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Michigan Restaurant Association applauds Michigan Senate for passage of wine “re-corking” bill
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Andy Deloney
March 24, 2005 (517) 482-5244
LANSING – The Michigan Restaurant Association (MRA) today applauded the Michigan Senate for its strong bipartisan vote in support of legislation which would allow restaurants to “re-cork” or re-seal partially-consumed bottles of wine for diners to carry home with them. Senate Bill 199, introduced by state Sen. Jud Gilbert (R-Algonac) with bi-partisan support, passed the Senate on an overwhelming vote of 36 to 1.
“The Michigan Senate cast a solid vote for common sense today,” said Andy Deloney, MRA director of public affairs. “We are hopeful the House will also recognize the benefits of the ‘wine doggy-bag,’ or ‘merlot-to-go,’ bill for restaurant operators and our guests.”
Under current Michigan law, if a diner in a restaurant requests a bottle of wine but consumes only a portion of it, they are not allowed to bring the rest home with them. The bill is designed to allow exactly that.
Currently, 30 other states allow restaurants to re-seal a partially consumed bottle of wine for carry-out by diners. The affect of the re-corking law in other states has been two-fold. First, the law reduces the apprehension among diners to purchase a high value wine. Second, these laws have a positive impact on the problem of drunk driving. Currently, if diners choose a bottle of wine and are concerned about getting full value for the purchase, they are more likely to consume the entire bottle so as to not waste any.
The bill now goes to the House for consideration.
Founded in 1921, the MRA represents more than 4,500 Michigan foodservice establishments. The foodservice industry plays an integral role in Michigan's economy, employing more than 430,000 people and creating $11.3 billion in annual sales.
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