Ever wonder where the best happy hour or brunch deals are in your Vancouver neighbourhood?
Vancouver Happy is launching on July 20 and aims to solve that issue. Created by brothers Taylor and Skylar Lawrence along with friend Rose Morgan, the new site is a curated directory of local happy hours, brunch deals and daily specials.
The idea to create an easy-to-use site for people to research restaurant deals or happy hours came about after struggles on Google or other sites.
"It came out of that group chat situation," says Morgan. "We're always googling 'brunch near me' and not getting the best results."
While most sites use an algorithm to provide results, Vancouver Happy is built on the trio making trips to places themselves and doing direct research.
"We'll call, we'll visit in person," Morgan tells V.I.A.
The group then curates what they've learned about the restaurant experience on Vancouver Happy and people can use simple filters to find options.
Because of its more direct, human approach, Vancouver Happy is launching with four neighbourhoods to start: Kitsilano, Gastown, Yaletown, and Mount Pleasant. Between the four they have about 110 places scouted and ready for the launch.
Four other neighbourhoods are being worked on: the Granville Strip, Davie Street, Commercial Drive, and Coal Harbour.
While they'll consider partnerships in the future, right now Vancouver Happy is a passion project Morgan notes, free to use for anyone.
A user-friendly experience
The site will be simple to use, Morgan says, with a drop-down menu for categories like brunch, happy hour or daily special, and a choice of neighbourhoods.
A few other filters are in place to narrow down options.
In the future, the database may be expanded to include other information, like places with dog-friendly patios.
Community focus
Morgan and Taylor used to work together in the restaurant industry, and the idea for the website came from the social nature of their jobs.
"Taylor and I missed the buzz of being in a bar with your friends after work and that neighbourhood vibe of knowing people at the bar or restaurant," she says. "We didn't want to see that go by the wayside with the talk of a recession."
At the same time, Vancouver has a reputation for being a cold place, socially speaking. Making it easier for locals to be out in social gatherings is a goal for the trio.
"I know Vancouver can be isolating at times and part of our core value is to break that down a little bit and keep the good times going, recession be damned," says Morgan.
