A new type of "scammer" is making its way around Manhattan. The so-called "corkage cowboys" are a ruthless bunch and they bring along with them highly prized bottles of wine. They enter Michelin-star restaurants and, lo and behold, would force the sommelier to make an on-the-spot decision to provide discounts or even flatly waiving the corkage fees. This results in massive amounts of resources diverted to entertain the cowboys.
The sommelier gets into a high-stakes diplomacy game where big shot wine collectors remain happy while retaining restaurant profits. More often than not, however, it is the restaurant that suffers. An unnamed sommelier lamented, "They say, 'Oh, we didn't realize there was a limit,' and, 'Come on, what's the big deal? These are very special bottles.,'" He added, "It becomes a guilt trip."
Succumbing to the cowboys means dozens of hand-buffed glasses, decanters, and "one human being's entire night" to service the packed hours-long dinner. As anyone can imagine, this results in the restaurant's depleted resources. It would also result in costs which overshadow the tab as, it is no secret, profits are mainly made with beverages.
The sommelier said, "We have to sell wine, and if we don't sell wine, we don't exist." Vice reported that this practice is way too common among New York's wealthy. Sommeliers, all of whom declined to be identified to avoid offending their patrons, seem to be in agreement.
As to who these corkage cowboys are, another sommelier described them as "mid-career finance guys." They are tight bunch and always stick to one another. They know each other and always go out together. They also have the same mindset when it comes to corkage and have no problems playing one restaurant after another.
To add to the sommeliers' woes, "they collectively boycott those that don't conform. It becomes a pack mentality." Faced with this reality, sommeliers are then forced to look the other way and make side calculations on behalf of the restaurant owners, a gray area that employees are obviously uncomfortable doing, The Needs reported.
Many restaurants have now implemented stricter rules. Some have decided on excessively high corkage to deter corkage cowboys. Others have even gone so far as to have a zero-tolerance for wines in the menu-or any wine at all. "You could be the President and you cannot bring wine into my restaurant," said one sommelier whose restaurant has adopted the zero-tolerance policy.
Do you think it is crazy that a $40 corkage should be waived when the bottles of wine go in the thousands? Share this article if you think so!
