Tourism Vancouver and community partners (including BC Hospitality Foundation) have announced ‘Dine Outside, Vancouver style’. It’s the first summer-time Dine Out festival—and it might well stick around for a while. You may recall that the original Dine Out was launched to thwart the January Doldrums—that time of year when restaurants were beleaguered by the post-holiday slump; when servers, kitchen crew, bar staff and others were laid off in droves; and when many diners stayed home until tax time—or until credit cards had sufficiently convalesced.
Now Dine OutSide could well be the perfect pandemic tonic, a boost to help get the region’s Covid battered hospitality industry at least part way back on track. Thanks to the fine weather, the timing should be just right, especially given the number of newly expanded patios, to facilitate safe dining and social distancing.
Dine Outside summer savings
West-side Yuwa makes good use of parking spaces with a spacious, leafy patio
No surprise, the format is similar to the winter edition, with either prix fixe menus ($15, $25, $35 or $45), special promos or take-away and picnic packs—to enjoy on The City of Vancouver’s new temporary pop-up plazas.
Also replicated are the usual special hotel offers, that should appeal to the large number of BC residents staying close to home this summer, making it easy for out of town foodies who want to check out the Vancouver scene.
In addition, it’s a solid testament to the considerable work put in by the hospitality, restaurant and food-services community over the safe reopening phase. While there may have been some lapses they’ve been few and far between and quickly addressed.
In short, Dine Outside is a solid if cautious sign that the recovery is under way.
“Our restaurant and hospitality partners who make up an important part of our tourism industry have been hard at work the last few months to ensure the safety and health of patrons,” says Tourism Vancouver CEO Royce Chwin. “There’s never been a better time to explore what our city is dishing up!”
It’s also a feather in the cap for the community, which has largely taken to heart and diligently acted upon the government’s guidance and leadership under Dr. Bonnie Henry.
Dine OutSide will run from August 21 to September 21, 2020. And my guess is there’s a good chance it may be here to stay, at least for a year or two …
There’s no time like the present to not only make the most of the fine weather while it’s here but also show your support for your favourite local haunt—or discover others.
More to come soon here.
Follow @DineOutVanFest on Instagram and Twitter and @DineOutVanFestival on Facebook for culinary inspiration. #DineOutSideVancouver.
Key Dine OutSide Dates:
August 13, 2020 – Restaurant and hotel offers available at dineoutside.ca
August 21, 2020 – Dine OutSide begins!
From the release:
About Dine OutSide
Produced by Tourism Vancouver, Dine OutSide is a summertime food and drink celebration. Community Partners include Downtown Vancouver BIA, Gastown BIA, Kitsilano 4th Avenue BIA, Mount Pleasant BIA, South Granville BIA, West End BIA, West Broadway BIA, The Vancouver Sun, The Province, SMC Communications, Breaking Bread and Kubera. Dine OutSide runs from August 21 to September 21, 2020. www.dineoutside.ca
[…] Over the years Dine Out has grown to include a cornucopia of special events and even a summer edition. […]