Corkage fee
Updated August 2026
A corkage fee is a per-bottle charge for serving alcohol the client supplied rather than bought from the venue or caterer. It pays for the glassware, ice, chilling, opening, pouring, and clearing that the client’s purchase did not cover.
Also called: corkage, bring your own charge.
Why it matters to a small caterer
Corkage is most often the venue’s charge rather than the caterer’s, but it lands on the caterer’s plate constantly, because clients ask about it while they are planning the food. Knowing whose fee it is and what it covers at the venues you work is a small piece of knowledge that makes you look like the professional in the room.
The larger question is whether you should be serving alcohol at all. Pouring alcohol generally requires a license, and often separate liquor liability coverage and a bartender who carries their own certification. Those rules are set state by state, and in many places by the county or city as well, so the answer is your own jurisdiction’s rather than a general one. A caterer who has decided not to touch alcohol can still be useful here by naming the licensed bartending service the client should call.
If you do charge it, charge it honestly
State corkage per bottle, say what it includes, and say what happens to unopened bottles at the end of the night. If glassware is rented, that is a rental line rather than something buried in corkage. And if the client is supplying alcohol for a large room, agree in writing who is responsible for refusing service, because that responsibility is worth more than the fee.
Where this shows up
Put the terms to work on a real quote
CaterKit costs every dish from your own ingredients, prices the quote at your margin, and sends it as a page the client can accept on their phone.