Wigs
Active Member
Just in case anyone missed it they put up at least 5 logos
I think by now most Canadians have heard of Simons.
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I think by now most Canadians have heard of Simons.
TossYourJacket
Senior Member
Tbh, I'm not sure most have once you get outside of the major cities. They only have 19 stores nationwide, and 10 of those are in Quebec. Yeah sure, in a major city there's a good chance people have heard of them but outside of that? Idk. For example, they only have 1 store in all of BC, and it's in West Vancouver, rather than a more prominent location like downtown Vancouver or Metrotown in Burnaby.Just in case anyone missed it they put up at least 5 logos
I think by now most Canadians have heard of Simons.
Rascacielo
Senior Member
Today. Two-storey Nike store is open next to Simons.
nightstreak
Active Member
I can't believe they still haven't fixed that lower glazing vinyl covering. You can see the guts of the building.
How it looked before opening:
bcmc
New Member
nightstreak
Active Member
From the little I can see through that door, wow they cleaned that up pretty fast. Just a few days ago, the interior looked like a heavy construction zone with no end in sight. The tentative date I'd been hearing was November 13th and now it looks like that's actually possible.
Rascacielo
Senior Member
So this will be like the 5th Eataly in Toronto if you count the small (pop-up?) one in the Distillery District where GotStyle used to be? We must have the most Eatalys in any city.
Northern Light
Superstar
4 full line Eataly locations gives Toronto the most in the world, NYC and Dubai each have 3.
Of course, the one in Rome is 170,000ft2 which is more than all of Toronto's locations combined, with 60,000ft2 to spare.
The largest one in the U.S. is in Chicago and its ~63,000ft2 vs the 50,000ft2 at Manulife
UtakataNoAnnex
Superstar
It must be hugely popular here. Or they really like Toronto. Most world class destinations only have one store if that, FYI...
en.wikipedia.org
Eataly - Wikipedia
nightstreak
Active Member
It must be hugely popular here. Or they really like Toronto. Most world class destinations only have one store if that, FYI...
Eataly - Wikipedia
Can someone explain the appeal though? It's just expensive Italian takeout and grocery?Like a Pusateri's on steroids? I thought the cost of living was supposed to be bad already...
Are there any hidden gems in there like a reasonably priced food item you can't get anywhere else? Something else I'm missing? I live near the one on Bloor but got spooked looking at the prices the few times I went in.
Northern Light
Superstar
It must be hugely popular here. Or they really like Toronto. Most world class destinations only have one store if that, FYI...
Eataly - Wikipedia
It is quite popular, but lets add, it really helps them here that they are backed by the most dominant force in Canadian grocery and Canadian luxury, in the form of the Westons.
This is the family behind Loblaws, No Frills, Shoppers Drug Mart, Fortinos, T&T and many more; and also Holt Renfrew.
Northern Light
Superstar
Sure, first though, see my comment about ownership above. Access to key real estate and marketing and logistics resources matters.
It is; but remember, Toronto has a very large number o HNW (High Net Worth Individuals/families).
We're talking about 4 stores here, and remember Pusateri's collapsed, so you have that entire market of customers to start.
We're also a big tourism City, including for shopping. Our draw reaches quite wide.
Keep in mind there are not only no Eataly locations in Hamilton or Ottawa, there are none in Buffalo, Cleveland or Detroit.
The GTA has hundreds of grocers, so the market for 4 high-end Italian groceraunts is fair sized.
While many things are over-priced there, there are some decent deals relative to cost.
At the top of my list would be their Focaccia. I'm confident they can't equal @Benito 's but it's really pretty good and the 'personal' size one is under $4 (good for one, if indulgent but reasonable for two with a meal), the full size is something like $11, which is a bit hefty.
The fresh pasta is quite good. Full priced, but top quality, and it's pasta so it's not insane. You can generally get two nests or equivalent for $7 or so. These are good size nests, btw, each one is a moderate portion, 2 can serve 2.... or you can just be very indulgent.
They do have not bad value with some of their wagyu meats. Again, certainly more than typical grocery store beef, but compared to like at the St. Lawrence Market, they're competitive.
Hey, their Tomahawk Steak is on promo, just for you!
Seriously, the wagyu burger patties are surprisingly decent value.
Some of the better deli meats are also reasonable value.
The produce tends to be overpriced and sometimes not even that fresh in respect of greens/herbs; avoid that section for the most part; most over priced are their desserts, sauces and meals to-go in the fridge. They come at about a 50% premium to comparable product.
Seafood is solid. (Its from Diana's)
Some of their other breads are good as well, but a bit less value.
For a quick bite, their pizza isn't terrible value if you like the style. Good portion size, bit crust heavy, but it's a nice crust.
On the regular shelves, stuff like pasta and cookies etc. vary widely, but are mostly over priced; but there are some value pasta brands where you can get rare shapes, colours and flavours at prices that are only slightly excessive, say $4 per package.
Example:
That's $3.49 for an uncommon form.
On the other hand, if you just want to burn money...........or really love saffron:
This one is $9.99 *** for only 250gr
Of course, many people just go for the experience, to dine, or to grab a bottle of wine (they have really good depth in Italian Wines, including many you will not find at the LCBO.)
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fiendishlibrarian
Active Member
I shop there once a week or so as it's a quick trip downstairs for me, agreed with all of the above. Just to add:
- they have some wines for under $30 that are quite good - the Sicilian and Puglia wines in particular - that the LCBO doesn't carry
- solid gluten-free pasta options (and good deals on their risotto); I also like some of the sauces they carry even if a bit pricey when I don't feel like making one from scratch
- they stock good liquor: the Meletti Anisette in particular, and I like that they carry Dillon's gin and vodka
- I've had their in-house sausages and they are stellar; their meatballs as well
- agreed with the produce but they carry those sweet Italian onions which are great for sauces
- they've had some cheeses I can't find anywhere and that are really good, the pecorino ones in particular
- dined at Milano a couple of times for special occasions and was very pleased
All in all very happy they're here, I think Eaton Centre will do well.
- they have some wines for under $30 that are quite good - the Sicilian and Puglia wines in particular - that the LCBO doesn't carry
- solid gluten-free pasta options (and good deals on their risotto); I also like some of the sauces they carry even if a bit pricey when I don't feel like making one from scratch
- they stock good liquor: the Meletti Anisette in particular, and I like that they carry Dillon's gin and vodka
- I've had their in-house sausages and they are stellar; their meatballs as well
- agreed with the produce but they carry those sweet Italian onions which are great for sauces
- they've had some cheeses I can't find anywhere and that are really good, the pecorino ones in particular
- dined at Milano a couple of times for special occasions and was very pleased
All in all very happy they're here, I think Eaton Centre will do well.
UtakataNoAnnex
Superstar
While I am sure this helps, I suspects though if they sucked at a consumer level...they would probably lose that backing. Unless Westons is a fan of sunk cost value...so I defer back to their popularity being the big drive and draw of having 4 outlets. And for what that is worth.
zang
Senior Member
They are also restaurants and have an extensive collection of Italian wines. Fresh bread, fresh made pasta. A place like Pusateris will always resort to lowest common denominator Italian foods—nothing too far out there. Eataly fills a niche as much as Mr. India Grocer or H-Mart. There are a number of Italian products not available elsewhere, as they are also their own importer. Prices reflect more the smaller import and purchasing scale, and not because they’re intentionally overpriced.