TORONTO, Feb. 4, 2026 /CNW/ - As Canadians continue to navigate rising costs and increasingly intentional dining choices, MUCHO Burrito is approaching February with a clear point of view: showing love through generosity, value, and community connection.

The brand's February Month of Love initiative is inspired by the LOVE MUCHO brand positioning and anchored through a Buy One, Get One Free offer on Build-Your-Own Regular and MUCHO-sized burritos and bowls on February 14, available in-store only at participating locations across Canada. The Valentine's Day promotion is designed to encourage shared meals at a time when value and togetherness matter more than ever.

Rather than treating Valentine's Day as a single promotional moment, MUCHO has built a broader February program that rewards loyalty, creates space for kindness and community, and reinforces its hospitality-led brand ethos.

Sharing Value on Valentine's Day

On February 14, guests who purchase a burrito or bowl will receive a second burrito or bowl free. The one-day offer invites guests to share a meal with someone they care about, while delivering clear, meaningful value in a cluttered promotional environment.

Rewarding Loyalty Throughout February

All MUCHO Reward Members are automatically entered into a February contest with every visit for a chance to win FREE Burritos for a Year, a $500 grocery gift card, and additional MUCHO gift cards. The contest requires no forms or additional steps, reinforcing MUCHO's belief that loyalty should feel effortless and appreciated.

Creating Space for Community Connection

As part of the Month of Love, MUCHO Burrito has also introduced an in-store activation that encourages guests to participate in a simple act of kindness.

Throughout February, guests who write a love note for their community and add it to MUCHO's in-restaurant Love Walls receive a free cookie as a thank-you. The initiative reflects MUCHO's belief that small gestures can create meaningful moments inside everyday spaces.

"February is about more than a single offer for us," said Kristina Tran, Director of Marketing "It's an opportunity to give back some of the love we receive every day by sharing value, rewarding loyalty, and creating moments of connection in our restaurants."

Everyday Value Beyond February

Alongside its February initiatives, MUCHO Burrito continues to offer accessible value through MUCHO Munchies, a snack-sized menu available now through April 27. Priced at $5, the lineup includes MUCHITO Burritos, a Poco Bowl, and a Snackadilla, available in-store and online.

Lethbridge, AB, Februrary 3, 2026 - Ricky’s Lethbridge is proud to celebrate 30 years of serving the community and is marking this milestone with a special anniversary weekend on Saturday, February 7 and Sunday, February 8, 2026.

The two-day celebration will feature exclusive in-store promotions and plenty of reasons for longtime guests and new visitors to stop by and celebrate.

Weekend Celebration Highlights:

• $3.99 Mimosas served from 10 a.m. on both Saturday and Sunday
• 30 Free Margherita Pizzas for the first 30 dine-in guests each evening between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
• Mystery coupons, festive décor and a cake to mark the occasion

This anniversary is about celebrating the people, memories, and moments that have made Ricky’s Lethbridge a neighbourhood favourite for the past 30 years.

Located at 2420 Fairway Plaza Rd. S., Lethbridge, Ricky’s Lethbridge has been a go-to destination for family breakfasts, casual lunches, and comforting dinners since 1996. Guests can also enjoy the authentic Italian flavours of Famoso Italian Pizzeria, located within the restaurant, offering even more choice when dining in.

The celebration weekend is open to all guests, and reservations are encouraged for peak times. For more information or to book a table, call 403-327-3088.

Vancouver, B.C., January 28, 2026 - (AMA Raw Bar), ’s ethereal, neo-noir Japanese-style speakeasy, has launched a new winter cocktail menu, diving deep into Japan’s reverence for local ingredients and unique flavours. Guests are invited to enjoy an immersive drinking experience with a touch of whimsy, from playful names to creative presentations.

“Our new menu is homage to Japan, its beautiful ingredients, and its rich culture, yet our inspirations are far from traditional and come from all over. Each pour is crafted with the heart of ama – grace, ritual, the honing of time – and balanced with subtle touches of whimsy and levity,” explains Dylan Riches, beverage director of Gaia House.

Standouts from the new menu include creamy, dessert-inspired pours, savoury and umami-driven options, and spirit-forward builds that highlight Japanese whisky and sake in unconventional ways.

Examples include: the tropical Mango Mochi (Ketel One Vodka, Okonomatsu Navy Sake, vanilla, tart mango, rice milk); the umami-rich and smokey Flavour No. 5 (hojicha toki, Ardbeg Wee Beastie, Mancino Rosso, toasted yeast & pine mushroom, tamari), presented in a traditional soy sauce vessel; the light and floral Kaizen Negroni (Taihaizen Sogetsu Sake, bittersweet vermouth, Aperol, Lillet, sour yuzu peach tea); and the bright and savoury All the Fixins (sweet potato shochu, “soda pop” nigori sake, miso & green onion, sour riesling, cheddar).

Riches also worked with the Belvedere team to create an exclusive cocktail named the Intertidal, featuring Belvedere 10, a premium and rare vodka made from single-harvest, organic Diamond Rye. Served in a delicate, handmade shell glass, the cocktail features Belvedere 10 layered with Mujen Ai Lite shochu, Mancino Sakura Vermouth and fino sherry, finished with fresh cucumber and a touch of sea salt. A Nigiri Royale is presented alongside to complement the drink.

Special attention was also paid to its “alcoholic liberated” section, which includes the Jazzier in Japan (NOA italian bitter, strawberry, orange, yuzu) and Day Trip (Everleaf Marine, shiso, yuzu, Perrier).

Beyond cocktails, the menu also features a curated sake selection, dedicated wine list by sommelier Simon Riley (including special Japanese wines), and Japanese beers and spirits.

“At AMA, we want to be a place where guests can escape to and enjoy an excellent evening out with great drinks and food,” adds Petro Kerasiotis, co-founder of Gaia House. “This menu invites guests to explore, to be surprised, but also to just take in the moment with each sip and bite. Our team has done an amazing job with bringing AMA’s namesake to life.”

AMA is located in Vancouver’s Fraserhood community at 3980 Fraser Street, directly above sister restaurant Nammos Estiatorio.

For more information and to make reservations, please visit .

January 27, 2026 — North America’s 50 Best Bars, sponsored by Perrier, will return for its fifth edition in April2026. The three-day event program will be held in Vancouver, Canada, culminating with the highly anticipated awards ceremony taking place on Wednesday, April 22,2026 at the Vancouver Convention Centre.

The 2026 event program brings the North American bar community back to Vancouver following a successful destination debut in 2025, celebrating the region’s world-class cocktail culture and exceptional bartending talent in one of the continent’s most dynamic cultural hubs. Home to a collaborative bar community and exceptional talent, Vancouver’s bar scene is increasingly recognized on the global stage.

North America’s 50 Best Bars focuses on highlighting excellence in the bars industry specifically in the USA, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. The inaugural awards ceremony was held in New York City in 2022, followed by San Miguel de Allende in 2023 and 2024, and Vancouver in 2025. This year, the awards ceremony returns to Vancouver to honor and celebrate the talented bars and teams in destinations throughout the continent.

Emma Sleight, Head of Content for North America’s 50 Best Bars, says: “Following our first-ever celebration in Canada last year, we are thrilled to return to Vancouver to host the 2026 edition of North America’s 50 Best Bars. In 2025, the city’s dynamic hospitality scene hosted the region’s top bartending talent and showcased Canada’s growing impact on the bar industry. We’re so excited to return to Vancouver this April and recognize the individuals and destinations that are defining North America’s role in the global cocktail scene.”

The celebration begins the day before the reveal of North America’s 50 Best Bars 2026 with the Bartenders’ Feast and will be followed by the live countdown and the awards ceremony itself at the Vancouver Convention Centre on April 22, ending in the announcement ofThe Best Bar in North America 2026 and other special award winners. North America’s 50 Best Bars recognized the growth of the North American cocktail scene by unveiling the extended 51-100 list for the first time in 2025 and will do so again in 2026.

Royce Chwin, President & CEO of Destination Vancouver, says: "After the incredible energy of last year's event, we could not be more excited to welcome North America’s 50 Best Bars back to Vancouver this year. This event signals the growing recognition of Vancouver's cocktail culture, shaped by bold ideas, diverse influences and a strong sense of place. The return of North America’s 50 Best Bars creates an opportunity to bring the industry together, shine a spotlight on local talent, and give a warm Vancouver welcome to guests from across the continent.”

In advance of the North America’s 50 Best Bars awards ceremony, 50 Best will unveil a few special award winners, including the Michter’s Art of Hospitality Award and Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award. The extended 51-100 list, showcasing those bars ranked between 51^st and 100^th, will also be revealed in the lead up to the awards ceremony.

The countdown of the list of North America’s 50 Best Bars, sponsored by Perrier, will also be broadcast live on YouTube to a global audience who are not able to attend in person.

Further details regarding the 2026 program and consumer events will be revealed in due course.

How the Voting Works

The ranking for North America’s 50 Best Bars will reflect the best bar experiences based on the votes of the Academy members, who comprise anonymous North American bar industry experts from the USA, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. The voting split of these bar industry experts is 33% bartenders and bar owners, 33%, drinks writers and educators and 33% well-traveled cocktail experts. There is a 50/50 gender balance among the voters.

This year’s Academy is made up of more than 300 voters. This change was implemented to obtain a wider snapshot and ensure a greater number of diverse voices are heard in the voting process. Moreover, as per all 50 Best lists for restaurants, bars, and hotels, a minimum of 25% of Academy members are refreshed annually to keep the perspectives dynamic and relevant. Members of the 50 Best organization do not vote and do not control the composition of the list; that is the collective role of the voting Academy. This means that bars cannot apply to be on the list and no sponsors have any influence on the list.

The Academy is divided into 7 regions: USA Northeast; USA Midwest; USA West; USA South; Canada East; Canada West; Mexico and the Caribbean. Each region has its own panel of members including a chairperson, called the Academy Chair. The Chairs each select a voting panel, ensuring a balanced selection. Each North America Academy member will vote for 7 bars, with a maximum of 5 in the home country (or state in the U.S.) where they are based. Voters also have the option to vote for a further 2 (or more) bars located outside of their home country (or U.S. state) up to a maximum of 7.

The lists of North America’s 50 Best Bars and The World’s 50 Best Bars are the results of two separate votes from two different voting Academies, taking place at different times and assessing different geographical regions. Therefore, the results from voting create two separate lists, with different rankings.

Voters are required to remain anonymous and voting is confidential, secure and independently adjudicated by Deloitte. Academy Chairs are not privy to, and have no knowledge of, the votes cast by the voters in their respective regions. They are not spokespeople for the 50 Best brand.

The list will be the result of a poll of more than 300 experts (all within the North American continent), who each cast votes for the bars where they have had their ‘best experience’ during the last 18 months before the voting deadline. The list is a simple computation of votes by North American voters for bars in North America. Further information on the Academy Chairs and how the voting works is available on the FAQs page .