The Foodie Thread

When we were in Toronto last fall, we checked out Marche, a sort of food court/restaurant at Brookfield Place, as we left the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Apparently it used to be a Richtree Market, which is a similar concept.

We thought it looked great. We weren't very hungry, but got a little snack. We were thinking about how much we would like to have one back home.

If you're not familiar with it, they give you a card -- almost like a debit card -- when you enter. You have to take one to enter, even if you want to just look around and don't plan on buying anything.

At each station, if you make a purchase, they swipe your card. After you've sat down & eaten your food, you give your card to the cashier when you leave. It's registered everything you've purchased and you pay as you leave.

Sounds cool, right?

Well, the Richtree Market folks just took over & renovated the old food court at the Old Orchard Mall, a nice, upscale, outdoor mall in Skokie, IL, just north of Chicago.

They named it Wilde & Greene.

The reviews are in, and it's a massacre. People hate it:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/wilde-and-greene-restaurant-natural-market-skokie

I don't know if it's the unfamiliarity of the concept, if it has a few kinks to work out, or if it's just a plain disaster.

Curious to hear from folks in Toronto to see what they think of the original locations.

 

Honestly, I hate the Marche. Found it over priced If I'm spending that much for food I want to relax and have it served, especially if they're tacking a tip onto my bill.

 

Huh. Maybe it was because it was so different.

I don't really remember the prices. We didn't get much and we were on vacation. Plus, it was all is some funny currency, so who knows how much it really cost.

I just remember the food looked good and fresh.

I don't remember the added tip either, but if you look at those Yelp posts, it's pissing people of in Skokie.

 

A lot of people like it because there's so much choice if you're with a group.

 

I could see that.

The whole foods near me has a pretty similar set up. No card, but several different food options and then you pay for everything before you sit down.

It's great if you're with a couple of people and don't want to have to decide what kind of food to go for.

 

The card thing is new since I was last there. Used to be a handwritten check that you carried with you.

 

The Marche is a cafeteria with pretensions. As HC said, food is average and overpriced. It was a novelty when it first opened and I guess it gets a lot of tourists because it's in the same building as the Hockey Hall of Fame.

 

JR/HC - did this used to be the mauve and pick or something like that? I ate there once and thought it was pretty overpriced and underwhelming, very avaerage tasting food. I was at one in Ottawa last year and it was even worse.

 

Sounds like Vapiano, which we have down here, and is from Germany, I think. Fancy cafeteria and nothing special.

 

I think it's actually Mövenpick Marché but called Marché for short.

 

YF, you think of the Canadian dollar "some funny currency." The loony laughs at you.

 

Swiss chain. Been around for ages. Visited my first one in Zurich when I was much younger.