One of the most controversial topics we encounter on Food24 is that of restaurant mark-ups, particularly on wines. People have difficulty understanding any justification for them and get extremely irate when offered restaurant wines costing up to three times the retail price.

Having been a restaurateur, I understand how the costs pan out and so am usually happy to pay what I consider reasonable mark-ups. However, the only time I object very strongly is when the restaurant is on a wine farm and it puts a ‘normal’ restaurant mark-up on its own wine – this when it is sold at a fraction of the price in the tasting room, sometimes only feet away.