Rideau Centre Expansion | Completed

[mykl]

Score Pizza is DELICIOUS! This is great news!

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by J.OT13

Meltdown closed because it was overpriced apparently. I think that with Rideau Street frontage and hopefully fair prices, Score Pizza will do well.

As for Real Sports, I'm not sure what happened. I went a few times and it was always packed, just like everything else in the Market. Kind of weird how one day, they suddenly closed with little to no warning.

Yeah. The Meltdown in Rideau charged significantly more than the original location in Kingston. And yet they were still understaffed considerably; orders took forever to finish there.

My guess is that their business model simply couldn't transfer over from main street Kingston to a mall in Ottawa.

[BlueJay]

Originally Posted by BlackRedGold

Must have been a weekend. I'd gone in a couple times during the week and it was dead. Lots of people in Ottawa aren't keen on supporting an overpriced bar owned by the Leafs.

I went to real sport half a dozen times during the usual peak times and it was less than a quarter full every time. You need to sell a lot of chicken wings to pay for a large space like that in a prime location. Not that it mattered to me, but I also found that the Bar staff was male dominated which could affect the stereotypical bar patrons.

But who am I kidding, it was owned by the leafs. It was destined to fail from the start.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by kevinbottawa

I went on a Tuesday and it was packed.

Originally Posted by BlueJay

I went to real sport half a dozen times during the usual peak times and it was less than a quarter full every time.

I never went, but my guess is maybe it was only busy when the Leafs were playing. Ottawa unfortunately has a lot of Leaf fans and they would probably like going to a Leafs bar to watch a game, but not enough to make it busy on a non game night.

[Harley613]

Location Location. Real sports would succeed in an entertainment district (regardless of ownership). It would have fit in better at Lansdowne or even at a lower rent location at the Centrum. Who knows, maybe we'll see them again when the Lebreton arena is completed. A multimillion dollar new build two-story theme sports bar on George St. between Giant Tiger and a Pizza Restaurant doesn't make sense. Sens House is more scaled to the area.

[BlueJay]

Originally Posted by Harley613

Location Location. Real sports would succeed in an entertainment district (regardless of ownership). It would have fit in better at Lansdowne or even at a lower rent location at the Centrum. Who knows, maybe we'll see them again when the Lebreton arena is completed. A multimillion dollar new build two-story theme sports bar on George St. between Giant Tiger and a Pizza Restaurant doesn't make sense. Sens House is more scaled to the area.

While I agree with you that the Sens House is scaled properly, I can't seem to make sense of your idea that Real Sport was not in an entertainment district? Last time I checked, the Byward Market is Ottawa's Entertainment District.

[mykl]

Originally Posted by BlueJay

While I agree with you that the Sens House is scaled properly, I can't seem to make sense of your idea that Real Sport was not in an entertainment district? Last time I checked, the Byward Market is Ottawa's Entertainment District.

Not all streets are created equal.

[Harley613]

Originally Posted by BlueJay

While I agree with you that the Sens House is scaled properly, I can't seem to make sense of your idea that Real Sport was not in an entertainment district? Last time I checked, the Byward Market is Ottawa's Entertainment District.

The market is a great place to go for dinner, or to get sloshed if you're a college kid, but it's hardly an entertainment district. There are no sporting venues or movie theatres or comedy clubs or anything to 'entertain', unless you count a couple of small playhouses on the periphery.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by Harley613

The market is a great place to go for dinner, or to get sloshed if you're a college kid, but it's hardly an entertainment district. There are no sporting venues or movie theatres or comedy clubs or anything to 'entertain', unless you count a couple of small playhouses on the periphery.

True. Sparks Street might have actually been a better location. Or Elgin.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Harley613

The market is a great place to go for dinner, or to get sloshed if you're a college kid, but it's hardly an entertainment district. There are no sporting venues or movie theatres or comedy clubs or anything to 'entertain', unless you count a couple of small playhouses on the periphery.

Then I guess the only conclusion is that Ottawa doesn't really have an entertainment district.

[kevinbottawa]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Then I guess the only conclusion is that Ottawa doesn't really have an entertainment district.

Lansdowne is probably the closest thing we have to an entertainment district.

[kevinbottawa]

Walking down Rideau Street, if you look into the new mall entrance between Colonel By Drive and Shoppers Drug Mart you can see the new Farm Boy. The hoarding has been taken down and the exterior of the store is completely done. I imagine it'll be opening this weekend or early next week.

[kevinbottawa]

Farm Boy at the Rideau Centre opens this Saturday.

http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/farm-boy-rideau-opens-saturday-dec-9-1.3710934

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by kevinbottawa

Farm Boy at the Rideau Centre opens this Saturday.

http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/farm-boy-rideau-opens-saturday-dec-9-1.3710934

Will this be the smallest Farm Boy to date?

[kevinbottawa]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Will this be the smallest Farm Boy to date?

I imagine it will be. I can't think of another location that would be smaller.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by kevinbottawa

I imagine it will be. I can't think of another location that would be smaller.

The Stittsville location is pretty small (Its an oddball shape but I'm guessing from looking at Google Maps between 1300 and 1400 m^2 total, not just retail space). How large is the Rideau Centre location?

[HighwayStar]

I thought somewhere I read the Farm Boy would be split over 2 floors and integrate into the LRT entrance/exit. Is this true? or did I just dream this up?

[acottawa]

Originally Posted by HighwayStar

I thought somewhere I read the Farm Boy would be split over 2 floors and integrate into the LRT entrance/exit. Is this true? or did I just dream this up?

From the escalator you can see a set of stairs to a lower level over the construction barrier. Not sure if this is related to farm boy or the actual LRT entrance.

[rocketphish]

Farm Boy to open at Rideau Centre's former food court Saturday

Paula McCooey, Ottawa Citizen
Published on: December 7, 2017 | Last Updated: December 7, 2017 5:25 PM EST

A new Farm Boy location is set to open at the Rideau Centre on Saturday with a bigger selection of ready-made food to go.

The official opening of its newest “urban fresh food experience” will take place in the former food court of the newly renovated downtown mall.

Located at the mall’s entrance off Rideau Street at Sussex Drive, this is the 24th store for the food chain, which opened its first location in Cornwall, On. 36 years ago.

The store, which will open at 8 a.m., will include its classic offerings of fresh produce, butcher-quality meats and artisan cheeses, as well as freshly made casual lunches and dinners, grilled to order, that can be taken to go or enjoyed in the store’s seating area.

“We are excited to be opening our newest Farm Boy at CF Rideau Centre, Ottawa’s premiere shopping destination,” said Jeff York, Farm Boy co-CEO, in a statement. “We have developed a small format store we think our urban shoppers and residents will enjoy featuring the best Farm Boy wholesome fresh options in a convenient, easy-to-shop, welcoming location. We’re looking forward to opening our doors this week and serving our newest downtown customers.”

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news...ideau-centres-former-food-court-saturday

[rocketphish]

A behind-the-scenes tour of Farm Boy Rideau

BY Sarah Brown, Ottawa Magazine
POSTED December 8, 2017 9:06 am

Attention mall shoppers! Saturday is the day.

It has been one of the most-anticipated food launches in the city. Announced in September, Farm Boy has been in full construction mode ever since, putting together its flagship urban food market in the Rideau Centre.

Now, just in time for the Christmas season (when, let’s face it, no one has time to make lunches or dinners) the doors will swing open to reveal what’s in store at Farm Boy Rideau, the province’s 24th Farm Boy location. Find Farm Boy Rideau at the mall entrance off Rideau Street at Sussex Drive.

The store offers convenient grocery shopping for all the condo dwellers in the vicinity, but it’s the custom prep stations that might take a bite out of food-court attendance. Those stations will be tempting shoppers with made-to-order wood-fired pizzas, grilled sandwiches, and stir-fries. The chain’s salad and hot bars are also on site.

City Bites got a front-row look at the last-minute preparations — and checked out the brand-new pizza oven — just ahead of the Saturday opening.

For the Morning Crowd
While the grocery store doesn’t open for business till 8 a.m. (9 a.m. on Sundays), the front section will be open at 6:30 a.m. so commuters can zip in and grab a meal from the hot breakfast buffet (think eggs, bacon, sausages, breakfast wraps, and sandwiches). Long-term plans include omelette and pancake stations.

For the Lunch Crowd
The Fresh X-press Station opens at 11 a.m. Along with a pizza oven, there’s a grill where staff will be cooking up warm lunches to order. The offerings change each day, with gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches, hamburgers, and stir-fries in regular rotation.

For the Dinner Crowd
Starting at 3 p.m., the Fresh X-press area will become a wok station.

For the Regulars
Farm Boy regulars will be familiar with the salad bars and hot-food bars at all their stores. They’re here, too, for anyone looking for lunch or dinner on the go.

Some photos

https://ottawamagazine.com/eating-and-drinking/a-behind-the-scenes-tour-of-farm-boy-rideau/