Getting ready for the Film Festival is a simple task, says Rik Ocvirk of Toronto's hot spot lounge Lobby: "Just order lots and lots of champagne."

Because at the end of an exhausting day of film premieres, news conferences, and schmooze fests, all a simple Hollywood A-lister wants is a stiff, bubbly drink.

And the celebs stopping in to such Toronto hot spots as Lobby, The Drake, Loft, and others love their Cristal, Moet et Chandon and Dom Perignon.

At the exclusive Yorkville trattoria Sotto Sotto, they ready for the 10-day fest by adding a few extra crates to the 12,000 bottles of champagne and wine they already keep in stock. At the chic, Delano-inspired Lobby, the bartenders go through more champagne than they can keep track of.

"And vodka," Lobby's Ocvirk adds. "We order lots and lots of vodka."

This year, Ocvirk is expecting a brisk business in vodka paired with Red Bull, that notorious libation that was strictly off-limits to Canadians until recently. Good news for addicted Los Angelenos visiting Toronto.

"A Vodka-Red Bull is a big thing," he reports.

Last year, Lobby hosted Kevin Spacey and Christian Slater among other stars during film fest. This year, Ocvirk is expecting many more, including Jamie Foxx -- though he's coy on exactly when.

Even with careful planning, none of the Toronto chi chi nosheries know for sure which glitterati the festival will drop at their doors. That's because the stars like to keep their dinner plans secret until just a few hours before. The well-known establishments keep a table or two reserved at the back for just some moments.

Geary says that's what makes the festival fun.

"Sometimes you're expecting all these celebrities for a studio party and then no big people come. And then other times, Renee Zellweger will just walk in, followed by Harvey Weinstein."

The restaurants' regulars are also eager to get in to places like Sotto Sotto hoping to be seated next to stars such as Sharon Stone, Dustin Hoffman or Michael Douglas.

"Oh yeah, they ask to be put on waiting lists weeks in advance," says the Yorkville bistro's Oscar Valverde. "Sometimes, they even try to slip you $100, $200, saying: 'Are you sure you can't get me in?'"

Over at Pangaea, Geary says Elijah Wood dropped in recently, along with other cast members from The Lord of the Rings. Wood was enjoying his mushroom risotto so much, he went back into the kitchen to talk to the chef. Soon, he was stirring pots, learning the secrets of the slow-cooked Italian dish.

"It just became a party," Geary remembers. "The guys in kitchen were all big Rings fans so they just loved it."

Bistro 990 general manager Fernando Temudo says his restaurant has earned its fair share of devotees as well, over its 16 years in operation. The longtime celebrity hangout hosted Nicole Kidman, Meg Ryan, and Nicolas Cage among others at last year's festival.

Meg Ryan was so enamoured with 990's Roasted Chicken, Temudo says, she came in regularly to pick it up to go, while filming down the road in Hamilton.

Celebrated director Sofia Coppola was so taken with Lobby's Kobe beef burger last year, she had 20 of the $29 sandwiches sent over to her hotel.

Temudo says his staff are used to last-minute requests from celebs looking for a bite to eat after a night of partying. That's why they keep their fridges well stocked with oysters, caviar and cold champagne, and their doors open.

"They'll in call at midnight and say they need space. Salma Hayek did that last year. It's no problem; we have a late night menu that we serve until 4 a.m."

So if the celebs are staying out until 4 a.m. they must get up to no good, dancing on the tables and ordering around the hired help, right?

"No, pretty much everyone is on good behaviour," says Temudo. "This is, after all, Toronto," he laughs.

Maybe it's the unspoken expectation of polite discretion, but none of the restaurants we spoke to can recall any diva moments or temper tantrums from any stars during film fest.

"Everyone's really nice," insists Ocvirk. "We just try to keep it low key with celebs. We don't overdo it for them. We take care of them and then leave them alone."

The finest restaurants, clubs and lounges of Toronto say the 10 days of the film festival is one of the busiest – and most lucrative -- times of the years. To prepare, some, like Sotto Sotto, repaint and spruce up their interiors. Others, like Italian bistro Pangaea, redesign their menus and front facades.

"The festival kicks off the fall menu. So we start off the season with a splash," says Pangaea co-owner Peter Geary.