Restaurant Association Manawatu president Sean Kereama said he's seen a steady decrease of BYOs in Palmerston North over the past 5 years.

Are "bring your own" restaurants a thing of the past?

The Restaurant Association of New Zealand (RANZ) thinks they could be.

RANZ president Mike Egan saysthe industry's move away from BYO is part of a long-term national trend.

1 of 7 David Unwin Stuff asked a group of Manawatu diners the following questions on BYO: 1. How often do you dine out? 2. Does a restaurant offering BYO, or not, affect your choice? How about when you're in a group? 3. Why do you/ don't you do BYO? 2 of 7 Paul Mitchell Donna Brown 1.Twice a month, often in groups 2.It definitely affects where we go in a group, we used to go to Halikarnas, and it's a lot harder to find somewhere that does BYO now. 3. Corkage is generally cheaper than buying drinks there. 3 of 7 Paul Mitchell Pam Gill 1. Once every few months 2. Me and my husband tend to go out by ourselves, or for family occasions. Our family aren't consistent drinkers, they'll just drink a few they buy in the restaurant. 3. BYOs are inconvenient when you don't drink a lot. You'll always have some left over and either have to leave it behind or drink up. 4 of 7 Paul Mitchell Dani Brickley 1. Twice a month 2. It doesn't really matter much, even in a group. You just don't drink much at dinner because you're usually driving. We're especially careful now with the new drink driving rules. 3. There's that element of cost, but it's also just the style of restaurant - a lot of Thai places are BYO. 5 of 7 Paul Mitchell Karl Cameron 1. Two or three times a week, about 50/50 in groups 2. It is a little bit of a factor, but not an overwhelming one. 3. It's two things; you get to choose the quality and style of win you like, and obviously the cost is another factor. 6 of 7 Paul Mitchell Sara Cook 1. Once a month 2. When it's a group we'll talk about if it's BYO or not but we'll go to the place we feel like anyway. 3. It's a cost thing, it's just cheaper, 7 of 7 Paul Mitchell Paul Parkes 1. I don't go out too often 2. When I do go out it's with a few friends or family, but BYO doesn't matter much to us. 3. Most of us don't drink, the people who do just buy one or two there.

"They're not making any money off it, they're giving away half the sales they get from drinks. What's next, bring your own steaks?"

READ MORE:

* Palmerston North dining favourite Ken's Kitchen closes

* Halikarnas restaurant closes its doors

123RF It can be cheaper to BYO, but some go overboard.

Two well-known BYOs have recently closed down in Palmerston North. Ken's Kitchen and Halikarnas have both shut their doors in recent weeks, which has been a disappointing turn of events for patrons who enjoyed the option of taking their own alcohol to drink with their meal.

Though there was no suggestion that either restaurant's BYO status was the cause of their closure, RANZ Manawatu president Sean Kereama said he had noticed a distinct trend away from BYO offerings in the area.

​"There seems to be fewer BYOs. In the past five years it's been a steady decrease."

But Kereama doesn't think it's completely dead. ​"Everybody's tightening their belts a little; we're all looking to enjoy a drink with our meals without paying too much."

Palmerston North woman Donna Brown said she dined out twice a month, often with a group of family or friends. They preferred to go to a restaurant that offered BYO because it was often cheaper to pay a corkage fee than buy alcohol off the menu.

"We used to go to Halikarnas, and it's a lot harder to find somewhere that does BYO now."

"You don't really get it in the big centres any more. It's a bit more common in the smaller centres but it's a leftover from bygone days."

Do restaurants like BYO? Patrons abusing the offering in order to binge drink was a large part of why Yatai Japanese Izakaya Restaurant stopped allowing it eight years ago.

Co-owner Barbara Taniyama said she had not missed BYO. She said there had been issues with customers of all ages getting drunk and leaving damage and mess in their wake.

​"In the past we've had people throw up at the table. People would hide bags of wine under the table so you couldn't properly monitor how much they drunk."

Nero's owner Scott Kennedy said his establishment had not allowed BYO for almost a decade. He said he had never considered bringing it back, largely because it would not cover costs.

"It's the liquor licensing fees. We used to pay $1000 a year; now we pay $3000. You don't really get it in the big centres any more. It's a bit more common in the smaller centres but it's a leftover from bygone days."

Egan said New Zealand restaurants first started getting liquor licences in 1961. BYO became commonplace because restaurants had limited wine lists.

He thought BYO had outlived its original purpose and now people largely used to skirt liquor bans and pre-load at supermarket prices before heading to the bars.

Hospitality New Zealand regional manager Chris Hince said the industry could change its mind on BYO if people were more considerate and their drinking more moderate.

A good option would be letting patrons get advice on matching drinks to meals, or for rarer wines have a complementary meal made.

"That would be a maturation of the market, it'd be moving service forward."