[jorian]

I'll bet it also has to do with the demographic of your neighbourhood. I see these service-first places do well in upscale areas where price is not the sole deciding factor. In lower income 'hoods it's hard to find a parking space at Walmart.

Down the street from my business there is a gentrified 'hood whose density has tripled due to cond/highrise projects and these service oriented businesses are getting some traction there. I think it is tied to education and income. These high density 'hoods don't have any room for big box stores either. These areas are a function of good urban planning, something Vancouver has lacked in the past.