Eataly impressions??? (Chicago, Quincy, Westmont: purchase, minimum wage, prices)

[Gr8fulsammi]

Originally Posted by Gr8fulsammi

This made me crack up so hard I had to respond. I havent been yet, and glad to see the different experiences to give me an idea of what to expect. I saw it on the news, and I immediately thought "another tourist trap that will go bust in 2 years.". I hate to be negative, but I think this was too much square footage for Italian fare/ingredients/Nutella, etc. I believe most Chicagoans will go to check out something new, and not go back. I will probably go to check out the cheeses and selection of olive oils, but nothing more.

Oh, forgot to say I am grateful for the tourism dollars that will keep it open for the next 2 years

[marothisu]

^ It's not even about the local people 100%. Think about it, and read what I said about. There's a lot that's geared towards tourists still.

The nutella bar works because a tourist will see it and think "hmm looks good. I could buy a bag of pretzels for $2 and a jar of nutella for $4.50 and sit in my hotel room with both, alone, and haul nutella in my luggage after I'm done with this city, or I could go to Eataly and pay $1 for some nutella spread on some good bread around many other people and not have any luggage."

The average local person isn't going to go for it, unless they're out and about and want the social thing (I mean in the end, why go to a ****ing cafe when you could make a sandwich yourself?)

[chet everett]

Didn't really hear much actual loathing on the thread, lots of skeptics, also more than few folks that really question what sorts of impacts this might have on broader range of what other food oriented business people might decide to put their money on going forward.

Over the years I have gotten to know a few people that either through direct investment or more real estate oriented means have had money tied up in nicer resturants and bars. With pretty rare exceptions these were losing propositions. If the group behind Eatly "fails" it will make it harder for folks to bankroll similar operations. Perversely, even if Eatly continues to pack in crowds I am not really sure it is a good thing for Chicago / local food business -- places like FoodLife are much nicer than a generic "Mall Food Court" but not nearly as much on the forefront as places run by families and individuals with a more authentic experience and more of a stake in delivering high quality and low cost.

Honestly I am truly amazed when I have choices for really top notch Asian, Mexican, or Indian cuisine just steps from my office in Westmont. The range of grocers and authentic ingredients is also outstanding. These businesses thrive with no budget for PR/advertising. The chefs are not on any TV networks or the covers of any glossy magazines. I get change back from a $10 bill.

[nearnorth]

Originally Posted by Chicago60614

I'm surprised at how many people on here loathe the place

That's a rather strong word to describe the reactions I'm seeing here.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by marothisu

^ It's not even about the local people 100%. Think about it, and read what I said about. There's a lot that's geared towards tourists still.

The nutella bar works because a tourist will see it and think "hmm looks good. I could buy a bag of pretzels for $2 and a jar of nutella for $4.50 and sit in my hotel room with both, alone, and haul nutella in my luggage after I'm done with this city, or I could go to Eataly and pay $1 for some nutella spread on some good bread around many other people and not have any luggage."

The average local person isn't going to go for it, unless they're out and about and want the social thing (I mean in the end, why go to a ****ing cafe when you could make a sandwich yourself?)

I will say that the fresh squid ink pasta I bought and cooked at home was quite good. I asked L'Appetito for squid ink pasta once and they looked at me like I was a friggin' alien.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by emathias

I will say that the fresh squid ink pasta I bought and cooked at home was quite good. I asked L'Appetito for squid ink pasta once and they looked at me like I was a friggin' alien.

That's pretty much the type of stuff I'd use Eataly for. Things I can't get anywhere else and want...why not? If there was some amazing type of wine I found in Italy and haven't found it anywhere in the US, I'd pay a few extra dollars for it to be able to get it down the street and I'd bet that a lot of people who know that wine, for example, would consider it too even if it was $7 more than in Italy.

[Aleking]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Honestly I am truly amazed when I have choices for really top notch Asian, Mexican, or Indian cuisine just steps from my office in Westmont. The range of grocers and authentic ingredients is also outstanding. These businesses thrive with no budget for PR/advertising. The chefs are not on any TV networks or the covers of any glossy magazines. I get change back from a $10 bill.

cool story bro, sounds like just about every non-downtown neighborhood in Chicago

[emathias]

And then there's this ...

Chicago, here I come... - The Meta Picture

[UrbanCheetah]

Originally Posted by Aleking

cool story bro, sounds like just about every non-downtown neighborhood in Chicago

Seriously. It's lik we have that time times 10 in the city for all budgets and what not. You fail once again Chet.

[chet everett]

Sheesh, the mere mention of anything that lies outside the hallowed bounds of 606xx just sets some people off, I've middle schooler on a playground behave this poorly but rarely adults...

I never said Westmont was better than Chicago merely that the selection of nice ethinc foods is really a plus.

My point was that places like this with their high prices and slick marketing are not really going to be attractive to any folks with a clue about what is available regionally. For folks that might be in town for something else it is probably not a bad option, but even then it is arguably not really going to send a message that Chicago (or the investors in Eatly...) should be happy about -- the sanitized soullessness of drones working for minimum wage are never going to be able to convey the enthusiasm of folks that run their own businesses.

The biggest "fail" is the attitude of those that mindless find any opportunity to play "get out of my circle of cool" at every opportunity.