Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
Breslin Charges $25 "Forkage Fee" to BYO Dessert
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 11, 2010
Modified Mar 11, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 11, 2010
Modified Mar 11, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Here we are again with another story about a shocked diner who could not believe a restaurant would discourage her from bringing outside food. As usual, the "victim" has her own set of special reasons why she should have been indulged: Rose Levy Beranbaum is a baker/blogger/cookbook author, and she went to The Breslin for lunch after videotaping a cooking segment. So she's in the industry, as they say, and even offered to share her cake with the hip restaurant's pastry chef. When the waiter informs her that the pastry chef is out, Beranbaum offers him his own piece. But the "haughty twenty-something server" isn't so easily bribed, and says, "I don’t do that kind of thing." Then things gets expensive:
He left with his nose in the air and his stride smacking of moral superiority as if to imply that the rest of us were moral misfits. I felt like I was back in the second grade! It was as though a storm cloud had eclipsed the joyful mood of our gathering. Oh! the wait person brought back four forks, pushing them onto the table, but no plates.
We started to taste the cake, still set on its plastic wrap "plate," when he returned with the information that he had reported us to the chef who said we'd have to pay a fee for the forks. I asked him if it was a "forkage fee" and he smiled and said "yes." I suggested that he might have mentioned that before he brought out the forks. The bill came and that fee for the use of four forks was a shocking $25.
In the space on her credit card receipt set aside for gratuity, Beranbaum left her own fork you to the waiter, writing in "cakeage fee" instead of a dollar amount. Suck on that, servant following orders from your boss! [Via Diner's Journal]
Tagged
breslin
cake
corkage fee
etiquette
forkage fee
outside food
restaurant
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
Why NYC restaurants are playing coy about sustainability
Though it has multiple benefits, the practice remains popular for one basic reason: it saves money.
By
Samantha Dady
Published Oct 26, 2026
Where are the cheapest drinks in NYC? A new report details the city's average prices.
The median price of a cocktail in the city is now $16, and $9 for a draft beer.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Food
Where are the cheapest drinks in NYC? A new report details the city's average prices.
The median price of a cocktail in the city is now $16, and $9 for a draft beer.
By
Hannah Frishberg
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
By
Robert Sietsema
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .