottle costs £28 at retail and the restaurant charges £20 corkage, your real BYO cost is £48 before you even compare it with the wine list. If the same style of bottle is on the list for £85, BYO still looks attractive. If the list is £55, the savings shrink quickly and service quality may matter more than price alone.

That is why a break-even number is useful. It gives you a simple threshold instead of forcing you to re-do the comparison table every time you look at a menu.

What this calculator does not measure

Price is only one part of the decision. Some restaurants limit the number of outside bottles, exclude certain formats, or offer poorer stemware for corkage service. In some cases a list bottle at a fair markup is the more rational choice even when BYO is marginally cheaper.

Use this page to decide whether corkage is financially interesting. Then layer in policy, service, and convenience before making the final call.

FAQ

What does break-even mean here?

It is the list price where BYO plus corkage equals ordering from the list.

Can BYO be more expensive?

Yes. If corkage is high and list price is low, BYO may not save money.

Should service quality affect decision?

Yes. Price is one factor; stemware, service, and policy limits matter too.