How to get more customers for a Vancouver restaurant

Vancouver is a demanding market for a food business. Rents are high, diners are spoiled for choice, and the weather decides more than anyone would like. But the city also has habits you can work with: neighbourhood loyalty, a love of patios, a winter food festival, and diners who will cross town for a dish they have heard about. Here is how to put those to work.

Why is it hard to fill tables in Vancouver?

Three reasons come up again and again: competition (there is good food on almost every block), seasonality (rainy winters thin out walk-in traffic, sunny summers flood patios), and cost (diners are careful with how often they eat out). The places that do well usually have a clear answer to one question: why come here rather than the place next door?

How do you get found by people searching nearby?

Most new customers start with a search on their phone. Make sure they find you, and find accurate information:

1. Complete your Google Business Profile. Hours, menu, photos, phone, website, accessibility and whether you have a patio.
2. Keep hours right, including holidays. Nothing loses a customer faster than a locked door at a listed opening time.
3. Post real photos of your food and room, updated through the year.
4. Reply to reviews, good and bad, briefly and politely.
5. Make your menu readable on a phone, as text rather than only a photographed PDF.

The best marketing many Vancouver restaurants can do this week is fixing their hours online and adding ten good photos.

How do you use Vancouver's seasons to your advantage?

Season	Opportunity
Winter	Dine Out Vancouver in January and February, comfort-food specials, rainy-day lunch deals
Spring	BC spot prawn season, patio launches, fresh produce menus
Summer	Patios, events, tourists, long evenings
Fall	Harvest menus, back-to-routine lunch crowds

If you serve seafood, spot prawn season is a natural moment for a special menu that brings people in.

Should you take part in Dine Out Vancouver?

The Dine Out Vancouver Festival, run by Destination Vancouver, brings hundreds of restaurants and many thousands of diners together each January and February, the quietest time of year. It can fill your room and introduce you to new customers. The trade-off is a fixed-price menu that has to work for your margins and your kitchen. Design a menu that shows off what you do best, and plan how to turn first-time festival guests into regulars.

Is a patio worth it in Vancouver?

For many places, yes. The city runs a summer patio program through the warmer months of the year, and many businesses hold year-round patio permits. A good patio is visible from the street, which makes it advertising as well as seating. Factor in permit time, costs, furniture, heaters and cover before you commit.

How do you turn first-time guests into regulars?

• Know your regulars by name and what they usually order.
• Collect contact details with real consent so you can tell people about new dishes or events. In Canada, commercial email is governed by CASL, so get clear permission and include an unsubscribe option.
• Give people a reason to come back: a weekly special, a seasonal menu, an event.
• Ask what they would change, and act on it.

How do you work with your neighbourhood?

Vancouver eats by neighbourhood, and your neighbours are your most reliable customers. Partner with nearby businesses, take part in local events and street festivals, and support community causes. In areas with business improvement associations, get involved; they often run promotions and events that bring foot traffic.

Do online reviews and ratings matter in Vancouver?

A great deal. Diners compare places on their phones before deciding. Encourage happy customers to leave reviews, respond to feedback professionally, and pay attention to what people praise. If one dish keeps coming up, put it front and centre.

Mosey helps diners rate the places they actually ate at, dish by dish, and keep lists of where to go next. For a venue, the lesson is the same whatever app people use: be the place with the one dish worth crossing town for, and make it easy to find.

What Mosey costs for Canadian venues will be published on the Canadian pricing page:

What Mosey costs in Canada

More guides for your business:

• Getting your Vancouver restaurant menu online in minutes with an AI menu scan
• Automatic customer messages for Vancouver restaurants: the ones worth switching on
• Loyalty for a Vancouver bakery: stamp cards, birthday treats and referrals

More in the Canadian guides for food businesses.