Since netting a Michelin star earlier this year, Vancouver91裸聊视频檚 Qu茅b茅cois-themed bistro St. Lawrence has been especially busy, with its chef crediting robust bookings to the confluence of extra buzz and the annual crush of holiday revellers.

In order to manage the flood of reservations, restaurateur J-C Poirier says bookings are capped at one month in advance and diners are asked to pre-pay for their meals.

91裸聊视频淭hat was an idea that came with the pandemic but it turns out that it is such a good model, and it works for our restaurant,91裸聊视频� says Poirier.

91裸聊视频淲e know what you order, we know how many staff we need. We also eliminated completely the problem of people not showing for the reservation or cancelling at the last minute for whatever reason.91裸聊视频�

Pent-up demand appears to be fuelling a hearty appetite for restaurant dining this holiday season, as pandemic-weary Canadians seek festive gatherings for the first time in three years.

Industry analyst Vince Sgabellone of the analytics firm NPD Group says that91裸聊视频檚 especially thanks to families keen to venture out again, as well as sustained interest among the broader population that rebounded in the spring when public spaces reopened.

91裸聊视频淭hey miss the socializing, they miss the experience, they miss the food,91裸聊视频� says Sgabellone. 91裸聊视频淭hey miss everything and they just want to get out of the house, especially with so many people still working from home.91裸聊视频�

With increased demand comes a flood of reservations but that welcome scheduling challenge is vulnerable to cancellations and last-minute change-ups, says Poirier. His restaurant imposed a $20 cancellation fee in 2019 but entire tables would still not show up.

91裸聊视频淚f you get an appointment at the dentist or even like yoga, if you don91裸聊视频檛 show up you91裸聊视频檙e going to be charged a certain amount of money,91裸聊视频� says Poirier.

91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 know why it became a standard for the restaurant industry that it91裸聊视频檚 OK, we can just not show up for our appointment. For me, it had no logic in that so I wanted to do something in the hope that other restaurants will follow.

91裸聊视频淎nd I think most people now are taking at least a small amount of money on reservations.91裸聊视频�

Poirier says they are 91裸聊视频渃ivilized and fair91裸聊视频� in cases where a guest calls to say they can91裸聊视频檛 make it. Most often he says that results in rescheduling to another date. The St. Lawrence website says credits are issued for cancellations with at least 48 hours91裸聊视频� notice, but are not guaranteed otherwise. Refunds are only for 91裸聊视频渇ew exceptions.91裸聊视频�

The Toronto eatery 20 Victoria has a pre-pay reservation system for its $175 set menu, which includes gratuity, says host and owner Chris White. He opened the restaurant in June 2021, roughly a year after his previous restaurant, Brothers Food & Wine, closed during the early months of the pandemic.

91裸聊视频淩eservations are a disaster all over town, I think. That91裸聊视频檚 all you hear from people 91裸聊视频� is that you can91裸聊视频檛 get in anywhere,91裸聊视频� says White, who has noticed 91裸聊视频渕ore parties of four and six91裸聊视频� as the holidays approach.

He says he implemented pre-pay in part to support broader workload and compensation changes at the restaurant that eliminated tips, put employees on salary instead of an hourly wage and guaranteed health benefits.

But asking customers to pre-pay wasn91裸聊视频檛 easy, adds White, whose restaurant is open Tuesdays to Fridays, allowing staff a three-day weekend in a 42-hour work week.

91裸聊视频淚t was hard to come to terms with but for us we91裸聊视频檙e 22 seats and I spent years having an emotional, visceral reaction to people cancelling so cavalierly91裸聊视频�. If you are a table of four who are double-booking at another restaurant or whatever the reason, you91裸聊视频檙e a quarter of our dining room,91裸聊视频� he says.

91裸聊视频淚 stopped being comfortable with that. I just thought from another angle through the pandemic, we just value our time differently.91裸聊视频�

White says COVID-19 restrictions forced the restaurant industry to reckon with long-standing labour problems including wage equity, work-life balance and mental health. He also welcomed a son in 2021, and family time became increasingly precious.

91裸聊视频淚t was a crazy time of reflection, right?91裸聊视频� he says of intermittent measures that either shuttered restaurants or limited capacity.

91裸聊视频淎nd as those weeks went on you saw angry hospitality workers at home realizing that they91裸聊视频檝e been devalued. And there91裸聊视频檚 consequences for that. It really was hard to digest.91裸聊视频�

Labour reform is a priority for Poirier, too, who says that in January the work week contracts to five days instead of six to better match staff family schedules. Health benefits will expand to include mental health coverage and the restaurant will match RRSP contributions. To support that, a prepaid ticket for a three-course meal will increase to $125 plus tax and gratuity, up from December91裸聊视频檚 price of $89.

Poirier says the idea is not really anything new.

91裸聊视频淎 lot of people in fine dining in Europe were already doing that system. It91裸聊视频檚 just here we didn91裸聊视频檛 have the culture. It was scary prior to the pandemic to impose that, but after that I said, 91裸聊视频業91裸聊视频檓 going for it,91裸聊视频� and I91裸聊视频檓 glad I did,91裸聊视频� says Poirier.

White acknowledges the practice may work better for some restaurants than others 91裸聊视频� it likely helps to have a dedicated clientele, a prix fixe menu and to cater to a higher income bracket.

He wonders if the apparent rush back to indoor dining is as strong among lower income customers, and if enthusiasm will continue in the New Year when credit card bills arrive.

While overall restaurant traffic has not returned to 2019 levels, Sgabellone says dinner service surpassed pre-pandemic numbers in recent months, and family outings went 91裸聊视频渦p quite considerably91裸聊视频� at eateries ranging from fast food to full-service restaurants.

91裸聊视频淭he one silver lining perhaps of COVID is that more and more families seem to be eating together as a family with the kids, and more so than prior, those meal occasions include a restaurant meal,91裸聊视频� says Sgabellone.

Sgabellone says another group driving restaurant traffic is Generation Z, especially the 18-to-24-year-olds who are now working their first jobs but have discretionary funds because many still live at home.

91裸聊视频淲e91裸聊视频檙e seeing this spike of younger adults flooding into full-service restaurants, where typically they would hang out at the lower-priced restaurants, the quick-service restaurants.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频擟assandra Szklarski, The Canadian Press