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 Posté le: Mar Oct 01, 2013 3:06 am Sujet du message: Hospitality and tourism report: Stacking the deck |
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{Hospitality and tourism report: Stacking the deck}
Tableau manager Steven Wright would love it if the sidewalk outside his Melville Street restaurant were widened sufficiently to accommodate a larger patio|Glen KorstromBy Glen KorstromTue May 14, 2013 12:01am PSTVancouver's restaurant patio scene is proliferating as owners try to differentiate their eateries from competition, offer a range of dining experiences and eke as much revenue as possible from what would otherwise be unused space.The City of Vancouver approves most new patio requests.That's because of the city's strategy to enhance urban design and livability. There is also a financial incentive. The city rakes in $7.21 for each square foot of downtown patio space during summer months. Different rates apply for winter months and outside the downtown core.The biggest increase in new patios is for large patios and rooftop gardens.The number of small, unlicensed and unenclosed patios has stayed flat, at about 260, during the past five years. The number of large patios, however,[url=http://www.moncler-sale.org]moncler down jackets[/url], has risen 19% to 317 in 2012 from 267 in 2008,[url=http://www.moncler-sale.org]moncler sale[/url], according to city statistics.Rules stipulate that patios must be open-air and not enclosed with plastic sheets."One of the goals of patios is to liven the street and not just create another walled surface that extends from private property into the public realm," said Scott Edwards, who is the city's manager of streets activities.City statistics on the number of rooftop patios were not available by press time but restaurateurs are investing hefty sums to deck their rooftops and equip them for patio use.Glowbal Group CEO Emad Yacoub, for example, told Business in Vancouver that he spent $1.7 million to renovate the rooftop of his Black + Blue steakhouse,[url=http://www.moncler-sale.org]moncler outlet[/url], brand it the Roof and open it on April 25.He believes that his new 3,000 square foot,[url=http://www.moncler-sale.org]moncler on sale[/url], 120-seat restaurant on Alberni Street is the largest rooftop patio in town.Keg Restaurants Ltd. owner David Aisenstat is also renovating a rooftop patio on Alberni Street. He plans to soon open a Keg restaurant at 1121 Alberni Street,[url=http://www.moncler-sale.org]moncler on sale[/url], where he operated the high-end Japanese restaurant Ki Modern Japanese + Bar until December 2012."It's a stunning, bigger premises with a lot of outside seating above street level," Aisenstat told BIV. "That's unusual for downtown. There are few places where you don't have the traffic and the noise of the street but you have a big patio."Bud Kanke,[url=http://www.moncler-sale.org]discount moncler jackets[/url], who founded Joe Fortes Seafood and Chop House in 1985 before selling it to Aisenstat last year, opened at that restaurant what he calls Vancouver's first "roof-garden."Kanke remembers the rise of patios in Vancouver in the 1980s when a confluence of factors conspired to bring about the trend:teens started aping a California look with blond streaks in hair and wearing shorts in winter;adults became more worldly and wanted to experience al fresco dining in Vancouver much like they had when visiting Europe and other parts of Canada; andit was the era of smoking and non-smoking sections of restaurants and patios were often a place where smokers could smoke with impunity.Business lobbies for wider sidewalks, more patiosConventional wisdom among urban designers is that the more opportunities you give people to linger, the more money they will spend and the better the local economy will be.That's why the Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association (DVBIA) is lobbying the city to widen sidewalks, create small leisure spaces known as parklets and otherwise make streetscapes more pedestrian friendly.The city, which has long had a policy of prioritizing pedestrian needs above all else, tends to be onside.The city and the DVBIA agreed nearly two years ago to reduce by about one-third the number of parking spaces on Granville Street in the three blocks leading to the north entrance to the Granville Bridge.Now the DVBIA is lobbying to have the city create wider sidewalks on Alberni Street by narrowing both parking and traffic lanes. Pedestrian-level lamp standards would then be installed alongside benches and trash bins."This is, realistically, probably about five years out,[url=http://www.moncler-sale.org]moncler down jackets[/url]," DVBIA executive director Charles Gauthier told BIV May 8.Gauthier also advocates having more parklets similar to one on Robson Street, where there is a wooden deck, bench and plants where parking used to be.Restaurant managers such as Steven Wright at Melville Street's Tableau are onside.He told BIV that he would love to be able to apply to double the size his restaurant's 16-seat patio because the sidewalk is wide enough to accommodate it."Melville Street could be a good place for a parklet,[url=http://www.moncler-sale.org]discount moncler jackets[/url]," Gauthier said. "It's just a matter of identifying locations to get the discussion going."Tags: Charles Gauthier, David Aisenstat, Emad Yacoub, Joe Fortes,[url=http://www.moncler-sale.org]moncler sale[/url], Keg Restaurants Ltd, Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Association,[url=http://www.moncler-sale.org]moncler outlet[/url], food, Bud Kanke
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