When ordering a wedding or corporate event in a restaurant, many are faced with such a concept as "cork collection". What is it and why is it needed.
It's no secret that many restaurants and banquet halls allow you to bring your own alcohol, especially when there are a large number of guests and the establishment is completely closed for your event. Some restaurants require you to pay a cork tax (sometimes called a cork tax). This is especially common in restaurants in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
Initially, this collection was practiced in hotel restaurants, then other restaurants began to adopt it. It is often explained to customers that this payment includes the rental of glasses and the labor of the bartender to open the bottles. In fact, this is just an additional payment, the same as a 10% service charge or a hall rental fee.
The cork fee is charged per guest or per bottle. In the latter case, you need to check with the restaurant whether all bottles brought or only open during the banquet are counted. The amount of cork collection can vary from 50 to 1000 rubles per person. If the cork collection is very large, it may be more profitable to order alcohol in the restaurant itself, rather than bring your own.
The fashion for cork collection came from abroad, only initially the so-called cork fee was taken for a bottle brought with him just for dinner, and not for a banquet. Thus, you can bring expensive collection wine and drink it in an appropriate setting, ordering dishes from the à la carte menu. In Russia, very few restaurants practice this type of cork collection.
