in my world, buddy!) I know cutting a cake can get messy sometimes but it is just me, or is a cutting fee excessive and unwarranted? (7 replies, last updated by Nancy March 31, 2003)

Went to a friend’s birthday party on Fri. at Union restaurant in Santa Monica (above JiRaffe). Her boyfriend had brought in a customized ice cream cake, so the restaurant charged him a $2.50 per slice “cakage”... (29 replies, last updated by galleygirl July 17, 2002)

The fee was ridiculous, if not illegal. It would have been gracious to cut the cake for nothing; it would have been OK, if not tacky, to charge $5. But does anyone really believe that the restaurant stood to make a $24 profit on... (18 replies, last updated by sara z October 29, 2003)

Thank you, Chowhounds, for the reviews of Cut. Really enjoyed my recent meal there. APPETIZERS I had Organic Asparagus topped with a Poached Egg and drizzled with Bacon Vinaigrette. The sweet and salty Bacon Vinaigrette made this... (7 replies, last updated by kevin h January 14, 2009)

a birthday/anniversary/christening/etc. cake. Sometimes we’ve been charged a cutting fee, sometimes we haven’t. I think it’s pretty nervy for a place to charge a cutting fee if they’re requiring you to... (8 replies, last updated by LB July 18, 2002)

Looking for restaurants [dinner service, med. price range] in Orange County and or Long Beach that do not charge corkage Fees. the few that I know are: Houstons, Blacksheep, Cafe R&D, Pinot Providence and Gulfstream. (19 replies, last updated by batfink23 December 12, 2008)

works great with the steaks but not the crab cakes. Etc., etc., etc. What I will tell you is that, when I ran a restaurant, we had a $5 corkage fee. (Granted, this was in the 1980s; today it would at least $10, and perhaps $15.)... (22 replies, last updated by Harters May 13, 2008)

and ruin the atmosphere. Takes forever to get served, the food’s usually cold, and the bill is an organizational disaster. Plus, they usually have weird policies on whether you can bring stuff from outside (and woe to the... (14 replies, last updated by Das Ubergeek October 10, 2006)

cover as possible because chances are the customers will not be frequent diners. Not an argument I agree with, but one that’s been thrown out there. As for corkage fees, after calling to find out the fee at a local... (4 replies, last updated by FoodieJim October 30, 2007)

not brought your own. They would have made more wine profit. So is your argument is that you only want to cut into their profit a little? It seems reasonable to charge the fee; unreasonable to expect it to be waived. Especially... (52 replies, last updated by maria lorraine March 3, 2009)

I have to wonder, however, if these restaurants have ever done some sort of testing of the waters to see if overall sales are better if they lower the corkage fee. I would think you could make a case that cutting the corkage fees... (11 replies, last updated by maria lorraine October 30, 2007)

I’ve been working on this list for a little over a year. Please feel free to add any additional restaurants. This is a cut and paste from my website, if any of the formatting did not come through, try:... (9 replies, last updated by Pei August 26, 2007)

the card and says, "there’s a $6 sharing fee." While he was gone to get our check, DH and I discussed this "sharing fee," so when he came back, I asked if this was disclosed on the menu. He said, "It’s not, but it is... (43 replies, last updated by hannaone May 2, 2007)

fee charge. Your server is opening the wine, & should be tipped on doing so. I sort of equate this to restaurants charging a cake cutting fee. Off premise cakes means longer table time, providing plates, & washing them. Those who... (14 replies, last updated by invinotheresverde May 4, 2008)

A friend gave us a gift certificate to Cut for Christmas. We decided to use it on Feb. 17, which is the weekend before my wife’s birthday. That’s where the trouble began. First, the restaurant said it could not accept... (22 replies, last updated by goldbergd January 25, 2007)