Starting Thursday, Vancouver restaurants will be applying to extend their patio hours from now until August.
Currently more than 300 patios around the city are eligible to apply; the permit allows them to remain open until 1 a.m., rather than the usual 11 p.m.
To apply, the establishment needs to have their insurance up-to-date, all fees paid in full, and have no patio noise-related complaints in the past 12 months.
The city first launched the hours extension program in 2013, but patios were only allowed to remain open until midnight. Last year, the city allowed restaurants another hour to make sure patios can stay open until 1 a.m.
“People in Vancouver have made it clear that they want to be able to enjoy later patio opportunities in neighborhoods throughout the city, and I am glad that council has responded with such strong support for these changes,” Mayor Gregor Robertson told Global News when the program re-launched in 2014.
READ MORE: Vancouver city council votes to extend patio hours
Emily Murray, who has been a server for two restaurants with patios, says the extension is a great idea.
“It invites people in when maybe they otherwise wouldn’t come, but then it also gives you a whole other section for servers to work in.”
She says this helps servers who might otherwise not get shifts, and allows people to enjoy the warm summer nights.
Murray says that as a server, it is always awkward when you have to explain to the customer why they have to leave the patio.
“I remember having to kick people off at 11 p.m. and it kind of ruins the customer experience while the rest of the restaurant is open. It’s busy inside already so you have nowhere to put them.”
Restaurants interested in applying can do so online through the city’s website.
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