New Kelowna restaurants have big impact on downtown core

KELOWNA – The dining scene has exploded in Kelowna’s downtown in recent years. New restaurants continue opening up giving consumers more choices than ever before. There are now at least 18 more eateries in downtown Kelowna than there were five years ago. A demand being driven in part by more people working and living in the downtown core.

“Downtown is growing,” says restaurateur Luigi Coccaro. “With the health centre going in next door, Okanagan innovation centre, which is fantastic, you’ll see some cool stuff going on in there. There’s more people moving to Kelowna, younger people as well.”

Coccaro owns the Curious Café, which opened in December, 2014.

The younger demographic and downtown revitalization are being credited for the explosion of eating spots and their impact on the downtown core.

“A lot of downtowns are struggling and we have one that is booming,” says Peggy Athans, Executive Director of the Downtown Kelowna Association.

Athans says the restaurants act like a magnet, attracting people to the heart of the city. Something that’s badly needed as many independent retailers in B.C. struggle to compete with big box stores.

“Now that we have developed malls and strip malls, we see people frequenting those areas, so we see people come downtown and work and then leave and it will be like a ghost town, “ she says. “Now with this thriving restaurant industry, we have people coming in at dinner hour and late night. It really is a positive to have in your downtown core.”