What is a BYOB Restaurant?

A BYOB restaurant is where customers can bring their own alcohol. This way, the business can save money by avoiding a liquor license and give customers the opportunity to have their favorite drinks with their meals. So what are some other benefits to doing this and are there possible alternatives to change up the policy? Learn more about a BYOB restaurant with our helpful guide.

Benefits of a BYOB Restaurant

What is a BYOB restaurant and what are the benefits of implementing this practice? There are quite a few reasons you may want to consider trying the BYOB approach in your establishment. Take a closer look at the benefits:

• Sets you apart from competition – A BYOB dining experience is a more shareable experience for your customers that is sure to put you ahead of your competitors.


• Allows you to craft signature mixers – Offering mixers or classic embellishments when customers bring in spirits. This creates a fun and new way to craft a drink.


• Provides the opportunity to get creative – Create a rotating menu or specials that show off the best seasonal cuisine with drink pairings that folks can bring in to try.


• Creates more manageable dining out costs – People enjoy dining out. On weekends, it’s also usual to order a drink or two. By letting customers bring their own alcohol, they’ll be saving more than if ordering a drink from the menu.


• Lowers the cost of inventory – The less alcohol your business has to purchase, the less inventory cost you’ll have to pay overall.


• Opens up additional revenue opportunities – With the BYOB option, you may want to put a corkage fee in place. While it may only be a few dollars for smaller bottles, it adds up.

Reinventing a BYOB Restaurant

If you’re not too sure about a full BYOB experience, you can test out some of these alternatives to give your customers a new dining experience:

Complete the Drink

Put a spin on the classic BYOB rules and provide your customers with the ingredients and tools needed to create a new type of alcoholic drink. Offer garnishes, mixers and even create options for folks to “build your own” mimosa, mule and more right at the table.

Full-Service

With a full-service BYOB option, the customers would give any alcohol they bring to the servers or designated bartender to serve the table when ready. This way, there isn’t a table full of alcohol bottles in the way while people are eating.

Full-Service: Optional

This alternative gives customers the option to have their alcohol served to them by the staff while they eat. The bottles are left at the table and will be served when asked. This way, guests can then also serve themselves.

If you need some advice on alcohol and appetizer pairings, are interested in opening up a patio or simply want to learn more about BYOB restaurants, we can help. Check out our helpful guides.