For D.C. restaurant patrons, “Check please” may soon be followed by a new mantra: Cork it and bag it.
A long-standing prohibition on leaving a restaurant with an open bottle of wine was ditched Tuesday by the D.C. Council.
The council passed legislation allowing restaurants to re-cork the wine, seal it in a tamper-proof plastic bag and send it off with the diner.
“Consumers will no longer have to feel like they’re wasting an entire bottle of wine when they can’t finish the whole thing,” said at-large Councilman Kwame Brown, who introduced the amendment to an omnibus alcoholic beverage bill.
Proponents argued for the change on two counts — maintaining a strong hospitality industry and reducing incidents of drunken driving. Brown argued diners “will be more likely to purchase a more expensive bottle of wine knowing they have the option of taking the bottle home.”
“If you buy a very expensive bottle of wine and you can’t carry it with you, you tend to drink it,” said Ward 8 Councilman Marion Barry. “And you may get drunk. And then you’re out there driving while drunk.”
The amendment was backed by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington and a handful of eateries, including Clyde’s, Meridian, The Reef and Charlie Palmer’s.
Lynne Breaux, president of the restaurant association, said the “common sense” measure will prevent overconsumption and perhaps spur diners to purchase “more and better” wines.
Ward 1 Councilman Jim Graham, who introduced the omnibus bill, opposed the amendment on the grounds it hadn’t been aired during a public hearing.
He also said it seems to conflict with another alcohol-related measure adopted by the council Tuesday, one that banned single-sale containers in Wards 4, 7 and 8.
“People will take the wine outside, open the container and take a drink on the sidewalk,” said Graham, who ended up voting against his own bill.
