Restaurant owners love Valentine's Day, says Andrew Coppolino

Millions of Canadians will go out over the next several days to dine with a significant other.

In Canada, Valentine's Day is the one of the top three revenue generators for the food and beverage industry, along with New Year's Eve and Mother's Day.

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Depending on what day of the week if falls on, it can take top spot.

Brian Plouffe, owner of Waterloo's King Street Trio, said his restaurant sees a spike in revenue around this popular, although unofficial, holiday.

"We seat half the dining room every hour allowing for a two-hour stay," he said.

Janet Duncan, co-owner and co-chef at Jake & Humphreys' Bistro in New Hamburg has a similar experience.

"As long as I can recall, the only variable is what day it falls on. If it is a Wednesday, we will really only be busy that day. A Friday or Saturday guarantees a very busy weekend," she said.

'Small festival' surrounds Valentine's Day

It's not just the daythe whole week is busy.

In some ways, Valentine's Day has almost become a small festival. This year, many restaurants will offer Valentine's Day specials beginning Friday and will continue through the weekend until the actual day which is Tuesday, by the way.

While the dining rooms will be busy, Duncan said it is often very quiet.

Regular diners tend to stay home and cook, or come out the following weekend.- Nick Benninger, restaurateur

Those sharing a table for two may spend more time gazing perhaps longingly into each other's eyes than they usually would.

Duncan, citing her late colleague and former Waterlot restaurant owner Gord Elkeer, said, "it can be the quietest busy day of the year when you can hear a pin drop in the dining room."

Waterloo restaurateur Nick Benninger said he's found those quiet, lovestruck diners are often new customers who come out for that special meal.

"Regular diners tend to stay home and cook, or come out the following weekend," Benninger said. "Some folks dislike the rush, set menus, the busy restaurant and higher prices that they may encounter."

But that doesn't mean the Valentine's Day dining experience is going to change much in the near future, he said.

"Where I've witnessed New Year's Eve change a lot, I've yet to see Valentine's Day change very much," he said.

Changesto dining on Hallmark holiday?

However, it is interesting to think about the up-and-coming Generation Z those born in the mid-1990s to early-2000s following on the dining heels of the millennials.

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Will this internet generation with their more casual approach to relationships and a penchant for ordering food online - embrace the traditional romance aspect of Valentine's Day, its Hallmark commercialism, and even the carbon footprint that has been connected to those 12 million dozen roses shipped to the country? Will restaurants have to adapt in the near future?

It's too early to tell. Until then, Valentine's Day and possibly several days on either side of it will continue to be a real love-in for restaurants, if restaurateurs like Plouffe havetheirway.

"We could book the restaurant five times on February 14," he said.