It may be cold outside, but some eateries in Vancouver are already preparing for the city’s upcoming patio season.
As many restaurants prepare for Vancouver to host a handful of FIFA World Cup matches this summer, permit applications are making their way through City Hall. The city says patio season runs from Apr. 1 through Halloween.
In a statement to 1130 NewsRadio, the city says it will introduce a new low-barrier option for ground-floor businesses to have outdoor seating during operating hours.
“Storefront seating has no permit fee, a simple permit process, and eligibility has been expanded to include non-food businesses. Design guidelines are now available to help businesses plan, place, and operate storefront seating while meeting city requirements,” The city stated, adding it will not issue permits until March.
BC Restaurant and Food Services Association (BCRFA) President and CEO Ian Tostenson tells 1130 NewsRadio that patios are a key aspect of capitalizing on hosting the global soccer tournament.
“We expect there’s going to be quite a demand for patios in Vancouver with FIFA coming. If [a restaurant] had a patio last year, it’s a pretty straightforward application. If you’re looking for a new patio application or changing your patio configuration, then it’s got to go to Victoria and that could take three or four weeks to get the approval.”
“We sort of gave up using the Canucks games as a way to stimulate the industry.”Tostenson explains that having access to patios is crucial to helping owners rebound financially, as the entire industry has suffered since the days of COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions.
“I think when you look at the effect of FIFA, and more people and tourists in town, it could increase your sales by 50 per cent,” said Tostenson.
“Typically, it’s a 30 per cent sort of thing, but we expect an awful lot of people in Vancouver leading up to and after FIFA. Patios are important, but they’re going to even more important this year.”
When it comes to extending hours, he says that’s also on the table.
In a statement to 1130 NewsRadio, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food said, “To date, more than 90 applications to permanently extend liquor service hours in Vancouver [as late as 4 a.m.] have been submitted, with 35 already approved.”
It added, “As FIFA World Cup matches in Vancouver will take place within regular liquor service hours, no additional event-specific changes to liquor service hours are required, and all requests continue to be addressed through existing application processes.”
However, Tostenson admits he has concerns that the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB) could get backlogged as it works with the city on approvals.
“What we’ve asked the government to do… to try and do something like a Plan B to blanket approval in a certain area for a certain period of time, during FIFA.”
He says extended hours will be necessary.
“Europeans like to go out later, eat later, and stay up later, so I think a lot of people are anticipating, especially the bigger restaurants, there might be a market there for international tourists.”
Meanwhile, the BCRFA stresses there’s a “labour crisis” facing the industry.
“We’re open, but we can’t serve you,” Tostenson laughed.
“It is a crisis, especially in our kitchens. So, you’re seeing restaurants, unfortunately, have to deal with that by maybe closing on a Monday or closing earlier during certain times of the week, so they’re having to make those adjustments, so they don’t burn out the labour they have right now.”
Tostenson says the B.C. is 15,000 restaurant workers short — the equivalent of one person per establishment.
“If we had more labour, we would be able to take advantage of FIFA even more so. So, if anybody wants to be a cook or a chef, go to your local restaurant because you’re going to get hired, absolutely for sure. The only workaround is frantically trying to get people in the kitchen to help.”
Tostenson feels, overall, Vancouver has a lot riding on the World Cup.
“The BCRFA is running a program through British Columbia called ‘Taste the Beautiful Game — BC-Style,’ and we’re encouraging all restaurants to get in touch with us, because we want to make sure they put their best foot forward in terms of local food, local wine, local beer, so we can showcase ourselves to the world. We want people to come back like they did after 2010,” said Tostenson, recalling the year Vancouver hosted the Winter Olympics.
Until the World Cup, he says he’s counting on the Seattle Seahawks’ entry in the Super Bowl to boost Vancouver restaurant sales.
“I hate to say this, but we sort of gave up using the Canucks games as a way to stimulate the industry.”
In December, Restaurants Canada told 1130 NewsRadio it was expecting restaurant sales would see “very, very modest growth” in the first quarter of 2026.
source & photo: CityNews
