Some restaurateurs are cautious, but others are going full-steam ahead for the upcoming year
Mia Stainsby
Sun
Scott Hawthorn (left) and Sean Heather opened a new restaurant called Judas Goat Taberna Dec. 21 in Vancouver’s Blood Alley. Photograph by: Ward Perrin, Vancouver Sun
While many restaurateurs have said ta-ta to 2009, fingers crossed, hoping to never see the devilish likes of it again, Sean Heather is in bring-it-on mode.
In the coming year, seen as an iffy one by industry analysts, his expansionary plans kick in, adding to his brood of restaurants — Irish Heather, Salty Tongue, Shebeen and Salt.
This month, he opens Judas Goat, a Spanish-influenced tapas joint. He resurrects Fetch, his gourmet hotdog stand. He opens Everything Cafe just before the Olympics (with real estate nabob Bob Rennie) in Chinatown, and plans to open a bakery in the Downtown Eastside “under the neon of the Pennsylvania Hotel” this year as well. And he’s also planning a second location for Salt.
“I have three kids and another on the way. Those things cost money,” he says, joking about what’s behind his serial restaurant openings.
He continues in a more serious vein. “There’s always opportunity in a recession and I’m always bangin‘ about, looking for that opportunity. I had the worst summer but I don’t do ‘losing money.’ I don’t work this hard to lose money. We had to think long and hard about how to get through the summer because it was really dark.”
Growing up in Ireland with 17-percent unemployment groomed him for that. What saved his Irish bacon was the “Long Table Series” where for $15, people sat at a long communal table at Irish Heather, at a one sitting/one dish meal (like roast suckling pig with cider-braised cabbage, mashed potatoes and applesauce) with a pint of good beer thrown in. It reduced staffing, kitchen and service costs which he passed on to eager diners. “We dubbed it ‘recession dining,’ ” he says.
His optimism is a stark contrast to a generally anxious industry. What’s scaring operators is July 1, says Vancouver’s Mark von Schellwitz, Western vice-president of the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association. That’s when the HST kicks into place in B.C. “As one casual diner said to us, it’s tough enough now. But [with HST] when you sit down at a full service restaurant, you know you’re going to be paying 30 per cent [with HST and tip] before you have anything to eat,” he says.
Certainly, most operators won’t be as bullish as Heather. “In general, they’ll hang tight. They’re not going to do anything expansionary until there’s clarification on the HST,” says Ian Tostenson, president and CEO of the B.C. Restaurant and Foodservices Association.
“There’ll be price-point options with small, medium or large serving sizes to choose from. They’ll find more economy in wine lists. They’ll be fit consumers, having groomed themselves to be more prudent, smart, discerning. But I think we’ll always want to buy good meals and expect quality,” Tostenson says.
This is a new world of comfort and bistro-style dining. At Refuel (recast from the higher-end Fuel thanks to the recession) chef Robert Belcham is “super-excited” about the first-time supply of wild venison, made available from a cull on Vancouver Island. “The difference in flavour is like apples and oranges. I’ve bought some shoulder to use for a ragout with rigatoni,” he says.
He also can’t wait to get his hands on Vancouver Island wheat. “We’ll have to figure out what it’s best for,” he says of the wheat his pork supplier (Sloping Hills) is growing near Qualicum. The pigs will also have the same wheat in their diet so he’s thrilled thinking about serving the pork with a pasta made from the same wheat they’ve eaten.
At Maenam Thai restaurant next door (another born-again restaurant, originally the finer dining Gastropod), chef Angus An feels the glory days of fine dining of the ’90s won’t be back soon. “Even if the economy’s picking up, it doesn’t mean pockets are filled up. People have memories, habits change and it’s hard to change back. It will be slow.”
He’ll stay the course with Maenam. “I’m scared to even analyse and make decisions about the market. The bottom line is, I know if I’m busy or not. I’ll use that as a rule of thumb.”
He’ll operate more smartly, thanks to last year’s close call.
“I’ll be much more careful with food costs and staff costs,” he says. And since people are cooking more at home, he might put on cooking classes and perhaps open a store in the restaurant selling his curry pastes and ingredients.
“Right now, I don’t have the time or the budget and I don’t want to spread myself too thin,” he says, cautiously.
The Olympic Games aren’t shaking off the doom and gloom, says von Schellwitz.
During February, restaurants near Olympic events and tourist areas will do well but others, he fears, will suffer from people staying home, avoiding traffic jams or watching the games.
“Downtown businesses are asking people to work from home. That’s going to have an impact. And after the Olympics, we don’t know. We don’t have a crystal ball. Will there be a post-Olympic hangover? That’s a very good question. There is one true thing, though. If we have good weather, it’s a great showcase for the city, so it’ll be good for tourism since 18 per cent of all food services are driven by tourism, not just in Vancouver and Whistler but other areas of the province as well.”
Meanwhile, the Cactus Club chain of restaurants sailed through last year’s storm although owner Richard Jaffray said it was challenging.
“Fortunately, we have such a road range of offerings, from low-to high-end, that we had a much easier ride than restaurants with more specific menus,” he says.
“In some locations, we’re actually ahead of last year.”
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