115848 Wed May 12 19:14:06 -0700 2004 3 7 Chicago Area 0 632404 I'm new to Chicago, and have never seen so many restaurants with BYO policies. I assume this means the restaurant doesn't have a liquor license? My question is, what are the rules with regards to bringing your own alcohol? Can you bring anything (i.e., beer, wine, liquor)? Are their corkage or other fees related to serving you the alcohol you bring? Do we assume the restaurant will have the proper stemware for wine, even though they themselves don't serve the stuff? Thanks in advance, I just don't want to commit a faux pas due to ignorance about how BYO typically works. Wed May 12 19:14:06 -0700 2004 0 foodlover1234 1 632406 There is no "typical" about it. Every place is different You can basically bring anything you want, but it's probably a bit rude to show up with a 30-pack of Old Style and some plastic jugs of vodka. Use your judgement about what to bring based on the type of place. Many places will charge a small corkage fee, some won't charge any, some will charge a high fee, some base it on the number of people. Call first. Most places that advertise BYO will provide some sort of stemware of some kind. In fact I don't think I've ever been to a place that advertised BYO that hasn't provided some kind of wine glass (whether or not the stemware is totally "proper" is another issue). Also, many places will keep beer cold or cool wines on ice for you. Call first. I wouldn't worry about the faux pas. Showing up with a bottle of wine or a six pack of good beer at any BYO restaurant is just fine. FYI, we have so many BYO places because of the city's high cost and red tape surrounding liquor licenses. Link: http://www.eatchicago.net/ Wed May 12 19:28:05 -0700 2004 632404 0 eatchicago 1 632469 I'm new to Chicago, and have never seen so many restaurants with BYO policies. *********** Dontcha love it! Bottom line: start with the cuisine you want, find a few target restaurants and CALL THEM. Find out what you can bring and what, if any, the corkage will be. Further caution: get the name of the person you talk to because when you get to the restaurant there's a real good chance that a different person will quote a different rate. Happened to us so often that we now just call back and re-confirm the policy. Thu May 13 14:12:29 -0700 2004 632404 0 Chicago Mike 2 632475 Ditto that caution. It even happened to me at a Lettuce place, where you would think they had a real handle on consistency and policies, etc. Called in advance to Shaw's Crabhouse to find out about corkage for a bottle of wine I wanted to bring for a celebratory meal with my parents. Anniversary or something. Confirmed the corkage charge over the phone. Arrived next day and was told by all present that they simply didn't allow patrons to bring in wine, period. A rather protracted discussion ensued which came close to ruining the meal before it began. And I like this place. Places that have no license and are totally BYO are mucn more likely to be easy about it, since they're not looking to make up for a lost sale. Thu May 13 15:16:40 -0700 2004 632469 0 mrbarolo