Party like it’s 1984: a retrospective of food at the Eaton Centre

Party like it’s 1984: a retrospective of food at the Eaton Centre

It’s not breaking news, but that’s what makes this commercial for the Toronto Eaton Centre so great. Well, that and it gives us the opportunity to appreciate how much the city’s food scene has evolved since 1984. This intensely ’80s ad turns the spotlight on the nondescript gastronomical offerings at the mall: a pizza counter, bistro tables, a supermarket and a candlelit family dinner on what looks like the third-floor walkway outside Indigo. But for us, the highlights are the stereotypical Italian chef floating into the mall with a psychotic smile, and the woman being spooked by a stranger while holding an ice cream cone that matches her headband.

The dated commercial got us wondering how much progress the mall itself has made on the food front over the past quarter century. A quick glance down the list of offerings would suggest that little has changed (but at least the Centre knows better than to boast about it). While the places themselves are different, the quality is only marginally better. So this one goes out to all the ghosts of the Eaton Centre’s culinary past: City Grill, Lime Rickey’s, East Side Mario’s, Magic Pan, Toby’s, Pete and Marty’s, and JJ Muggs.

The Eaton Centre Food Toronto 1984 [YouTube]