Why Do We Charge a Cappage fee to open and drink bottles in the restaurant?
ABV sells all of our bottled and canned beers at "supermarket" retail prices, not "bar / restaurant" prices. That means that on some bottles we make as little as 25 cents. We assume most bottles of beer are going to be sold "to-go" and not consumed at a table, so we price them all that way, but we then charge a "corkage" fee to open them up and have the guest use our tables and glasses and dishwashers and enjoy ABV as a drinking establishment.
Other bottle shops/restaurants mark up all their bottled beers much higher (bar prices), but “discount” them 30% or 40% if you get them “to-go. “ It's a "hidden" corkage fee because the beer is still priced higher if consumed in-house, cheaper if you get it to-go. Other places, like Belmont Station in Portland, mark each bottle with two price tags, one higher (for in-house consumption) and one lower (for "to-go" pricing). As you can see, it's all the same: a cappage fee.
Every bar and restaurant charges more than supermarket prices to drink the beer at the restaurant. No bar in Portland - or anywhere - sells a bottle of, say, Deschutes, at supermarket prices. They might charge $5 for a single bottle of Citrus Mistress, but I can buy a 6-pack for $12 at Safeway. It's a hidden cappage fee because they are selling it more expensively than supermarket retail (and more expensively than ABV). We just happen to price all of our bottles at that super-low retail pricing in order to compete against all the retail giants, but we add the in-house bar-fee if you want to open them up and drink them here at the restaurant. You do not have to pay this fee - you can drink the beers at home or you can order a pint from our 33 taps and avoid the fee.
It’s a necessary cost in order for us - and all restaurants - to stay in business.