After years of rumours and shattered hopes, it looks like Mario Batali's Eataly could truly be opening in Toronto.
According to the Globe and Mail, the gourmet Italian restaurant and grocery store has confirmed it is looking for space in Toronto to put down its first Canadian roots. It has partnered with the Weston family, which owns luxury retail stores Holt Renfrew (as well as the U.K.'s Selfridges) and holds a majority interest in grocer Loblaws.
The official announcement on location could come as early as next week, when Adam Saper, the managing partner and chief financial officer at Eataly, will be speaking at the Retail Council of Canada's annual conference in Toronto.
Batali, the amiable creator of the Eataly brand, has developed a strong relationship with Toronto over the past few years, notably creating a menu with the chefs at Italian restaurant Buca last October:
It was at that point that he also confirmed Eataly would be coming to the city soon:
As PostCity noted at the time, the establishment could look like the space being created at Selfridges in 2016 — so the choice of owners seems like a natural fit.
While all signs seem to be pointing to a Yorkville location for Eataly Toronto, which makes sense for its upscale brand, here's hoping they'll be opening up more shops around the city too. Eataly currently has 27 stores around the world, including its flagship in New York, as well as locations in Japan, Italy, Dubai and Turkey.
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