Time Out Vancouver chefs share a sneak peek of their menu highlights

A compilation of dishes from Time Out Market in Vancouver. Photo by Handout /Time Out

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Time Out Market, a savvy, successful global enterprise, opens its 13th location at Oakridge Park in Vancouver on Thursday, with some of the city’s heavy hitter chefs running the food kiosks. It’ll seat some 1,000 nibblers and swillers who can choose from 18 food kiosks, a dessert bar, coffee shop and three bars. No chain outlets. No wannabes. No food overlaps. No mediocrity. Just curated talent to create a vibrant, tantalizing food hall.

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Vendors selected by Time Out are thrilled to be part of the chosen.

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“I’ve visited the original one in Lisbon and loved it,” says Vikram Vij, a boldfaced name in Vancouver culinary scene for decades. “It’s not filled with big companies with deep pockets. Basically, they choose you to be part of it and it’s an amazing feeling.”

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Typically, Time Out pays for the build-out, including the kiosks, equipment, rent and point of sales operations. Vendors benefit from Time Out’s proven reputation and cachet, its marketing might, and digital and print platforms driving global traffic to vendors. In return, Time Out receives a percentage of revenue from the vendors but with tight non-disclosure clauses.

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It’s fair to say Michael Marlay, CEO of Time Out Markets, is a big fan of Vancouver chefs and cuisine.

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“I’d honestly say, in the last two years of memorable dining experiences, two of the most memorable meals have been here in Vancouver. My takeaway in both cases was, I was spoiled by the hospitality and then sold on the quality and freshness,” he said. “It’s one of the most delightful markets I’ve been involved in creating.”

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He and his team spent a year in selecting chefs. Most were eager, some passed.

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“You gotta understand, if chefs are focused, have their hands full, have dreams and commitment, they’ll say now’s not the right time to give it my heart and soul. Half a dozen said no, hoping in the next two or three years they might have an opportunity to be part of it.”

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Vendors like Vij, whose Indian food kiosk is called Peacock, couldn’t be happier with the arrangement.

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“They take all the risks on equipment and the upfront costs of opening, and those costs are very steep. Most independent restaurants, after COVID, wouldn’t be able to afford it,” he says. “They take a percentage (of sales), but there’s no rent, and it’s sales based. For me, it’s a turnkey operation. I take my staff, spices and food, and start serving from Day 1. They’ve done a fantastic job of working with chefs.”

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Vikram Vij of Peacock. Photo by Gabriel Cabrera

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Time Out, a British media and hospitality company, was born in London in 1968 as a small free publication, named after jazz artist Dave Brubeck’s Time Out album. It’s grown into a cultural phenomenon with a now-digital, massive global reach. The Time Out Market concept launched in Lisbon in 2014, then extended to Miami, New York (two locations), Boston, Chicago (closed earlier this year), Montreal, Bahrain, Barcelona, Budapest, Cape Town, Osaka, Porto, Dubai and, now, Vancouver.