Cheers! NeXT restaurant adds bring-your-own-wine service

Chef Michael Blackie in action
Above: Chef Michael Blackie in action at NeXT. Photo courtesy of NeXT restaurant

Starting this month you can bring your own bottle of wine to NeXT restaurant from Mondays to Wednesdays.

“It’s an incentive to get people out to NeXT. Monday thrrough Wednesdays are softer than Thursday through Fridays. It‘s a marketing investment to get people who know my craft to come on a odd night,” says owner and chef Michael Blackie.

Ontario has allowed BYOW in restaurants since the mid-2000’s, but there aren’t many restaurants actually offer the service. Blackie believes NeXT is the first restaurant in Stittsville to offer BYOW.

“I think the industry will keep an eye on my place see the social media comments and reaction… I know pretty much everyone in Ottawa dining scene and we all talk so only time will tell,” he says.

There’s a $5 corkage fee per bottle, which is lower than most fees listed at BYOW.ca, a web site that lists restaurants in Ontario that offer the service.  (We’ve heard that Main Street Cellar in Manotick has a $0 corkage fee, but only on Sundays.)
“I know of no restaurant that is offering such an aggressive price point,” says Blackie.
For now the BYOW program is a trial for January only, but Blackie says he fully expects it will become a permanent feature.
NeXT is on Hazeldean Road just west of Carp. Blackie was previously the executive chef at the National Arts Centre and Brookstreet Hotel and a former Food Network host.
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