A patio season checklist for Vancouver restaurants and cafés

A patio can be the most profitable part of a Vancouver restaurant for half the year, and the most unpredictable. The City's summer sidewalk patio season runs from April 1 to October 31, and many businesses hold year-round patio permits that are renewed annually. Within that, the weather decides which nights the patio is full and which it is empty. A short checklist, worked through in February and March, takes most of the stress out of it.

What permits does a Vancouver patio need?

Check with the City of Vancouver for your situation, as rules and fees change; this is not legal advice. In outline, a sidewalk patio needs a City permit, either for the summer season or renewed annually for a year-round patio. If you serve alcohol on the patio, your liquor licence must cover that area; the guide on BC patio licensing after the TESA ended explains the current position. Apply early: spring is when everybody applies.

Should patio tables be bookable?

Plan patio covers separately from the dining room. Only take bookings for as many patio seats as you could move inside if it rains, and treat the rest as walk-in seats the weather decides. Many restaurants keep patio tables walk-in only, or book only part of the patio, because diners decide to sit outside on the day.

How do you handle walk-ins on sunny days?

The first warm Saturday brings a crowd at once. A simple walk-in list, taken at the patio entrance with a name and a phone number, lets people wait nearby instead of blocking the sidewalk, and you can text them when a table is ready. Give an honest wait time and stop adding names if the kitchen falls behind.

How should you staff for patio weather?

Patio covers swing with the forecast, and staffing has to follow. Build a core team that can handle a grey day, and a list of staff happy to pick up extra shifts when the forecast is good. Remember BC's minimum daily pay rule: an employee who reports for work is generally entitled to at least two hours' pay, or four if scheduled for more than eight hours, so calling people in and sending them home has a cost. Publish the rota early so staff can plan; the guide on Vancouver staff scheduling covers the rules.

What should change on your listing when the patio opens?

• Say the patio is open, and keep the detail current
• Update your hours if you open earlier or later in summer
• Add photographs of the patio and of summer dishes
• Mention dog-friendly seating if you allow dogs on the patio

Take the patio mention down when it closes. A listing promising a patio in November is a disappointment waiting to happen.

Should you change the menu for patio season?

Many restaurants add a lighter summer menu, shareable plates or a short patio menu that the kitchen can turn quickly. Put an end date on summer specials so they come down on their own in the fall. In the shoulder months, April and October, a simple early-evening or quiet-afternoon offer helps the patio's slow hours. Remember BC's rules on drink pricing if the offer includes drinks.

How do you keep the patio comfortable on cooler evenings?

Vancouver evenings cool quickly, even in summer, and spring and fall patios live or die on comfort. Heaters, blankets and some cover from the rain extend the useful season by weeks, but check the City's rules on heaters and structures before you buy anything. A covered, heated patio is a reason to choose you in October, and saying so on your listing brings the people who were looking for exactly that.

How do you plan for heat waves and wildfire smoke?

Vancouver summers now bring the occasional heat wave and days of wildfire smoke, and both affect a patio. Plan for them before they arrive.

• Shade and water. Umbrellas or awnings, and water offered to every table without asking.
• Look after staff. WorkSafeBC has guidance on heat stress for workers, including breaks, water and shade. Rotate staff off the patio during the hottest hours.
• Watch air quality. On smoky days, check the air quality advisories and be ready to move guests inside or close the patio.
• Adjust the menu. Cold drinks, lighter dishes and fewer items that suffer in the heat.
• Tell guests. Update your listing and social media if the patio closes for the day.

What should you do when the season ends?

Close the patio area in the diary, take it off the listing, and note what worked: which weekends filled, how many walk-ins you turned away and which dishes sold best outside. Those notes are next February's plan.

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