Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Illinois > Chicago
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 12-10-2013, 04:48 PM
 
Location: Upper West Side, Manhattan, NYC
15,331 posts, read 23,762,089 times
Reputation: 7419

Advertisements

Yeah, for things you can get elsewhere sure. What about things that Eataly may have that you can't find anywhere else? Are people who are made aware they have those things in stock and want them just not going to go there as a statement? Doubtful for the majority of people.

Yeah there are ethnic grocery stores, but I am pretty sure there are things in Eataly that may be hard to track down in other places. There's that angle and the ones I've already talked about with tourists. There's a nutella bar, yes and you may think it's dumb, but tourists or people who just want to say they ate at a "nutella bar" are going to do it.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 12-10-2013, 05:06 PM
 
28,455 posts, read 84,950,339 times
Reputation: 18725
Default Already agreed on these points...

Quote:
Originally Posted by marothisu View Post
Yeah, for things you can get elsewhere sure. What about things that Eataly may have that you can't find anywhere else? Are people who are made aware they have those things in stock and want them just not going to go there as a statement? Doubtful for the majority of people.

Yeah there are ethnic grocery stores, but I am pretty sure there are things in Eataly that may be hard to track down in other places. There's that angle and the ones I've already talked about with tourists. There's a nutella bar, yes and you may think it's dumb, but tourists or people who just want to say they ate at a "nutella bar" are going to do it.
The argument for tourists and maybe even somebody already in the neighborhood is spot on, but then again that is sort of the same argument that was made for DisneyQuest and even ESPNZone and they did not last too long either. Maybe that is part of the "game" for the developers of places like this, not necessarily a sustainable thing, just a "quick hit" that fleeces folks for a couple of years. With more real office workers located in places north of the river than there were a years ago and more the of once aged population of the Gold Coast being replaced by younger folks maybe things will change...

Last edited by chet everett; 12-10-2013 at 05:20 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-10-2013, 05:09 PM
 
Location: Upper West Side, Manhattan, NYC
15,331 posts, read 23,762,089 times
Reputation: 7419
Probably. I will check out Eataly just to see what they have, but for purchase I will only use them for things I can't find anywhere else or to see how good their fresh bread or 90 second pizzas are. If they are good and not utterly expensive, then sure. If a regular loaf of their bread is like $6+ then forget it.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-10-2013, 05:31 PM
 
Location: Chicago - Logan Square
3,396 posts, read 7,173,916 times
Reputation: 3731
Quote:
Originally Posted by marothisu View Post
Yeah, for things you can get elsewhere sure. What about things that Eataly may have that you can't find anywhere else? Are people who are made aware they have those things in stock and want them just not going to go there as a statement? Doubtful for the majority of people.

Yeah there are ethnic grocery stores, but I am pretty sure there are things in Eataly that may be hard to track down in other places. There's that angle and the ones I've already talked about with tourists. There's a nutella bar, yes and you may think it's dumb, but tourists or people who just want to say they ate at a "nutella bar" are going to do it.
I'll check it out to see if they have anything that is really hard to get, but between all of the Italian grocers in the city I have a hard time believing they'll have a lot of things that can't be found elsewhere for less money. I can see it being convenient if you work downtown and need to pickup some Caputo 00 flour, a bottle of Elisir San Marzano, and some Culatello - but there are very few things that you can't find at the good Italian markets.

That said, I think that the general concept will be successful as a tourist attraction. Places like Quincy Market, Covent Garden, Harborplace, and Fisherman's Wharf have proven that people don't mind paying a lot of money for food that is probably worse than what they have at Eataly. Part of me wishes that they had made more of a Chicago thing by going with a German or Polish theme - maybe a German/Italian mix and call it Germangia!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-10-2013, 05:54 PM
 
Location: Chicago
6,359 posts, read 8,759,541 times
Reputation: 5869
Quote:
Originally Posted by Attrill View Post
Part of me wishes that they had made more of a Chicago thing by going with a German or Polish theme - maybe a German/Italian mix and call it Germangia!
love the concept, Attrill, but I might tweak it a bit: how about a place in a festive marketplace setting (Navy Pier?) that had a "Tastes of Chicago" food court? "Tastes of Chicago" is Lou Malnati's holiday gift catalog. I would include the places on his list that are the ultimate of Chicago food: Lou's, of course, for pizza, Manny's for Jewish deli, Long Grove Confectionary for chocolates, Vienna for hot dogs, Eli's for cheese cake, Garret's for popcorn, Carsons for ribs, also a place for Italian Beef, along with an assortment of other Chicago food products.

on the other hand, there would be nothing inappropriate of building something akin of Epcot's world showcase (minus the rides and attractions) that would have ethnically designed stalls for all nationalities in Chicago with their local foods.

btw, I really liked you list, but I found one serious deletion: LA's Farmers Market. That place is in a class by itself.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-10-2013, 06:20 PM
 
28,455 posts, read 84,950,339 times
Reputation: 18725
Default Could work but the problem has already been ...

Quote:
Originally Posted by edsg25 View Post
love the concept, Attrill, but I might tweak it a bit: how about a place in a festive marketplace setting (Navy Pier?) that had a "Tastes of Chicago" food court? "Tastes of Chicago" is Lou Malnati's holiday gift catalog. I would include the places on his list that are the ultimate of Chicago food: Lou's, of course, for pizza, Manny's for Jewish deli, Long Grove Confectionary for chocolates, Vienna for hot dogs, Eli's for cheese cake, Garret's for popcorn, Carsons for ribs, also a place for Italian Beef, along with an assortment of other Chicago food products.

on the other hand, there would be nothing inappropriate of building something akin of Epcot's world showcase (minus the rides and attractions) that would have ethnically designed stalls for all nationalities in Chicago with their local foods.

btw, I really liked you list, but I found one serious deletion: LA's Farmers Market. That place is in a class by itself.
...baked into the system -- when you go to Navy Pier now the places you see are those, like vendors on the Tollway Oasis, that have gotten special preference through "poltical connections". That means that instead of local business person that actually knows what they are doing you have craptastic places that serve "ice cream of the future" for outrageous prices so they can continue to "contribute to the correct campaing funds" to remain a preferred vendor. Same nonsense also happens at the airports to a lesser extent, and with the food service vendors at the Chicago Park District owned Soldier Field.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-10-2013, 06:32 PM
 
2,250 posts, read 2,803,288 times
Reputation: 1501
Quote:
Originally Posted by chet everett View Post
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.
The problem is that you talk about the suburbs when no one else is and when the topic has nothing to do with the burbs. Stay on topic or will report you.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-10-2013, 07:49 PM
 
Location: Chicago, IL
1,988 posts, read 2,207,704 times
Reputation: 1536
Quote:
Originally Posted by edsg25 View Post
love the concept, Attrill, but I might tweak it a bit: how about a place in a festive marketplace setting (Navy Pier?) that had a "Tastes of Chicago" food court? "Tastes of Chicago" is Lou Malnati's holiday gift catalog. I would include the places on his list that are the ultimate of Chicago food: Lou's, of course, for pizza, Manny's for Jewish deli, Long Grove Confectionary for chocolates, Vienna for hot dogs, Eli's for cheese cake, Garret's for popcorn, Carsons for ribs, also a place for Italian Beef, along with an assortment of other Chicago food products.

on the other hand, there would be nothing inappropriate of building something akin of Epcot's world showcase (minus the rides and attractions) that would have ethnically designed stalls for all nationalities in Chicago with their local foods.

btw, I really liked you list, but I found one serious deletion: LA's Farmers Market. That place is in a class by itself.
We already have that. Unfortunately it is at Midway Airport.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-10-2013, 07:59 PM
 
Location: Chicago
6,359 posts, read 8,759,541 times
Reputation: 5869
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ace Rothstein View Post
We already have that. Unfortunately it is at Midway Airport.
not exactly a festival marketplace, huh?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 12-11-2013, 09:26 AM
 
14,802 posts, read 17,560,693 times
Reputation: 9244
Quote:
Originally Posted by baileyvpotter View Post
Husbands huge Italian family from southern Italy didn't (exception may be young adults).
May I ask when his family immigrated to the US? Nutella wasn't even created until the early 60s I believe. Most Italian immigrants moved here before WWII.

Anyway, I have travelled extensively in Italy. I have visited relatives in Liguria. Nutella is everywhere. My Au Pair is from Calabria, guess what she eats for breakfast every morning.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Illinois > Chicago
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top