Corkage fees in the UK: what to charge and how to run BYOB

A corkage fee is what a restaurant charges when a guest brings their own bottle (BYOB) to drink with their meal. It covers opening and serving the drink, the glasses and the washing-up, and some of the drinks profit you give up. No UK law sets how much you can charge. Most venues charge per bottle, from a few pounds at a BYOB café or curry house to £30 or more in fine dining. Here's how to set yours, show it and stay on the right side of licensing and VAT rules.

This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice. Licensing rules are set locally, so check with your council's licensing team.

What is corkage?

Corkage is a service charge for drink the guest brings in. The name comes from pulling the cork, but the fee usually covers:

• opening and pouring the bottle
• glassware, and washing it
• ice buckets or decanters if needed
• the table time and service
• the drinks sale you don't make

Some venues use the same idea for food. "Cakeage" is a fee for cutting and serving a birthday cake the guest brought.

Is there a set corkage fee in the UK?

No. No UK law sets or caps corkage. You decide whether to allow BYOB at all, and what to charge. The legal points are about how you run it: licensing, VAT and showing prices clearly. They're covered below.

Average corkage charge in the UK

There's no official survey of UK corkage fees. These are rough ranges seen in UK guides and on menus. Use them as a starting point, then check what venues near you charge.

Sparkling wine and Champagne often cost more than still wine. Beer and cider are usually charged per bottle or can, or per person.

These ranges are based on Square UK's corkage guide (about £3 to £5 at the low end, £12 to £15 for still wine, £15 to £20 for sparkling, £20 to £35 for Champagne, and up to £45 to £65 at some venues). There's no official data.

Do you need a licence for BYOB?

In England and Wales, you need a premises licence to sell alcohol, not to let guests drink their own. The Licensing Act 2003 makes "the sale by retail of alcohol" a licensable activity. If you don't sell or supply alcohol, and guests bring and drink their own, that activity isn't taking place. The Valuation Office Agency's guidance even describes "unlicensed restaurants" where customers bring their own alcohol and pay corkage.

But keep these points in mind:

• Corkage must be a service charge, not a hidden drinks sale. Don't sell bottles from behind the counter, keep alcohol on site to "give away" with meals, or price corkage so it's really a drink sale. Selling alcohol without a licence is a criminal offence under section 136 of the Licensing Act 2003, with an unlimited fine.
• Councils can take a view. Some licensing teams have their own policy on BYOB, and complaints about noise or disorder at a BYOB venue can lead to action. Ask your council's licensing team in writing.
• Hot food after 11pm needs a licence anyway. Selling hot food or drink between 11pm and 5am is "late night refreshment", which is licensable in England and Wales, BYOB or not.
• If you already have a premises licence, check its conditions. Your council may have added conditions that affect customers' own alcohol. Your designated premises supervisor (DPS) should know.
• Under-18s and drunk guests. Even in a BYOB venue, ask for ID if a guest looks young, and stop serving anyone who is drunk. It protects your guests and your reputation.

Scotland and Northern Ireland have separate licensing laws. The Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 and NI licensing law work differently. Ask your local Licensing Board (Scotland) or council (NI) before running BYOB.

VAT on corkage

HMRC guidance doesn't name corkage directly. Corkage is a charge for a service (opening and serving a drink), and services are standard-rated at 20% unless a lower rate or exemption applies. So if you're VAT-registered, expect to charge VAT on it: a £10 corkage fee includes £1.67 VAT (one-sixth). Show corkage prices including VAT, the same as your food and drink prices, and confirm with your accountant.

For how VAT works on eat-in and takeaway food, see our VAT on takeaway food guide.

How to set your corkage fee

Start with what you lose and what it costs you.

1. Work out what a bottle sale makes you. If your house red costs you £7 and sells for £26, your cash margin is about £14.67 after VAT (£26 ÷ 1.2 = £21.67, minus £7). Use our GP calculator or drinks GP calculator to check your own numbers.

2. Add the cost of serving it. Glass breakage, washing, staff time. Say £1 to £2 a bottle.

3. Decide how much of the lost margin to recover. Few venues charge the full margin. Guests who BYOB still buy food, soft drinks, coffee and desserts, and often come back.

Worked example (illustrative):

In this example, a £10 corkage fee recovers about half the drinks profit. Many owners are happy with that, because BYOB fills tables on quiet nights. Plug in your own prices.

Corkage policy ideas that work

• Per bottle, with a separate rate for sparkling.
• Per person for BYOB cafés and curry houses ("£2 per person corkage").
• Bottle limit, such as two bottles per table.
• Not on our list: only allow wines you don't sell, so guests bring something special.
• Free corkage nights on Mondays or Tuesdays to fill quiet tables.
• Waive it if the table also buys a bottle from your list.
• Spirits: many venues don't allow them, or charge more.

How to show your corkage fee

Guests should know the fee before they turn up with a bottle. Show it:

• on your menu, near the drinks list ("Corkage: £10 per bottle of wine, £15 sparkling")
• on your website and booking page
• in booking confirmations for groups and parties
• on your Google Business Profile, if you're BYOB ("Bring your own: £3 per person corkage")

Make it as clear as your food prices. The Price Marking (Food and Drink Services) Order 2003 says extra charges, such as a service or cover charge, must be shown at least as prominently as the food prices they relate to. Treat corkage the same way. Our menu templates include wording blocks for service charges that you can adapt for corkage.

Corkage on a QR or digital menu

On a digital menu, add corkage as its own item in the drinks section, such as "Corkage: still wine (per bottle)". Then:

• guests see the fee before they order
• staff or guests add it to the table's order, so it lands on the bill
• you change the price once and it updates everywhere

With Menuthere table ordering, repeat orders from one table join the same bill, so a corkage line added at the start sits with the food. Staff can also take orders for the table on the dashboard.

Put your menu, drinks list and corkage fee on one QR code. Free plan: QR codes, unlimited items, 0% commission, up to 50 orders a month.

Create your free ordering page

Corkage etiquette: what to tell your team

• Open and serve the guest's bottle the same way you would your own.
• Don't comment on the wine or the price.
• Offer the right glasses and an ice bucket for whites and sparkling.
• If the wine is corked, it's the guest's bottle, but a kind word goes a long way.
• Never refuse to serve a BYOB table food or soft drinks.

Running a bar as well? See how Menuthere works for bars.