116654 Sun Sep 12 12:26:59 -0700 2004 6 7 Chicago Area 0 637059 Are we all aware that corkage fees in restaurants that do not have a liquor license are illegal in Chicago? Sun Sep 12 12:26:59 -0700 2004 0 J. Jon 1 637063 Really! Lot of scofflaws out there, apparently. I've attached a list of them below (it includes Charlie Trotter, that reprobate!) Care to provide a cite to the Municipal Code section(s) outlawing this activity? I ask because (1) I'm a lawyer and hate thinking I've been aiding and abetting criminals and (2) I'm too lazy to look it up in the Code myself. Link: http://www.grapelakes.com/Howto/byob_restaurants.htm Sun Sep 12 16:24:59 -0700 2004 637059 0 JimInLoganSquare 2 637064 Sorry ... I see you're saying it's O.K. to charge corkage IF you have a liquor license, but not otherwise. But arent' there a lot of places in that category? Seems like if it's illegal, these places would get dinged by the City, but they keep right at it. Sun Sep 12 16:29:42 -0700 2004 637063 0 JimInLoganSquare 3 637084 In your parlance, this is black letter law. If you do not have a liquor license, you cannot charge corkage. That being said, many places ignore the law and charge it anyway. The reason for this is somewhat of a catch 22. The enforcement for this is generally the Dept. of Revenue and the biggest stick that they carry is to jeapordize your liquor license. If you don't have a liquor license, they can theoretically fine you and put a hold on your food license, but it is generally not worth their time. Mon Sep 13 12:56:25 -0700 2004 637064 0 restaurateur 4 637094 Couldn't they just call it a glassware rental fee? One town I lived in had a law that liquor could only be sold with food. So the local tavern had an "Irish" lunch special which was 3 beers, a shot of whiskey and a boiled potato. Mon Sep 13 14:49:00 -0700 2004 637084 0 dlc 5 646790 There was an update to this post in the Sunday Chicago Tribune, in an article about BYOB in Chicago. Tue Sep 27 11:09:12 -0700 2005 637094 0 jon 1 637237 The Dept. of Revenue is interested in places that break this law. Let's start a list and I'll take the list over to them. Last I checked. Columbia Steak House on Lincoln Red Table in Bridgeport Fri Sep 17 14:08:13 -0700 2004 637059 0 JJon