Corkage Fee

Category: lifestyle

A fee charged by a venue or caterer for opening and serving alcohol brought in by the client.

Common when venues allow couples to purchase their own wine or liquor wholesale. The corkage fee (charged per bottle or per person) covers the cost of glass rentals, ice, garnishes, and bartender labor, allowing the venue to retain profit margins on alcohol service.

Common Examples

• Even with a $15 per bottle corkage fee, bringing our own custom vintage wine saved us over two thousand dollars compared to the venue list.
• The catering manager added the total estimated corkage fee directly to the preliminary event invoice summary at closing.