Taking home undrunk wine from a restaurant

George_Michael

timbstoke wrote: »

Really? Which law? Statute and regulation, please.

You're going to be waiting an awfully long time for that information to be posted.

I used to work in pubs and did this for about 9 years, working in about 10 to 12 bars per year. (I was an agency worker, filling in for bar staff who were on holiday or sick).
Although I never worked in a restaurant, I know for a fact that just about every pub I worked in was licenced for both on and off sales.

George_Michael

giraffe69 wrote: »

A restaurant might not do this and then refuse to let someone take the half full bottle away if it was in line for jobsworth of the year.

How would they stop someone if they wished to take a half full bottle with them?
The wine would have been paid for in full by the customer so it is their property.
There is no deposit on the bottle so the restaurant wouldn't be losing money and irrespective of what others have said, the customer wouldn't be breaking any laws by taking the wine with them. (unless they started drinking it in public in an area that has specific bylaws against this).

mandragora_2

Do like they do on the continent - get the restaurant to pop a cork in it, and come back again the next night. Sooner or later, the end of the evening would coincide with the bottom of the bottle, surely????

Laz123

George_Michael wrote: »

How would they stop someone if they wished to take a half full bottle with them?
The wine would have been paid for in full by the customer so it is their property.
There is no deposit on the bottle so the restaurant wouldn't be losing money and irrespective of what others have said, the customer wouldn't be breaking any laws by taking the wine with them. (unless they started drinking it in public in an area that has specific bylaws against this).

At last, a voice of sanity amongst a sea of (text removed by me before the sensitive forum team removes it).

Just like the scene in Space Balls where Mel Brooks asks everyone on the bridge their surnames which is the same and he says he's surrounded by (text removed by me before the sensitive forum team removes it) holes.

lulu_92

George_Michael wrote: »

How would they stop someone if they wished to take a half full bottle with them?
The wine would have been paid for in full by the customer so it is their property.
There is no deposit on the bottle so the restaurant wouldn't be losing money and irrespective of what others have said, the customer wouldn't be breaking any laws by taking the wine with them. (unless they started drinking it in public in an area that has specific bylaws against this).

See my post above - take the cap off them when you serve the bottle.

This soon became common practice at my place.

George_Michael

lulu_92 wrote: »

See my post above - take the cap off them when you serve the bottle.

This soon became common practice at my place.

That wouldn't stop them from taking the wine though. Certainly it would make it more difficult, but if they still decided to walk out with it there is nothing legally or morally stopping them from doing so.

OlliesDad

19lottie82 wrote: »

It may be easier to get an off sales licence than for one to consume alcohol on the premises, but why would most restaurants / bars want (hence bother applying for) the former?

To increase profits.. If a customer finishes the bottle of wine at the end of the main course and they know they can get another one and take any leftovers home then they are more likely to buy one.

Gavin83

19lottie82 wrote: »

That's fair and well but bear in mind you would be breaking the law and the restaurant would be within their rights to report you to the police.

What law would that be?

I can't say I've ever had need to take a bottle of wine from a restaurant, we'll generally finish the bottle before leaving. There have been times I've stayed after finishing my meal to drink the bottle.

Theres been several times I've bought drinks for the local pub and taken it home but they only do that because I'm a regular(ish) and it's really not something they'd do for the average Joe wandering in.

KittenChops

19lottie82 wrote: »

I'm not talking about a specific restaurant, I'm talking generally.

It may be easier to get an off sales licence than for one to consume alcohol on the premises, but why would most restaurants / bars want (hence bother applying for) the former?

In my 12 years experience in the industry I've never working in a bar or restaurant that's had an off sales license.

In the many years I worked in bars & restaurants (as management in the latter years), we had those cardboard takeaway cartons things ready to decant drinks from glasses for people to take home (clearly wine wouldn't be decanted as we didn't want the bottle back). Definitely allowed when you have the correct licence - and all of the venues I worked in did.

lulu_92

George_Michael wrote: »

That wouldn't stop them from taking the wine though. Certainly it would make it more difficult, but if they still decided to walk out with it there is nothing legally or morally stopping them from doing so.

Yeah but it means we've done something to try and prevent it.

For us our entrance was manned at all times so we stopped people if they tried to, but obviously it can be hidden in bags/coats/etc

If people want to do it, they will find a way.