UPDATE May 2nd, 2016: A Globe and Mail article published Friday confirmed that Bloor Street Diner won an injunction that prohibits Eataly from entering the Manulife Centre mall. In a post published May 1, Retail Insider revealed plans submitted to the City of Toronto outlining a 39,000 square foot, three-floor Eataly location. The plans uncovered by Retail Insider were submitted to the City by B+H Architects several months ago. “It’s still possible that the Bloor Street Diner will negotiate an agreement with Eataly’s Canadian operation,” writes Retail Insider.
Original Story: A source has informed BuzzBuzzHome News that Eataly, the Italian “mega-marketplace,” has run into issues with a planned Toronto location in the Manulife Centre at Bay Street and Bloor Street.
According to BuzzBuzzHome’s source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, the Bloor Street Diner has an exclusive right to operate within the Manulife Centre shopping mall and is preventing Eataly and the Manulife Centre from moving forward with the planned location. The Manulife Centre has filed an injunction in an attempt to move forward with the plan despite the Bloor Street Diner’s right to exclusivity, according to BuzzBuzzHome’s source.
While other restaurants operate within the mall, the Bloor Street Diner is the only full-service restaurant. While other restaurants operate in the mall — including Scaccia which does have a dining room with full service — our source has told us that the Bloor Street Diner does have a right to exclusivity but was unable to provide additional information to clarify the nature of it. We are currently investigating this further. [updated April 27th, 2016]
Headquartered in Monticello d’Alba, Italy, Eataly currently operates 27 brand stores across the globe that are inspired by the concept of the European food hall and open marketplace. Only two of its locations are in North America — on Fifth Avenue in New York and East Ohio Street in Chicago.
In May 2015, the Globe and Mail reported that Eataly had partnered with the Weston family business to help find the best site for a store. Adam Saper of Eataly’s US unit told the Globe that they had looked at a number of potential locations near the Weston-owned Holt Renfrew in Yorkville.
In a February 2014 post on the restaurant blog Eater, an Eataly representative said that a Toronto location “won’t happen for another three years or so.”
It is currently unclear what the impact this new development will have on Eataly’s timeline for a Toronto location.
This is a developing story. BuzzBuzzHome News will include updates to this story if any additional information becomes available.
