Hawksworth Restaurant Group to open new concept at The Boathouse Restaurant space at Kitsilano Beach
They will have an initial term of 10 years, with the option to extend for two additional five-year terms for a maximum total term of 20 years.
Hawksworth is known for operating its namesake restaurant at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia, as well as Nightingale Restaurant and Bel Cafe. City staff selected the chain during an open bidding process this past winter that also attracted bids from Tap & Barrel Group and Aquilini Restaurants Limited Partnership (Toptable Group).
Notably, The Boathouse did not submit a bid to remain at the Kitsilano Beach location and will also close its prominent White Rock waterfront restaurant on the same day this September. The Boathouse first took over the Kitsilano site in April 2010, assuming the original lease from Watermark Restaurant, which had built, funded, and initially operated the iconic beachfront building.
The Boathouse Restaurant at Kitsilano Beach, Vancouver. (The Boathouse Restaurant)
But it could still be some time before Hawksworth opens its yet-to-be-announced concept for the space, which is a two-storey pavilion building and is now in need of its largest renovation yet.
This building includes public washrooms/changerooms, lifeguard facilities, and a ground-level concession stand. The restaurant is on the second level, providing elevated views of the beach activities, English Bay, Burrard Inlet, mountains, and points beyond.
The procurement process emphasized that the 2005-built building is now in need of major reinvestment, with a November 2024 technical report noting the building needs up to $1 million worth of critical renovations and upgrades to its structure and mechanical and equipment systems. This is again reaffirmed in City staff’s recommendation to select Hawksworth.
“The current operation is in need of significant capital investment, revitalized branding and facilities and improved concession services to enhance its appeal and attract a broader customer base,” reads City staff’s report, before noting that the objective is to have an operator “transform the space into a destination-style restaurant that offers a high-quality brunch, lunch, dinner, and private dining experiences, complemented by concession services” at ground level.
Hawksworth Restaurant at the Rosewood Hotel Georgia. (Hawksworth Restaurant)
Nightingale Restaurant by Hawksworth Restaurant Services. (Daily Hive)
As a revenue-generating mechanism for the Park Board, the municipal government will not provide any financial contribution to the building improvements or the operations. During the bidding process, the municipal government requested interested parties to create a bid with a minimum base rent to the Park Board of no less than $240,000 annually, plus a percentage of the gross revenues from all food and beverage sales before taxes, payable monthly. The percentage rent based on gross revenue must be at least 6.5 per cent.
Other restaurants located on Park Board property elsewhere in the city have similar lease payment terms with both a base rent and a percentage of gross revenues.
Also up for City Council’s final endorsement next week is a recommendation to award catering company Truffle Fine Foods the lease to operate the soon-to-be-vacated Shaughnessy Restaurant space at VanDusen Botanical Garden, for a term of up to 15 years. While the Shaughnessy Restaurant submitted a bid to continue operating at the location, it was ultimately unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, during Hawksworth’s lease at the former Boathouse space, Kitsilano Beach Park could see significant changes. The City and Park Board are in the early stages of planning a new replacement for Kitsilano Outdoor Pool, which could potentially be relocated away from the shoreline and closer to the restaurant building.