Dine Out Vancouver draws in customers

Dine Out Vancouver is putting customers back into restaurants and offering more menu options for less money.

Close to 400 restaurants are participating in the 22nd Dine Out Vancouver festival, which aims to highlights local tastes for less.

Lucas Pavan, manager of membership at Destination Vancouver, says participation numbers this year are record-breaking for the festival, which features restaurants from West Vancouver to White Rock.

Diners can choose from set menus between $25 and $60 to explore different cuisines.

“There is a value to participating in Dine Out, and it also provides restaurants an opportunity to showcase new menu items,” Pavan said.

Dahlia, a new french restaurant in downtown Vancouver, is participating in the festival for the first time with a specially curated menu.

Bek Shamsiev, general manager of Azur Hotel, where the restaurant is located, says business is up due to the festival.

“The reservation count for the week prior and the week of the Dine Out was 100 per cent more,” Shamsiev said.

The restaurant industry typically sees a lull in January, right after the holidays, and events like Dine Out give restaurants a much needed boost in customers.

“When they are scheduled at the right time in the city, it does bring a spike during the down time in Vancouver,” Shamsiev said.

“The first few months of the year is always a struggle for the hospitality industry, especially the restaurants.”

Meanwhile, industry experts estimate close to 20 per cent of restaurants in B.C. are at risk of shutting down.

Ian Tostenson with the BC Restaurant and Food Services Association says this is an alarmingly high number compared to previous years.

“If there’s 15,000 restaurants, that’s only an estimate, we would typically see 10 per cent of restaurants come and go during the year,” Tostenson said. “I think we’re going to see double that this year.”

But a brighter future may be on the horizon for the restaurant industry, as more events draw diners to dine in.

“People are pulling back on the amount they spend, but they’re not pulling back on the occasion,” Tostenson said. “So when you see a Vancouver Canucks game happening, or the Junos Awards coming, it pulls people out, they start spending money.”

Pavan says the festival’s impact can’t be understated.

“Last year we estimated about 450,000 seated diners throughout the festival and that generates well over $27 million in consumer spending for the restaurants,” Pavan said.

The festival runs until Feb. 4 in downtown Vancouver.