What does BYO mean at a restaurant?
BYO means "bring your own": the restaurant lets you bring your own wine, and sometimes beer, to drink with your meal. Most BYO restaurants charge a corkage fee to open and serve it. In the United States and the United Kingdom the same thing is usually called BYOB, "bring your own bottle".
BYO, BYOB and "licensed and BYO"
BYO and BYOB mean the same thing. A restaurant can also be both licensed and BYO: it sells its own drinks and still lets you bring a bottle, usually wine only and often with a higher corkage fee. Some restaurants are BYO only on certain days, such as Monday to Wednesday.
What you can bring
Of the 1323 BYO restaurants on findbyo, 1014 are wine-only and 300 also allow beer. Spirits are rarely allowed. Each findbyo listing says exactly what you can bring.
Where to find BYO restaurants
Related questions
- Is BYO the same as BYOB?
- Yes. BYO (bring your own) is the usual term in Australia and New Zealand; BYOB (bring your own bottle) is the usual term in the United States and the United Kingdom. Both mean the restaurant lets you bring your own alcohol.
- Can a licensed restaurant be BYO?
- Yes. Many licensed restaurants also allow BYO, usually for wine only and with a corkage fee. findbyo marks these as licensed venues that also allow BYO.
What is corkage, and how much does it cost? How does BYO work at a restaurant?