Historic Arcadian Court gets a makeover
http://www.thestar.com/business/article/932026--historic-arcadian-court-gets-a-makeover
February 02, 2011
Dana Flavelle
Legendary broadcaster Gordon Sinclair threatened to “put on a show†here featuring “a few wild men of Borneo†and “any number of baboons and orangutans†from his trip through India and Asia in the 1930s.
“Here†referred to the Arcadian Court, the stunning Art Deco restaurant and event space that occupied the eighth floor of what was then Simpsons department store on Queen St., in downtown Toronto.
The late Sinclair never made good on his promise. But the elegant gathering place, which opened in March 1929, enjoyed many other firsts in its heyday.
It played host to Canada’s first Auto show. The Toronto Symphony recorded its first radio broadcasts here. And Sotheby’s held its first auction outside Great Britain here.
Now part of the flagship Bay store, the current owners say they plan to restore the Arcadian Court to its former glory, the next step in breathing life back into the department store chain, a once fading Canadian icon.
The plan for the Arcadian Court is part of a larger deal the Bay has struck with upscale local restaurateur Oliver & Bonacini and global foodservice firm Compass Group Canada to make over the restaurants in all 24 Bay stores that offer foodservice.
“We’re so excited to have this happen,†Bay president and chief executive officer Bonnie Brooks said in an interview. “It’s going to dovetail with what we’ve been doing for the last two years, with the Bay’s strategy of modernizing and becoming more relevant to the Bay customer.â€
In her two years at the helm, the Canadian-born, international retail executive has brought in edgy and exclusive new brands, regained The Room’s reputation for high fashion, and generated international buzz around unique HBC brand items, such as its striped cashmere hot water bottle.
The restaurants were previously operated in-house by the Bay’s sister chain, Zellers, a discount department retailer. The move is unrelated to the announcement most of Zellers’ leaseholds are being sold to U.S.-based rival Target Corp., the Bay said.
Plans to renovate the Bay’s restaurants have been in the works for more than a year, the Bay said. Employees of the Bay’s current foodservices will be offered jobs with the new operators, the retailer said
The plans for the Bay on Queen include a new 4,000 square foot floor restaurant, on the corner of Queen and Bay, where Timothy’s coffee is now located, as well as a lower Food Hall inside the store, featuring a chocolate bar, pasta bar and other exclusives, the retailer said.
Upstairs next to the Arcadian Court, the retailer plans to create a new event and meeting space, tentatively called The Loft, which will cater to both business and social occasions of various sizes.
Construction is scheduled to begin in April and end 16 months later.
Oliver & Bonacini will be involved in the restaurant makeovers in the Bay’s flagship stores, including the one in Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Ottawa, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver, while Compass Canada will handle the smaller markets, the retailer said.
For Peter Oliver and Michael Bonacini, who together operate 11 restaurants plus two events spaces, the deal represents a significant expansion to their business.
Their present locations, all in Ontario, include such high-end hot spots as Jump and Canoe, as well as more casual concepts, such as its O&B Canteen in the TIFF Bell Lightbox.
Compass, part of part of an international organization whose restaurants include C5 in the Royal Ontario Museum, brings deep financial pockets to the venture.
The two food companies will be renting space from the Bay. Brooks described the deal as a partnership.
The announcement also confirmed earlier comments by the Bay’s owner, NRDC Equity Partners, a New York-based private equity firm, that it plans to continue investing in the department store chain.
