A corkage fee is the charge a restaurant makes when you bring your own bottle of wine instead of ordering one from its list. It’s the reason a BYO night can still show up as a line on your bill, and it’s easy to be surprised by when nobody mentioned it at booking.
This guide covers how a corkage fee works, why restaurants charge one, and what to ask before you carry a good bottle through the door. It’s written for Perth and Western Australian diners, and where we’ve leaned on official information, the link goes straight to the government page.
A corkage fee is what a restaurant charges for serving wine you’ve brought yourself. It pays for the service, not the wine, because the venue isn’t selling you the bottle.
You’ll also see it called a BYO fee or a restaurant corkage fee. It’s all the same thing. In Western Australia, a licensed restaurant only allows BYO if it chooses to: the WA Government’s licensed restaurants factsheet says that, “with the consent of the licensee”, customers can bring their own alcohol to drink with a meal. That page deals with permission and doesn’t mention a fee, so how much you pay and how it’s counted is something to ask each restaurant.
You bring a bottle, the restaurant opens it and pours it, and the corkage fee goes on your bill at the end. The fee is set by the restaurant, so the amount and the way it’s counted can differ from one venue to the next.
Expect to hand the bottle to your server when you sit down, and they’ll take care of the rest. Under the WA guidance, BYO alcohol is meant to be drunk with your meal, which is why BYO belongs to dining out rather than a quiet drink. Whatever’s left in the bottle is yours to take home afterwards.
Serving your bottle still takes the restaurant’s time and equipment, even though it isn’t selling you the wine. The fee is how a restaurant covers that work while still letting you drink something you chose.
In practice that means clean glasses on the table, someone to open and pour, a place to chill the bottle if it needs it, and the washing up after you’ve gone.
The WA Government’s licensed restaurants guidance covers permission to bring your own alcohol and doesn’t mention fees. What the law does cover is honest pricing: business.gov.au says it’s illegal to make false or misleading statements about the price of products or services.
That applies to what’s said to customers as well as what’s advertised, so asking for the fee up front is perfectly reasonable.
Liquor rules also vary around the country. In NSW, for example, the state government says a liquor licence isn’t required to operate a BYO restaurant, though a licence is needed before the restaurant can sell liquor. If you’re dining outside WA, check with that state’s liquor regulator. This is general information, not legal advice, and if you think a price was misrepresented, you can contact Consumer Protection WA.
There’s no official average that we could find, so the honest answer is that it varies from restaurant to restaurant. The only number worth trusting is the one the venue gives you.
A figure from a review site or a friend’s memory can be out of date, so ask when you book. If you’d like our current fee before you decide, ring us on (08) 9287 2700.
Each restaurant decides whether corkage is charged per bottle, per person, or another way, so ask before you book. With two bottles at a table of six, a per-bottle fee is charged twice and a per-person fee six times.
That matters most for birthdays and bigger groups, where the same fee can add up to very different totals depending on how it’s counted.
Whether a restaurant charges corkage is its own decision, so treat “no corkage” as something to confirm, not assume. At Prego, a corkage fee applies to BYO wine.
If a venue tells you it doesn’t charge, check that it holds for your day and the size of your group. Our BYO page has our current wording.
Ask four things before you book: whether BYO is on for your day, how the fee is charged, whether it’s limited to wine, and whether it can be combined with other offers. Those questions head off most surprises.
| Question | Why it matters |
| Is BYO available on the day I’m booking? | A restaurant can limit BYO to certain days. At Prego, it’s Tuesday to Saturday. |
| What’s the fee, and is it per bottle or per person? | It changes your total, especially with several bottles or a bigger group. |
| Is it wine only? | Policies differ. At Prego, it is. |
| Does it combine with other offers? | At Prego, no. |
We welcome BYO wine Tuesday to Saturday, and a corkage fee applies.
You’ll find us at 440 Cambridge St, Floreat, with lunch Tuesday to Friday and dinner Tuesday to Saturday. BYO isn’t valid with any other discounts or promotions, and our BYO page has the current wording. If you’re planning around a particular bottle, it helps to look at the food first: the à la carte menu has pasta, gnocchi, seafood and meat dishes, and there’s also a five-course degustation menu. If you’d like to bring your own wine to the degustation, mention it when you book so we can confirm how it fits.
When you’re ready, you can book a table online. If your preferred time isn’t available, or you’re booking for more than 10 guests, call us on (08) 9287 2700.
Under the WA Government’s guidance for licensed restaurants, yes. Customers who bring their own alcohol to have with a meal can take any unconsumed portion away with them afterwards.
No. Our BYO policy covers wine only, Tuesday to Saturday.
Yes. In Western Australia, BYO at a licensed restaurant depends on the licensee’s consent, so check with the restaurant when you book.
Not at Prego. Our BYO offer isn’t valid with any other discounts or promotions.
Prego Italian Restaurant has long been a destination choice for food lovers. Customers visit this special Italian Restaurant to taste some delectable Italian cuisine in the regions and leave the restaurant with great contentment. Our chef makes it a point to serve you the tastiest delicacies in the healthiest way. Count on us for a healthy & tasty treat and feel the indulgence!
For Lunch : TUE - FRI
For Dinner : TUE - SAT
440 Cambridge St, Floreat, Perth, WA 6014
We welcome BYO wine only on Tuesday to Saturday. (Corkage Fee) Not valid with any other Discounts or Promotions.
