Is it OK to bring your own wineglasses to a restaurant?
You love a restaurant’s food but hate its small wineglasses. How should you approach bringing your own?
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Dear Dr. Vinny,
Is it OK to bring your own wineglasses to a restaurant?
—Marcus, Des Moines, Iowa
Dear Marcus,
When I was first getting into wine, one of my wine mentors invited me to dine at a local restaurant he frequented. I saw that he had a wine bag with him, and much to my surprise, he brought his own wineglasses in addition to his own wine.
The whole scene unfolded perfectly calmly, and we had a lovely meal. The owner of the restaurant came by to say hello and shared a taste of wine with us. This was obviously something my mentor had done before. It was also obvious that he had cleared it with the management and handled it smoothly—including packing the dirty glasses back into his bag without bothering the staff.
I get why he felt the need to bring his own glassware. As delicious as the food was, the wine list was small and simple, and the glassware reflected that. We enjoyed the food and wine together, and I noticed that he left a generous tip.
If you’re interested in bringing your own glasses to a restaurant, I would take the story above as a template for how to do it well. The approach I would recommend is quite similar to how I like to bring a bottle of wine to a restaurant.
Start by calling first and speaking to management. Remember the name of the person you spoke with in case you get a puzzled look from your server. (“I called ahead and let David know that I’d be bringing my own wine and glasses.”) Be kind and patient, and tip well so that the next person who asks will have a better chance of being allowed. After all, you’re pointing out that the restaurant’s glassware is subpar, so it’s best to do this with as much tact as possible.
I also think this is the kind of enophile move you should reserve for restaurants whose glassware is truly subpar—I’m talking about very small glasses that can make it difficult to properly enjoy wine. If the restaurant provides perfectly nice, reasonably large all-purpose glasses but you insist on bringing your own Zaltos, you might draw an eye roll or two.
I also think it could be strange to show up with just wineglasses and then order from the list. Typically, the better the wine list, the better the glasses. That said, I’ve seen exceptions—and at the end of the day, if you’ll enjoy the wine more in your own glasses, then by all means ask to bring them.
But please, don’t ever show up to a friend’s house with your own glassware unless they ask you to do so. And if you find yourself really bothered by a friend’s glasses, remember that good wineglasses always make a stylish and thoughtful gift.
—Dr. Vinny
