Downtown Yakima restaurants have united with local wineries to reward diners who prefer to bring their own bottle of wine into a restaurant. As long as patrons bring a wine bottle purchased the same day from a winery, tasting room or wine shop in downtown Yakima, the corkage fee is waived at any of the downtown’s restaurants. With corkage fees typically running upwards of $10 to $15 per bottle, the Corkage-Free Zone as it’s called, is gaining in popularity with wine travelers and consumers.
This innovative program was officially adopted by all the downtown Yakima restaurants this fall. Originally the brainchild of Santiago’s Second Street Grill owner Jar Arcand, he started toying with the idea a year ago when he saw an opportunity to pickup dining referrals from local wineries and tasting rooms.
“Many visitors come to Yakima to go wine tasting, and this makes the whole trip more exciting and fun for them. This program lets them go find a nice bottle of wine, and then find a nice restaurant to enjoy it,” says Arcand.
Karl Pasten, owner of The Depot Restaurant & Lounge, believes so heartily in the program that he’s extended his corkage-free zone to about 50 other wineries in the Yakima Valley, who send patrons to him carrying a special corkage-free pass from the winery where they purchased their bottle. “We’ll wash two glasses any day to sell two more dinners,” Pasten laughs humorously. “The program is working. The wineries love it and they’re sending customers our way.”
Where to purchase a bottle: Kana Winery, Gilbert Cellars, Tim’s Downtown Tasting Room, Donitelia Winery, Plaza Winery & Restaurant, Cascade Wine Shop, and Stems.
Where to open it same day without a corkage fee (remember to bring your receipt for proof of purchase): The Depot Restaurant & Lounge, Santiago’s Second Street Grill, Carousel French Cuisine, Barrel House, Cafe Melange, Golden Wheel, Greystone, Libby’s, Ruillo’s Pizza, Tequila’s, The Great American Grill, Tony’s Steakhouse and Yakima Sports Center.