A better way to do Dine Out Vancouver

Last Thursday, my Lookout teammate Geoff reached out to me to see if I’d be interested in sharing my thoughts on Dine Out. Having not seen his message until it was too late, I figured I’d dispense my feelings for you today. 

I do like some things about it. But, first off, there’s much left to be desired about the concept. 

A majority of participating restaurants don’t offer what they normally sell. They cater to an audience who are most likely never to return once the deal they came for is no longer offered. 

I’ve seen and heard this countless times in the past from chefs and staff who cringe at the very idea of Dine Out. It isn't fun to work and a lot of the best restaurants in town never participate. You think you’ll ever see St. Lawrence or Kissa Tanto on there? Absolutely not. 

It may be interpreted that Dine Out cheapens their brands as it lays bare a soulless experience for those who are unwilling to accept the true cost of dining out or are too uninterested to seek out their own unique adventure.

I liken the draw to Dine Out similar to that of a herd mentality, as so many are largely influenced by emotion and instinct, rather than by their own independent analysis. This is happening so I must participate. 

However, I must profess that I do understand that there are those who cannot afford extravagant dinners out on the regular or possibly at all. Having the opportunity to visit select restaurants they might not normally be able to afford too does present a nice perk, so there is that. 

Even still, on the flip side, I get why restaurants join. I’m confident a lot feel that if they don’t, they’ll miss out on volume sales, which for any restaurateur, is a big fear. Economics trump ego more than we think and that’s okay. 

Lastly, for diners, it’s a simple event, with low barrier costs that’s happening in your city. Plus to put things into perspective, a lot of people aren’t like me - an invested foodie and industry veteran who's seen both sides of this coin. I recognize a considerable amount of people could care less about this industry the way I do and that’s also okay. 

For them, going out to Bells & Whistles for $32 while getting three courses is a great deal, and quite frankly, from that team, it will be. So be that as it may, Dine Out is what it is. I don’t love it, but it isn’t the worst thing to happen for the restaurant community. 

Nevertheless, I have a few recommendations for Destination Vancouver:

1. Convince some of the better restaurants to participate. You’ve already got a few on hand: Burdock & co, Autostrada, The Mackenzie Room, Hawksworth and several others, but the big players do not play. For legitimacy, fix that. You spent all this money to get Michelin to this city, involve your best restaurants. Maybe they could do more expensive iterations, or single-night events if they’re not keen on doing the whole two-week extravaganza. 

2. It doesn't need to be cheap. The original concept was based on getting diners to come out during the slower months of January and February, but this shouldn't just be limited to the lower cost restaurants. Again, please refer to my point number one for more detail here. 

The must-visit list

There are a lot of top notch spots on this list. We’re quite lucky in Vancouver to have such a strong culinary scene with plenty of diversity. Even so, these are the few I’d most certainly check out. 

The list of places I’d hit up:

• The Acorn: The best vegetarian restaurant going. A vegan’s dream

• Pepino’s Spaghetti House: Think Goodfellas with charm. Those Cherry Coke Baby Back Ribs are heaven. 

• The Mackenzie Room: A beautiful room for a perfect date. The Chicken of the Sea is a must!!

• Burdock & co.: Andrea Carlson kills everything she touches.

• Autostrada: Fun fact - owner Lucais and I went to the same University at the same time. We both played Varcity. I love his cooking style and attitude. Simple and delicious Italian fare. 

• Bufala: Order a bottle of Lambrusco and get the Calabria. You can thank me later.

And for fun:

• Bayside Lounge: Why it’s on here, I have no idea, but that room rips. Don’t be surprised if you stay until 2am.