How to get more customers for a Charlottetown restaurant beyond the summer rush

On Prince Edward Island, summer is the season, and everything else is a question mark. Visitors fill Charlottetown and the north shore from June to the end of August, then the tourist trade eases. A restaurant here needs a plan for the shoulder months and a way to keep the people who live on the island coming through the door.

What does the autumn calendar offer?

The island has built an autumn food season on purpose. Fall Flavours, a festival of Island food, runs in September and into early October, with events across the province. It includes chef dinners, beach boils with mussels and lobster, farm events and, in Charlottetown, a shellfish festival. Dates and lineups change every year, so check the festival's own page. The point is that autumn visitors come for food, and they are looking for restaurants that cook what the island grows and catches.

How do you join in?

1. Check the festival's call for participants early in the year. Many events need an application.
2. Create a festival dish or dinner. A set menu with a few Island ingredients and a clear price.
3. Name your producers. Mussel growers, oyster farmers, potato farms and dairies are part of the story.
4. Take bookings in advance. Publish your terms and any deposit.
5. Share your event. Post it on your page and ask your suppliers to share it.

How do community suppers fit in?

The island has a tradition of community suppers, held in church halls and community centres, with lobster, chowder and pies. They are a competitor for the guest's evening, but they are also a sign of how much islanders care about shared meals. Do not try to copy them. Offer something different, such as a table-service version with a shorter wait, a vegetarian option or a late sitting for people who work evenings.

How do you keep islanders coming in the off-season?

Locals do not need an introduction to the island, but they do need a reason to leave home on a dark evening. Try:

• A weeknight set menu at a clear price.
• A winter menu with chowder, seafood pies and slow-cooked dishes.
• A locals' loyalty reward, such as a stamp card.
• Gift cards for the holidays.
• Group dinners for workplaces, clubs and families.

What about staffing?

Many island businesses hire students and seasonal workers for summer, and the pool shrinks after Labour Day. Keep a core team on guaranteed hours through the autumn festivals, and plan a reduced winter service. Tell staff early about hours after October, so that they can plan.

How do you handle a short season financially?

Plan your cash flow month by month. Summer income has to cover winter expenses. Keep a reserve for slow months, negotiate seasonal payment terms with suppliers where you can and consider closing for a few weeks in the quietest period for maintenance and rest. Talk to your accountant about spreading tax payments.

How do you reach visitors who plan ahead?

Autumn visitors book months in advance. They look at the festival schedule, then restaurants. Make sure your page shows your festival dinner, your hours and your booking link. Reply promptly to enquiries. Add photographs of your best seafood and potato dishes.

What should a festival dinner cost you to run?

Cost it before you sell it. List every ingredient at its real price, then add labour for prep and service, any extra staff and the cost of promotion. Compare the total with the number of seats you can fill. Seafood prices move with the season and the catch, so confirm your supplier's price a week before the dinner. Set a ticket price that covers the cost with a margin, and ask for payment up front. A sold-out dinner at a price that loses money teaches the wrong lesson.

Do you want visitors and islanders to find the same favourite dish?

Whether someone is visiting for the Shellfish Festival or lives ten minutes away, the best invitation is a dish people talk about. Mosey is a food discovery app where diners rate the dishes they ate and search by what they want to eat, which helps a good bowl of mussels be found by name. Nobody can pay to outrank you there, because Mosey Gold is earned from ratings alone.

More guides for your business:

• How to get more customers for a Saint John or Fredericton restaurant using the city markets
• Staffing a seasonal restaurant in cottage country: the shoulder-season problem and what helps
• What is the best software for a small restaurant in Canada in 2026? How to choose

More in the Canadian guides for food businesses.