Six months after its Michelin nod, this Vancouver restaurant opens up about the impact
Results of a Michelin nod
And while Gary’s had been doing well before Michelin, the effects of the accolade were immediate.
“To put it in perspective, 24 hours after Michelin, we booked 500 reservations, and this is a 36-seat restaurant,” said Hayward. “We’ve just been fully booked essentially every single night since Michelin.”
Hayward said that while weekends had always been busy for Gary’s, following the Michelin announcement, the restaurant’s weekdays were incredibly busy.
“Maybe we did 40 to 50 covers on weekdays, whereas now it’s just like every night is like a Friday or Saturday, which is obviously incredible. We’re so grateful to have had so much attention on Gary’s in our first year or so of being open,” said Hayward.
After Michelin, Gary’s was also named one of Air Canada’s Best New Restaurants, increasing the restaurant’s popularity. Then, Gary’s booked over 400 reservations during the Dine Out Vancouver festival alone. Dished was among those 400 reservations and can attest that it is definitely worth the hype.
And it’s not only the locals visiting Gary’s; people from far and wide are travelling to visit the restaurant.
“We definitely noticed an increase in people coming from outside Vancouver,” said Hayward. “I think a lot of people pay attention to who is on the Michelin Guide that resides in Vancouver, and then those are the restaurants that they’re most excited to try.”
Another change Hayward said the team has noticed is the general excitement of visitors to be dining at Gary’s.
“People are taking Instagram reels, and they’re just genuinely excited to cross off a restaurant from the Michelin Guide, which has been super sweet to get to witness people so excited. Maybe this is the first time they’ve ever gone to a Michelin-awarded or recommended restaurant before,” said Hayward.
But as for how things have changed internally, Hayward assured us that it’s business as usual.
“I think a lot of times, people get some recognition and maybe their path changes at that time. But for us, we’re just really happy with where we’re at and what we’ve been building now that we’re a year and a half or so in,” said Hayward. “Maybe we tightened up a little bit, and the team has now been with us longer, so there are small changes that I don’t think would be necessarily visible to an outside eye.”
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Why Michelin is important
If the proof wasn’t already in the pudding regarding the impact that making the Michelin Guide has had on Gary’s, Hayward reiterated how great it is to have Michelin in Vancouver.
“I’m sure it comes with its challenges in a different way for different restaurants, different distinctions, and whatnot, but I think just overall, it’s so positive,” said Hayward. She also said that it has opened two more positions on Gary’s team to hire and has given everyone job security with how busy it’s been.
Additionally, Hayward said making the Michelin list is also incredible for staff and their future endeavours, especially when it comes to their resumes.
“If someone decides to leave here, it’s a good thing to be able to take with them something that’s recognized on a global scale.”
However, Hayward said she would like to see Michelin expand outside of Vancouver into the surrounding areas.
“Much like Ontario, they’ve gone all the way down to St. Catherine’s,” said Hayward. “So I think it would be worthwhile for it to go beyond just Vancouver city limits.”
“I think it would be incredible to get people that live in Vancouver to venture to different parts of the province, possibly to explore other places that maybe they haven’t been before.”
Gary’s
Address: 1485 W 12th Ave., Vancouver
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