Collegiate Times

Some Blacksburg restaurants are starting to adopt BYOB — or bring your own bottle — alcohol licenses. In short, customers can enjoy their own wine at restaurants with this license. But there is a catch. Bringing a bottle may break the bank, as corking fees cost more than glasses, and even some bottles, of wine alone. 

For businesses that already serve alcohol, this isn’t a major economic swing, but for those that don’t, it could mean more revenue. However, this is not a necessity in Blacksburg, or more specifically downtown. After all, this is a college town, which comes with more than enough bars — happy hour hot spots that, thanks to their own liquor licenses, do not charge customers for bottle opening.

But what do BYOB licenses mean to the average customer in a college town? Most patrons in Blacksburg are obviously college-aged students, who are living on limited budgets and are typically not wine connoisseurs.

Corking fees at restaurants with this license cost $11 at the least. And since most college students don’t spend more than $15 on a bottle of wine, many are left wondering whether the fees are worth the price. On average, it seems that patrons would spend more than $20 just to bring their own wine to a restaurant and have it “professionally” opened. 

Sure, this license serves as a handy substitute for a restaurant that cannot pay for a full liquor license. But what is in it for the customers? Why not just drink after dinner and open your own bottle of wine for free? Let’s face it, you’re probably going to regardless of whether you drink at a restaurant. 

For those who can afford an incredible bottle of wine — that also comes with an equally incredible price tag — and want to bring it to a restaurant, the corking fee is seemingly insignificant. But there aren’t many people frequenting the restaurants of downtown Blacksburg who have the means or the desire to do this. That is, unless we count John Boyer.  

BYOB licenses won’t negatively affect businesses in Blacksburg, but they probably won’t bring in enough new revenue to make them worthwhile. Instead, college students will continue to drink their cheap-ish wine at home, minus the corking fees. 

A version of this article appeared in the Jan 25 issue of the Collegiate Times.