How to get more customers for an Edmonton restaurant: game nights, festivals and long winters

An Edmonton restaurant can have a very good night and a very bad night in the same week, and the difference is often a hockey game or a snowstorm. The city's event calendar, with Oilers games, concerts and festivals, creates sharp peaks. Its winters create long valleys. The restaurants that do well plan for both.

How do event nights change your business?

Downtown, the ICE District around Rogers Place is the clearest example. On game and concert days, the district fills with people who want to eat before the event. Guests are often advised to arrive early, and some places limit reservations on event days. That tells you what guests experience: waits, tight timing and the fear of missing the opening.

If you are near an arena, think of event nights as a separate service:

1. A shorter menu. Fewer dishes, faster plating.
2. A timed seating plan. Offer tables with a clear finish time that suits the start of the event.
3. Pre-orders. Let a group order before they arrive so food is ready.
4. Extra staff on the pass and the door. The rush is short and sharp.
5. A post-event plan. Some guests want a late bite or a drink afterwards, so decide whether you will stay open.

How do you stay busy when there is no event?

Event nights fill you; ordinary Tuesdays test you. Build a reason for locals to visit on a quiet night. Weekday lunch for office workers, a set menu for pre-theatre dinners and a regular community night all help. Find out what is on in the neighbourhood: theatre runs, university terms and farmers' market days all have patterns.

What about festival season?

Edmonton's summers are crowded with festivals, and Old Strathcona hosts a theatre festival each August. Prepare for crowds with prepped ingredients, extra staff and an outdoor service plan. A food stand at a festival can introduce your cooking to new people, but it also uses staff. Weigh the cost and plan a follow-up so you can turn tasters into diners.

How do you handle winter?

Alberta winters are long and cold. Guests go out less, but they go out for the right reason. Warm rooms, hearty dishes and a sense of occasion all help. Consider:

• A winter menu built on soups, braises and baking.
• Takeout and delivery of hot food. People will order in when they do not want to drive on ice.
• A clear storm policy. Tell staff and guests how bookings are handled in extreme weather.
• Heated entrances. A cold queue is a lost guest.
• Gift card promotions for the holidays and for February.

How do you reach new residents and students?

Edmonton is a destination for workers and students from elsewhere. They search on their phones, and they look for photos and recent ratings. Check that your hours, menu and address are current on every map and review site. Give your best dish a clear name and photograph it well.

How do you use Old Strathcona and other food districts?

If you are in or near Old Strathcona, the Saturday market, theatres and shops bring steady walking traffic. Link with neighbours, such as a bookshop or a gallery, for events or a shared mailing list. A neighbourhood passport or a food walk can lift all the businesses on the street.

How do you staff for a rush that is over in ninety minutes?

An arena rush is short, and hiring for it is hard. Build a small pool of part-time staff who work only event nights, and schedule them in two-hour blocks around the start time. Give them clear jobs: door, runner, bar support, takeout. Pay them fairly and tell them what time the shift will end. A reliable event-night team is one of the most valuable assets an arena-adjacent kitchen can have, and it also protects your core team from burning out.

What do you do when a game is cancelled or a storm hits?

Plan for it before it happens. Decide who calls the staff, what you do with prepped food and how you reach booked guests. A quick message to every booking that day, with a clear option to rebook, protects your reputation. Keep a small stock of items that freeze well so that one cancelled night does not become a loss of a week's food.

Are Tuesdays in January the real test of your restaurant?

The business that survives winter is the one that guests choose on a plain weeknight. Mosey is a food discovery app where diners search by dish and mood and rate what they ate, so a warm bowl of soup or a good burger on a cold night can be found by the people looking for it. Nobody can pay to outrank you there, because Mosey Gold is earned from ratings alone.

More guides for your business:

• Minimum wage for restaurant staff in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island (2026)
• Sales tax on restaurant meals in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and the Atlantic provinces (2026)
• Do you need a loyalty program for your Canadian restaurant? How to decide and set one up

More in the Canadian guides for food businesses.