The Diner Reviews are in: OpenTable announces Canadian diners’ Most Romantic Restaurants and Tips to Charm Your Valentine
OpenTable survey uncovers Canadians’ biggest dinner date ‘icks’
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, OpenTable, a global leader in restaurant technology, reveals Canada’s 100 Most Romantic Restaurants for 2023. This list features spots that diners say deliver on romance, and was created by analyzing more than one million reviews by OpenTable diners.
Minding one’s manners can be as important as choosing the right restaurant when it comes to a successful date. OpenTable recently conducted a survey to uncover diners’ biggest dating “icks”, and being rude to staff took the number one spot with 26% of respondents selecting it as their top gripe. Other top date deal breakers included: frequent texting at the table, excessive drinking, talking about exes and chewing with an open mouth.
“Our survey revealed it’s as important to be your best self with your date as it is with the restaurant team taking care of you,” said Matt Davis, Country Director, OpenTable Canada. “We want to inspire Canadians to pack their charm along with their passion for romance and dining out this Valentine’s Day.”
Data driven tips to score your favourite table
Booking a reservation for Valentine’s Day at least one week before the holiday, and dining at off peak hours, may increase your chances of scoring a table at popular restaurants. OpenTable data shows over half (52%) of reservations were made by February 8 last year, and the most common dining window was between 6:00pm – 6:59pm, closely followed by 7:00pm – 7:59pm.
Canadians’ spending habits on Valentine’s Day
Spending on love: 72% of those celebrating are enthusiastic about indulging at local restaurants and plan to spend over $41 per person.
The bill: to split or not to split? When the check arrives, an awkward pause can follow: who should cover the bill? Most Canadians consider splitting the bill totally acceptable. OpenTable’s survey reveals two-thirds of Canadians are comfortable with bill splitting for a Valentine’s Day date.
In particular, younger Canadians are more open to paying their share than older cohorts. For Valentine’s Day 2023, almost 80% of Gen Zers and Millennials believe it’s fine to divide the dinner bill evenly compared to 50% of Baby Boomers, as attitudes around dating and finances evolve.
Get inspired with Canada’s 100 Most Romantic List for 2023
The 100 Most Romantic list, created by analyzing over one million diner reviews, features restaurants across 6 provinces. Ontario tops the list with 46 establishments, followed by British Columbia (20), Alberta (16), Quebec (14) and Atlantic Canada (4).
Steakhouses (16%), Italian (25%) and contemporary Canadian cuisine (14%) came out on top as Valentine’s Day favourites for OpenTable diners. Some of the dining spots that stand out for exceptional service, romantic ambience and delicious fare include the much-loved Osteria Salvio Volpe in Vancouver, the stylish Major Tom in Calgary and the regionally-inspired Drift in Halifax.
Alpina Restaurant at Villa Eyrie Resort – Malahat, BC
ATLAS Steak + Fish – Cascades Casino Langley – Langley, BC
BLOCK ONE Restaurant at 50th Parallel Winery – Lake Country, BC
Botanist – Vancouver, BC
The Butchart Gardens – The Dining Room – Brentwood Bay, BC
Finn’s Seafood, Chops and Cocktails – Victoria, BC
Glo Restaurant + Lounge – Victoria, BC
Hart House Restaurant – Burnaby, BC
Haven Kitchen + Bar – Langley, BC
Home Block at CedarCreek Estate Winery – Kelowna, BC
Hy’s Steakhouse Vancouver – Vancouver, BC
Joe Fortes Whistler – Whistler, BC
Kissa Tanto – Vancouver, BC
LIFT Bar Grill View – Vancouver, BC
Lupo Restaurant & Vinoteca – Vancouver, BC
Miradoro at Tinhorn Creek Winery – Oliver, BC
Osteria Savio Volpe – Vancouver, BC
Tea at The Empress – Victoria, BC
Vista 18 Restaurant + Lounge – Victoria, BC
Zambri’s – Victoria, BC
The complete list can be viewed here
About OpenTable
OpenTable, a global leader in restaurant tech and part of Booking Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG), connects more than 1.5 billion people with restaurants every year. Powering hospitality at more than 55,000 restaurants, bars, wineries, and other venues globally, OpenTable drives reservations, experiences, payments, guest insights and operations, enabling restaurants to run their most successful business yet.
About the 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in Canada for 2023
The 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in Canada for 2023 is generated from more than 1 million reviews collected from verified OpenTable diners between December 1, 2021 and November 30, 2022. All restaurants with a minimum “overall” score and number of qualifying reviews were included for consideration. The overall score is made up of unique data points, such as overall diner rating, user klout, total number of reviews, and regional overall rating. Qualifying restaurants were then scored and sorted according to the number of reviews, for which ‘romantic’ was selected as a special feature.
