Definition

A fee that a restaurant charges for serving a bottle of wine or liquor that the customer brought from outside instead of buying from the restaurant.

Example

The restaurant has a corkage fee of $20 for each bottle of wine you bring.

Conversation

Have you ever noticed the corkage fee at that new restaurant?

Yeah, I saw it on the menu, but I wasn't sure what it meant.

It’s basically a charge for bringing your own wine instead of buying theirs.

Got it! I guess it's a way for them to make some extra money.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Corkage → It is formed from "cork" (from Old French *corque*, meaning the outer bark of a tree) and "-age" (a suffix indicating a related action or process). The word "corkage" refers to the fee charged for serving wine that a customer brings into a restaurant, relating to the action of using corked bottles.

Memory Tip

Think of the 'cork' from a bottle and the '-age' indicating a process — corkage is the process related to using corked bottles, especially in dining.

Visually Confused Words