Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour serving a big boost to local restaurants

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Thousands of Taylor Swift fans are set to descent upon downtown Vancouver for the Eras Tour, Dec. 6-8. And they will be hungry.

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Battling high hotel prices and even higher-priced resale tickets, some fans are also lamenting the lack of available reservations for area restaurants during the three nights of the concert. A quick search on the reservation platform OpenTable for the first night showed a number of openings at restaurants within proximity to B.C. Place, with reservation availability appearing to narrow considerably after 5 p.m.

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Barnaby Malong, general manager of the Yaletown restaurant Minami (1118 Mainland St.), isn’t surprised by the rush of Swifties planning for a bite before the show.

“During the week of the Eras Tour concert in Vancouver, reservations have been filling up, especially on the nights of her tour,” says Malong. “We are lucky to have a great location in Yaletown that is just a 10 minute walk away from B.C. Place, so we’re especially looking forward to welcoming everyone coming in to enjoy our restaurant before the concert.”

(If you need advice on what to wear to the Eras Tour, where to eat or shop, where fans are expected to gather if they don’t have tickets, other Swift-themed events beyond the concerts, and where to get merch beyond B.C. Place — we’ve got you covered.) 

Operating with a donation system for reservations with proceeds going toward local charities, Cafe Medina (780 Richards St.) will be keeping most of its tables open to first-come-first-served walk-ins. It’s a standard practice for the popular brunch spot.

“Not too crazy for us as — yet,” said owner Robbie Kane the week before the Eras’ events. “The concerts fall over a weekend, and weekends are generally quite busy for us, so we’re ready for another great weekend.”

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Kane notes they won’t be making any changes to staffing in preparation for the dates. According to the restaurant owner, the buzz around Swift’s dates is in line with the business boost they see from most major large-venue live events in the city. But way bigger.

“All big ticket concerts have a similar effect on the downtown core and businesses with walk-in traffic and crowds in the area, but this is the next level of fever pitch attention, which we haven’t experienced in Vancouver before, especially given there are three concerts,” Kane says. “If her concerts in Toronto are any indication, we hope it’ll be the same great energy.”

According to Destination Vancouver, the three Eras Tour concert dates in Vancouver are expected to bring an estimated economic impact of $157 million to the city. It’s an impressive figure that’s sure to see a significant portion spent within the city’s food and beverage sector.

While some eateries, like Cafe Medina, won’t be offering any Swift-inspired dishes or drinks for the upcoming Eras Tour weekend, others, like Minami, are leaning in to the pop superstar for inspiration.

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“Our Taylor Swift-inspired cocktail menu was carefully put together by our bar manager, Morgane Lefort, with the help of our Swiftie staff,” Malong explains of the limited cocktail menu featuring five Swift-inspired sips such as the Spark Fly ($16) to the You’re Not On Your Own, Kid ($19). “We wanted to create something that everyone can enjoy, with the addition of inspiration from Taylor’s album Eras.

“The team has also gone out of their way to create friendship bracelets for guests who order our You’re Not On Your Own, Kid sangria, a direct tribute to the song that inspired the friendship bracelet phenomenon in the fan base.”

Malong says the response to the special drink menu, available Dec. 1-8, has been “generous.” It’s the first time he recalls the restaurant doing anything of this kind for a live music event.

“Of course, we do special event drinks all the time, such as for the holidays, sakura season, Valentine’s Day, etc.,” Malong says. “We constantly try to push boundaries, but creating a themed menu for a specific concert is new for us.

“Taylor’s impact on a local scale has really enabled us to become creative.”

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As for what hungry fans who can’t find a reservation can do to fuel up before they hit the concert, the restaurant insiders offered a few tips.

According to Malong, several restaurants and pubs around the stadium have also opted to offer walk-in service only during the tour dates. He also recommended opting for takeaway in order to eat on the go near the concert venue.

Kane also recommended the walk-in route, with the added strategy of going early to give Swifties (especially those from out of town) a little extra time to explore.

“Put your name on the list, walk around the area, take in the sights and experiences, and come back,” he says. “There is a lot to see and do downtown, especially near Robson Street …

“There are also food trucks near the Vancouver Art Gallery and quick serve cafes all around the city with great food as well, for those who don’t want to wait too long.”

Aharris@postmedia.com

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