Experiences, activities and entertainment: offering the total

Today it is unthinkable to open a restaurant or a hotel without thinking about the customer experience. Everything must be thought through in order to amaze, to stimulate the senses, to escape the ordinary. Restaurants can no longer be satisfied with having a good menu and good service: they must seek to offer that little extra that makes customers want to come back, take photos to publish on social networks, talk about it to those around them, etc. Same thing for hotel establishments. The standard is out: we now want to touch the individual, in all spheres of their complexity. “We’re starting to understand the distinction, I think, between needs and wants. For me, it’s fundamental, says Jean-Thomas Henderson, professor of management at the Institute of Tourism and Hospitality of Quebec (ITHQ) and collaborator of ExperiSens, the ITHQ College Center for Technology Transfer. We are starting to talk about more experiential marketing. The famous age groups (18-35, 35-45, etc.) are reassuring for managers, but they mean more or less nothing,” he adds.

The importance of consistency

Just because an immersive gastronomic experience is a sensation in one establishment doesn’t mean it will have the same success in your home. Jean-Thomas Henderson emphasizes the importance of offering an experience that reflects your DNA: “It’s a statement to move towards innovation… It’s a statement to move forward with something that will make people talk about you differently. I find that it’s almost an essential, at this level, to stand out in 2026. But it requires consistency everywhere.”

To be consistent, you have to return to the roots of your identity. Who are you, and above all, why do you exist? “This is Simon Sinek’s famous Why theory. Before you say “I have 82 rooms in 6 different categories with king beds†, start with why you exist. For example, you are a business hotel that wants to make connections between people. There, you are more in your why. It is

easier to tell a story and develop something coherent in your experience than to want to talk about your rooms, which are going to be the same,” explains the teacher. Experiences and animation must therefore be implemented in a thoughtful manner. It’s not about copying and pasting: you have to find how to stand out without distorting yourself. “Just follow a newsletter, take part in a conference: it already opens your mind. But for that, you have to take the time,” assures Jean-Thomas Henderson.

Place à l’eatertainment

In the world of catering, this search for unique experiences that awaken the senses and create memorable memories has given rise to eatertainment – a fusion of the words “eating/gastronomy” (eat) and “entertainment”. This is how these In recent years, immersive gastronomic experiences, dinner shows, entertainment centers, etc. If, in some cases, the experience revolves around a gourmet meal, in others, it is first and foremost the activity that dominates. The food offering, generally of the fast food or bistro type, is then often. Despite everything, it ensures that visitors can enjoy the facilities without having to go out to eat… which can generate significant revenue for the establishments. In an interview with the marketing firm SevenRooms, in the United States, Lida Ahn, responsible for training. Pinstripes chain, mentions that 80% of revenues are generated by food offerings.

Overview, non-exhaustive, of establishments and events where experience takes precedence

Immersive gastronomic experiences

Experiences that combine screenings and gastronomy are multiplying. The fact that they are offered for a limited time contributes to their uniqueness and the enthusiasm they arouse. Here are three that caught our attention.

7 Paintings. The Art of Dining

The Hyatt Centric Montreal innovates with this two and a half hour dinner show that combines art, technology and gastronomy. The seven dishes that make up the menu are associated with seven paintings by great masters of art history.

Life, death, dessert

The immersive five-course culinary experience Life, Death, Dessert will return to Montreal for a third time in November 2026 at the Société des arts technologies. Under the culinary direction of chef Clément Boivin, the public is transported into a captivating and destabilizing universe. A vibrant proposition where visual art, theater and gastronomy meet.

The Magic Table

Since May 15, 2026, the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac has been offering, for a limited time, the immersive experience La Table Magique. Recognized worldwide under the name The Magic Table, this creation combines illusion, culinary arts and 3D narration.

When the decor enhances the experience

Sometimes, it is the decor (natural or manufactured) that transports the visitor elsewhere. Here are establishments that are worth a look.

Omegabon

Last March, Parc Oméga inaugurated the OmegaBon restaurant, which offers a privileged view of the habitat of bears and arctic foxes. On the menu for this extraordinary experience: dishes with boreal notes, made with local and seasonal products.

Miracle

Sitting at Miracolo, located on Saint-Laurent Boulevard in Montreal, we no longer know where to look. On a tablet, a collection of virgin Marys; on the ceiling, golden chandeliers; on the walls, portraits and mirrors seeming to have been taken from the past century. It’s heterogeneous and warm.

Ophelia From December to April, the Ophelia restaurant, on Grande-Allée, in Quebec, offers outdoor dining… under a heated dome. A total immersion in the winter wonderland.

Move and eat

Some have understood that moving increases the appetite… and makes you thirsty! This is how a catering offer is offered in several places where sport is in the spotlight. Here are three establishments intended for both seasoned athletes and recreational athletes.

Oasis surf

Indoor surfing, eating a poké bowl and drinking a daiquiri: all this is possible at the Oasis Surf resto-bar, in the DIX30 district of Brossard.

Dooly’s

“More than an outing, a complete experience,” we can read on the website of Dooly’s, which has 22 branches in the province. Here, the food offering goes hand in hand with billiards, darts, immersive golf simulators and giant screens.

Pickelball area

There are more and more fans of pickelball. It is therefore not surprising to see centers popping up all over the province, including Espace Pickelball, in Quebec, which offers 17 courts… and a sports bar!

Centres d’amusement

Forget slides and ball pits filled with children. Instead, think about evenings with friends with arcade games, board games and karaoke. Very popular in the United States, entertainment complexes are multiplying at great speed. Here are three of them.

The Rec Room

Inaugurated at the end of 2024 at Royalmount in Montreal, this entertainment concept designed by Cineplex has 11 branches in Canada. Arcade games, bowling, billiards, air hockey, virtual reality, miniature golf, etc. There is not enough space to name all the proposed activities. Two restaurants, including one with table service and terrace, and a bar make up the food offering.

TAG E-Karting & Amusement

This indoor karting center located in Sainte-Thérèse (North Shore of Montreal) also offers bowling, immersive experiences, cinema, arcade games, laser tag and virtual ax throwing… not to mention two restaurants. A more high-end food offering has been announced for the second branch, which is scheduled to open in 2027 at Promenades Beauport, in the Quebec region.

Time Out Mirabel

Roller skating rink, mini bowling alleys, arcade games, billiard-soccer field and board games make up the activities offered at this complex on the North Shore of Montreal. On the catering side, miniature robots serve a fast food-style menu.

There is also a bar, a slush bar and a café.

FunHub

With two branches in Montreal and Brossard, FunHub offers arcade games, virtual reality games, billiards, darts and a pixel floor (giant interactive floor on which different games are offered). The food offering, provided by the Chateauguise company Chic Chef, is also fast food here, but we assure that everything is homemade, with attention to food and details generally absent in this type of establishment.