Dim Sum in the
Greater Vancouver Regional District

by
Dennis Langdeau

Dim Sum is a particular form of Chinese cuisine that is especially popular in Hong Kong. Restaurants serving Dim Sum can be found throughout the world. This study will examine Dim Sum restaurants in the Greater Vancouver Regional District and try to understand the factors that influence their location.

Dim Sum (whose literal meaning is "touch the heart") refers to small individual servings of food that are ordered separately. The authentic restaurants have servers which push carts around carrying various dishes that have been steamed in bamboo containers. There are Chinese restaurants where you can order a few similar dishes, but these would not be considered Dim Sum restaurants.

Many things must be considered when choosing a suitable location for a new Dim Sum restaurant. The location will be constrained to lie within areas that are zoned for commercial use. There are also other factors that are more flexible. For example, because the clientele of a Dim Sum restaurant is mainly Chinese, it makes sense to find areas which have higher Chinese populations. More specifically, we should also consider how many people have immigrated from Hong Kong. We can also look at how many people that speak Cantonese. Dim Sum is somewhat more expensive than regular Chinese food and is typically regarded as a treat. It makes sense to also consider the incomes of people in a location. Finally, we would like to avoid locations that are too close to an existing Dim Sum restaurant.

This project will attempt to analyze these constraints and factors to determine the best locations in the Greater Vancouver Regional District for a new Dim Sum restaurant.