I was also confused, because, in the newspapers mentioning the upcoming Florence store opening, the only name mentioned was not Joe Bastianich, but Oscar Farinetti and the press emphasized that this was an Italian-made success story. I had always assumed, quite wrongly, that a place with a silly name like Eataly must have been started in the US, when in fact it was created by Farinetti in Turin.

rickster wrote:

I was also confused, because, in the newspapers mentioning the upcoming Florence store opening, the only name mentioned was not Joe Bastianich, but Oscar Farinetti and the press emphasized that this was an Italian-made success story. I had always assumed, quite wrongly, that a place with a silly name like Eataly must have been started in the US, when in fact it was created by Farinetti in Turin.

Right. People seem to assume this is a Bastianich/Batali venture, but they are just the US partners of the Italian owner. But since they are so well known in the US, I think the Italian ownership is deliberately downplayed.

Eataly, the massive food emporium under construction at 43 E. Ohio St., will open either Nov. 22 or 29.

Celebrity chef and restaurateur Mario Batali revealed the timing yesterday during a Chicago Ideas Week session that also featured Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Broadcast journalist and Tallgrass Beef Co. founder Bill Kurtis moderated the session called "Small Business in the City."

DutchMuse wrote:To me, Eataly will pose NO threat to a small, mom and pop Italian store. I can't imagine it being a threat to Bari or the like. We're talking Italian apples versus Italian oranges. They are two very different venues that serve different demographics in the marketplace.

No, Eataly is no threat to these small places. But it is a threat to Fox and Obel. Mark my words: Six months after Eataly opens, Fox and Obel will be gone. Eataly serves the same demographic market, will carry most of the same things except a thousand times more of them, a much wider selection, with better and more knowledgeable staff. Forget Bari; F&O is the real threat here and I won't be sorry to see it go because someone else will have come in and done it better.

Smassey wrote:

DutchMuse wrote:To me, Eataly will pose NO threat to a small, mom and pop Italian store. I can't imagine it being a threat to Bari or the like. We're talking Italian apples versus Italian oranges. They are two very different venues that serve different demographics in the marketplace.

No, Eataly is no threat to these small places. But it is a threat to Fox and Obel. Mark my words: Six months after Eataly opens, Fox and Obel will be gone. Eataly serves the same demographic market, will carry most of the same things except a thousand times more of them, a much wider selection, with better and more knowledgeable staff. Forget Bari; F&O is the real threat here and I won't be sorry to see it go because someone else will have come in and done it better.

The lines of causation don't quite connect, but still an interesting read as we gear up for the opening of Eataly.

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Smassey wrote:

DutchMuse wrote:To me, Eataly will pose NO threat to a small, mom and pop Italian store. I can't imagine it being a threat to Bari or the like. We're talking Italian apples versus Italian oranges. They are two very different venues that serve different demographics in the marketplace.

No, Eataly is no threat to these small places. But it is a threat to Fox and Obel. Mark my words: Six months after Eataly opens, Fox and Obel will be gone. Eataly serves the same demographic market, will carry most of the same things except a thousand times more of them, a much wider selection, with better and more knowledgeable staff. Forget Bari; F&O is the real threat here and I won't be sorry to see it go because someone else will have come in and done it better.

The lines of causation don't quite connect, but still an interesting read as we gear up for the opening of Eataly.

And as F&O didn't live long enough to compete with it.

=R=

Smassey wrote:Yes, my point exactly. Sorry I didn't clearly state it.

The food market and restaurant mashup is opening on Dec. 2, nearly all 63,000 square feet of it, at 43 E. Ohio St., co-owner and celebrity chef Mario Batali told Eater Chicago. Baffo restaurant, a fine-dining spot, will open there a few weeks later.

AlekH wrote:better late than never

Mario Batali's three Las Vegas Strip restaurants will shut down July 27, officials said Friday, amid multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against the celebrity chef.

Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group partner Joe Bastianich sent a letter to nearly 300 workers about the closures of Carnevino Italian Steakhouse, B&B Ristorante and Otto Enoteca e Pizzeria at The Venetian and Palazzo resorts. He promised to visit the restaurants to speak to employees.

The letter said Las Vegas Sands Corp., which owns both properties, was ending the business relationship. Sands Corp. issued a statement confirming the closure. The move came days after police in New York confirmed an investigation into a woman's claim on 60 Minutes that Batali drugged and sexually assaulted her in 2005. Batali denies assaulting the woman.