Local restaurants pivot to residents as tourism slows
Satwant (Sweets) Kaur Dhillon co-launched Yellowknife’s first Ricky’s All Day Grill in 2025. A year later, Dhillon is learning to navigate the slower tourist season.
“I know that this is the time of the year … when it’s gonna slow down,” she said. “Then, I need to work more hard.”
Dhillon expects the slow down to last through July, with business picking up again in August.
In March, Dhillon said her staff served about 250 people per day. When she checked the numbers in late April, she counted about 118 people — less than half as many.
That tracks with the end of the N.W.T.’s aurora season. The northern lights attract thousands of visitors to the N.W.T. each year. In 2023-2024, the northern lights were the territory’s top tourist attraction, with 41 per cent visitors coming to see them, according to territorial government.
As the northern lights fade, tourist traffic also slows.
For Ricky’s, the seasonal shift triggers a change in strategy. To entice local residents, the restaurant is launching new menu items and specials.
“We don’t have steaks on our menu, so we are working on that too,” Dhillon said.
During the slower months, the restaurant also orders less inventory and staff hours are cut, Dhillon says. In March, she had five servers, a busser, and a host at the front. In April, she says she has only two servers, and one host working in the early morning shift.
Changing menus
Across the street, at Yellowknife’s Sushi North, Sing Tu is proudly showing off his new digital menus, displayed on big screens behind the counter.
“I am really proud of our [digital] menu,” said Tu.
Sushi North has been part of Yellowknife’s fabric for over two decades, but Tu has only owned the restaurant since 2024. He says since then, he has been working on modernizing the space, improving quality, and bringing new items to the menu.
Summer months are also slow for the Japanese restaurant. To prepare, the team starts transitioning from a tourist-focused menu to a local-inspired one, Tu says.
“A lot of the tourists like the Arctic char that we have,” he said. “The locals, not as much.”
Tu says locals tend to prefer dynamite rolls, California rolls, and teriyaki don.
Loyal customers
Aside from the slower tourist season, the prices of produce and other restaurant essentials have also increased due to inflation, tariffs and the recent surge in oil and gas prices across the globe.
“It is a challenge right now. Things do cost a lot more,” Tu said.
Anita Wai owns Sushi Cafe on Yellowknife’s Franklin Avenue. Since opening its doors in 2010, Wai says, the restaurant has built a loyal customer base that doesn’t dwindle much after the aurora season ends.
She says it takes a long time to build a name among local residents — but in a small city like Yellowknife, regulars are like a second family.
“The first couple years [after] we opened, people don’t know who you are,” she said. “After they try a certain [number of] times, then they’ll be your loyal customers.”
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