You've never heard of it so I'm making it up...

[daisychain]

Haven't posted in awhile but last night at work I had an amusing argument with a customer.

I work at a restaurant where because of our license we can sell alcohol but you can't bring your own or take it with you if you don't finish it. This means we can't give people the tops to their wines or drinks.

A customer buys some wine and after I open it this happens:

Customer: I'll take the top for that wine thanks, in case we need to take it with us.
Me: Sorry sir our liquor license only covers consumption on the premises so you can't take it with you.
Customer: What? I've never heard of such a thing you're making it up! Just give me the top!
Me: Er well I am sorry but I'm not making it up, we have our license on display I can actually go get it for you if you like?
Customer: No! You are making it up! I have taken wines home before!
Me: From here?
Customer: No.
Me: Well other restaurants have different licenses but we unfortunately can't legally let you take that home.
Customer: Fine! *Insert more muttering grumbles about how I am making it up while he walks away*

It mostly amused me that he thought that I would make something like that up...

[Ironclad Alibi]

I only found out recently that customers can take home unfinished bottles of wine in Virginia, not that I've ever needed to do so.

[South Texan]

This means we can't give people the tops to their wines or drinks.

Here in Texas, the restuarant or bar MUST give the cork to seal the bottle and allow the customer to take the bottle home with its contents. The reasoning behind this is a policy to encourage customers not to drink too much, and not allowing a customer to take the bottle home would only cause the customer to drink the whole bottle at one sitting, then leave in a far more intoxicated state than the customer or the state would want. That intoxicated customer then would likely try to drive home. Texas has a real thing about prosecuting drunk drivers, so it does not want to do anything to cause more drunks.

[RangerJake72]

I do believe that that is now a law here in Florida, for similar reasons as SouthTexan posted, customers may buy the bottle and take it home, so as not to go and drink it all in one sitting

[auntiem]

We can't take home a partial bottle from anywhere in my state. Don't you have open container laws? It is a spendy ticket here and cause to get your whole car searched.

[BookstoreEscapee]

We can't take home a partial bottle from anywhere in my state. Don't you have open container laws? It is a spendy ticket here and cause to get your whole car searched.

There are open container laws, but in NJ at least, they started letting you take home open wine bottles from restaurants as long as it's in a bag. Some places have special wine bags with a fold-down top with a sticky strip so you can seal it. My dad puts them in the trunk just to be safe, anyway.

[RootedPhoenix]

My dad puts them in the trunk just to be safe, anyway.

In CA, (don't know if that's still true, since I don't drink), the only place you can legally have an open container of alcohol is in the trunk.

(When I found out, it made for a rather amusing mental image as I imagined an open beer can sloshing around..... but I'm weird like that. )

Anyway, did this person never hear of having different rules in different places? Good grief.

[daisychain]

Yeah it can be a bit tricky cos a lot of places do allow you to take wines home if you've paid for them but I think that sort of liquor license costs more and my boss aint really the spending type...

[protege]

There are open container laws, but in NJ at least, they started letting you take home open wine bottles from restaurants as long as it's in a bag.

I know that Cape May, NJ is strict about that. It's not unheard of for tourists to have wine with dinner...and then get busted after they step outside.

Hell, my mother was nearly one of those people We'd split a bottle at one of the boardwalk restaurants (Henry's...home of the "Big Ass Clams") Since there was some left, we thought we'd take it back to the apartment for later. Well, she's about halfway out the door...when the waitress chases us down with a bag. LOL it was the highlight of the trip

[Kagato]

In New Zealand there is 2 kinds of Liquor Licenses that a premises can hold:

"On-License: Allows the purchase and consumption of liquor on the premises, but can not remove liquor that is purchased on the premises from it. Does not apply to BYO, which can generally be taken on and off the premises at the companys discretion as long as they hold the license - Generally used by Restaurants and bars

Off-License: Allows the purchase of liquor on the premises on the basis that you are intending on taking it elsewhere (generally to a private premises as most built up areas in larger NZ towns have alcohol bans in place in public areas) - Generally used by Bottle Shops and Supermarkets."

[PepperElf]

I only found out recently that customers can take home unfinished bottles of wine in Virginia, not that I've ever needed to do so.

it also depends on the alcohol content.

At Gordon Biersch you can buy a jug-to-go but it can't contain any of the beers with a higher alcohol content. So I couldn't bring the winter bach out.

Yeah I got the jug to go cos I was picking up food for my hotel room & didn't want to pay for a cab... so I had nice food & beer in my room

[Jester]

People often don't believe us when we quote the law, be it "you can't smoke that in here" or "I can't serve your 19-year-old son alcohol, even if you think it's perfectly alright." Yes, I am just making all this shit up to make my working day that much more frustrating by arguing with assholes about legal matters. Riiiiiight.

Cape May, NJ

....it was the highlight of the trip

It worries me that, in that wonderful area (I've spent time there), THIS was the highlight of your trip. You really should get out more.

And don't forget...."Watch the tram cars please. Please watch out for the tram cars."

[protege]

It worries me that, in that wonderful area (I've spent time there), THIS was the highlight of your trip. You really should get out more.

Well, when you don't get much time off, and there's not much to pay for it...I take what I can get Oh, and it was the highlight...simply because my mother has a reputation of being an

[SnapAddict218]

Snaps is very intrigued. What is this....how you say......'unfinished'...bottle? I don't believe I've ever heard of that before.

: D

[protege]

Unfinished, because we still had to walk back to the apartment Didn't leave any wine left the following night--the restaurant (the Mad Batter) was literally right down the street, only a few doors down, so getting back to the apartment wasn't an issue.

I have wine now and then with dinner, but when on vacation, it's more of a treat. Not only are there local wines, (there's a winery out by their airport) but also from all over the world.