Start with the real comparison
If your bottle cost you 35 and corkage is 25, your effective dinner-table cost is 60 before service. That may still be a strong deal if the same quality level on the list costs 110, but it is a poor deal if the list has good options around 65.
What corkage buys you
- access to a specific bottle you already own
- better vintage or producer depth than the list offers
- more control over drinking window and provenance
If none of those matter, the savings need to be large enough to justify the hassle.
Practical rule
BYO makes the most sense when you care about the bottle and still beat the best comparable list option by a meaningful margin.
What restaurants are actually charging for
List prices cover inventory risk, storage, stemware breakage, staff time, and the fact that unsold bottles tie up capital. So the markup may feel high, but it is not arbitrary. That is why comparing list price to retail shelf price alone often leads to bad conclusions.
Use both calculators together
Start with the corkage tool to test BYO economics. Then use the restaurant markup tool on a few menu bottles to see whether the venue’s pricing is generally aggressive or fairly standard. If you want a more direct decision checklist, read Restaurant corkage fee guide: when BYO saves money.