One good thing (maybe the only good thing) about my home state of New Jersey is the proliferation of “Bring Your Own Bottle” restaurants. Most restaurants cannot afford to pay tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy a liquor license on the open market, so they are willing to open and pour the wine that you bring for no corkage fee whatsoever in order to get you into their establishment.
So, instead of going to a crappy chain restaurant and spending $15 on an entrée and $25 on drinks, one can opt for a more upscale restaurant, spend $25 on an entrée, and bring a very nice $15 bottle of wine that will serve 2 or 3 people.
That is good to see. NJ is my home state, I left as soon as I could though.
The dirty secret is most restaurants live by their wine and liquor sales, especially at the bottom end for wine. Some charge 3 times retail value which is reprehensible, the mark up on the higher ends is less but who can afford a retail $35 bottle for $75 every time one dines, I cannot. Worse, their wine selections are poor or poorly matched to their cusine too frequently.
I have been drinking through my cellar as I will not out live it so I opt for the BYOB places. Last BYOB for me was an 89 La Mission Haut Brion, a wonderful fully mature bordeaux which went well with our beef entrees. I make a point of always sharing my BYOB with the waiter. I tip at least 40% on the entire bill when having such a bottle.