Anime Boston

http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/201 ... story.html

Early plans call for the marketplace to take over the existing food court at the Shops at Prudential Center. Eataly would add a ground-level entrance on Boylston Street with a cafe, leading to the marketplace and connecting to a new building that’s under construction on the Pru property.

Alex Saper, Eataly’s chief operating officer, said the design details won’t be finalized until the company signs a lease with Boston Properties Inc., the owner of the Prudential Center office and retail complex. He said that Eataly hopes to open in mid- to late 2016.

there are the obvious aspects if this goes through for the long term, such as that the food options at ab are going to get a lot more expensive. (the fact that the article calls the existing food court "low cost" is pretty cringe worthy). the biggest question i have though is the short term.

since they are targeting "mid to late 2016" for their opening, this means that it will likely be after ab2016 comes and goes. a project like this doesn't happen over night though. should we expect the food court to not be there when we come for ab next year?

reaper527 wrote:http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/201 ... story.html

From the article:
"Early plans call for the marketplace to take over the existing food court at the Shops at Prudential Center. Eataly would add a ground-level entrance on Boylston Street with a cafe, leading to the marketplace and connecting to a new building that’s under construction on the Pru property.

"Alex Saper, Eataly’s chief operating officer, said the design details won’t be finalized until the company signs a lease with Boston Properties Inc., the owner of the Prudential Center office and retail complex. He said that Eataly hopes to open in mid- to late 2016."

there are the obvious aspects if this goes through for the long term, such as that the food options at ab are going to get a lot more expensive. (the fact that the article calls the existing food court "low cost" is pretty cringe worthy). the biggest question i have though is the short term.

since they are targeting "mid to late 2016" for their opening, this means that it will likely be after ab2016 comes and goes. a project like this doesn't happen over night though. should we expect the food court to not be there when we come for ab next year?

Just read the entire article--and it doesn't give me the warm fuzzies. Given the vibe of Eataly's plans, they could be obtaining the food court with the intent of dismantling it. If so, this may well mean that the food court is closed for 2016, but the (whatever) that replaces it may not be open. And if it is, most congoers won't be going there--they can't afford it. We all need to follow this as the months go by.

I'll be shocked if they don't have a food court at all in that mall. That would be pretty ridiculous. At the same time, it would really benefit places like Cheesecake Factory, California Pizza Kitchen, and Wagamama.....oh wait....those places are always busy anyway.....

I can't imagine that the Pru would burn its bridges with the already proven food court establishments by wiping out the food court and completely replacing it with Eataly.

Consider it like this: If the Eataly establishment fails due to lack of sufficient patronage/interest by existing patrons/other various reasons, then assuming they close down, the Pru is left with a very large and unprofitable piece of real estate that cannot be profitable again until it is remodeled for use by other establishments. The initial remodeling to compensate for a large Eataly area would -also- represent revenue lost for the Pru. A food court is a marketing thing for malls - they keep customers inside the mall, and therefore more likely to spend more time shopping rather than leaving the mall for lunch then staying out and shopping somewhere else.

Basically, I agree with coolforever that it would be very strange for them to just eliminate the diversified and affordable food court entirely in favor of what sounds like a specialized (and more expensive) eating establishment.

Shiroikami wrote:Basically, I agree with coolforever that it would be very strange for them to just eliminate the diversified and affordable food court entirely in favor of what sounds like a specialized (and more expensive) eating establishment.

Your points are well taken!

I'm still depressed that Spike's is gone, myself.

chaosharmonic wrote:I'm still depressed that Spike's is gone, myself.

same. i've gone to spikes every year that i've gone to ab (aside from this year, for obvious reasons).

If the plan does go through, it will definitely mean less variety at the Prudential for AB2017. For AB2016, you are looking at no food court. Then again, the news article stated that the takeover of the existing food court was an early plan (pretty sure the plan has changed overtime that the news have not gotten yet.)

Master of NERV wrote:

Shiroikami wrote:Basically, I agree with coolforever that it would be very strange for them to just eliminate the diversified and affordable food court entirely in favor of what sounds like a specialized (and more expensive) eating establishment.

Your points are well taken!

I do agree that these are good points, for sure. Sadly though, the overall sounds of the article make it sound like it really is taking over the food court. This certainly could change of course, but I'm not feeling too confident that it will. If that is the case, I'm not liking this idea at all for us con goers.

Leave my Cheeseboy alone!

So, we should plan on either bringing food with us (for the weekend) OR buying stuff at Shaw's...
Gotcha!!

Mamacass wrote:So, we should plan on either bringing food with us (for the weekend) OR buying stuff at Shaw's...
Gotcha!!

It's really hard to say for sure what's going to come of this so early, but that's always a good idea (especially on the wallet) for the majority of eating needs throughout the weekend

We "usually" (cough,cough) only use the food court on Thursday after we pick up our badges (and occasionally on Saturday night, after the Masquerade) so now we May have to change our plans.
At least we have 10(ish) months to figure out our "final" plans.
(ps- I totally agree with you about CheeseBoy )

Nyuu wrote: Leave my Cheeseboy alone!

Yes. This. I have made it a personal tradition to get a Cheeseboy sandwich and soup for lunch on the last day of the convention every year since it opened. I don't want to have to come up with a new tradition...

Shiroikami wrote:

Nyuu wrote: Leave my Cheeseboy alone!

Yes. This. I have made it a personal tradition to get a Cheeseboy sandwich and soup for lunch on the last day of the convention every year since it opened. I don't want to have to come up with a new tradition...

I also make it a point to end the con weekend with a delicious Cheeseboy sandwich, it shall be oh so disappointing if that can no longer happen..

just a heads up, it looks to be official now.

http://bostinno.streetwise.co/2015/05/1 ... r-in-2016/

According to Boston Properties, construction of Eataly at Prudential Center will commence in June 2015 and is tentatively scheduled to open in late 2016.

so, ab 2016 should definitely be interesting from a "quick, non-hynes food option" perspective.

Great!!!!!
Oh well,
At least we have 10 months to figure out alternate plans...

reaper527 wrote:just a heads up, it looks to be official now.

http://bostinno.streetwise.co/2015/05/1 ... r-in-2016/

According to Boston Properties, construction of Eataly at Prudential Center will commence in June 2015 and is tentatively scheduled to open in late 2016.

so, ab 2016 should definitely be interesting from a "quick, non-hynes food option" perspective.

A moment of silence for Cheeseboy.....

*sob*

So the food court is going to be gutted and shut down for an entire year? What are mall-goers supposed to eat in the mean time?

animosc wrote:So the food court is going to be gutted and shut down for an entire year? What are mall-goers supposed to eat in the mean time? :roll:

There are places to eat in the area. But none of them would be as convenient as the food court - they all require you spend some time planning your route there and back, in addition to standing in line, and actually eating.

And most of them aren't as cheap, given the tourist-y area. There's a Wendy's in Copley Square. There's a Boston Market on Mass. Ave. And there are still places in the Pru that aren't in the Food Court that wouldn't be affected - Wagamama's, California Pizza Kitchen, the Starbucks at the Barnes and Noble, Dunkin Donuts, to name a few.

We won't starve.

Tross_4096 wrote:

animosc wrote:So the food court is going to be gutted and shut down for an entire year? What are mall-goers supposed to eat in the mean time?

There are places to eat in the area. But none of them would be as convenient as the food court - they all require you spend some time planning your route there and back, in addition to standing in line, and actually eating.

And most of them aren't as cheap, given the tourist-y area. There's a Wendy's in Copley Square. There's a Boston Market on Mass. Ave. And there are still places in the Pru that aren't in the Food Court that wouldn't be affected - Wagamama's, California Pizza Kitchen, the Starbucks at the Barnes and Noble, Dunkin Donuts, to name a few.

We won't starve.

Oh for sure, there won't be any shortage on places to eat. I actually venture out fairly often during the con. I just like having the convenience of the food court for those times I'd rather not. And Cheeseboy. Forever Cheeseboy.

On a different note though, this would be a detriment to the hard working staffers and their food vouchers I'd imagine?

We'll figure it out. This news comes in before we've put the budget together, so we'll be able to roll with it. It's nice to think anyone's worried about us, though!

It's now official--the Food Court is dead:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massac ... t_Reads_hp

Honestly the lack of cheap and convenient food options, as well as the lack of single day passes is causing me to strongly reconsider attending in 2016 at all.

pulsedemon wrote:We'll figure it out. This news comes in before we've put the budget together, so we'll be able to roll with it. It's nice to think anyone's worried about us, though!

I respectfully submit that a formal announcement of the food court's closing be issued ASAP, both on this site and on all social media where AB has a presence. This news need to be made very visible, as many thousands of us need to make other plans--especially if all the meal choices in the mall complex will now involve waiting (who knows how long) for a table.

that would be jumping the gun quite a bit (the con is about 10 months away). We'll be letting the exec team exhaust their resources first and then make an announcement but there's no reason to make an announcement so early on and have everyone panic over something that is still being discussed internally and might have a solution down the line.

We know the problem and, as always, we're looking at all viable options first.

Also, I was only responding to the notion of feeding our team. Sorry if that one wasn't clear!

Nemra wrote:that would be jumping the gun quite a bit (the con is about 10 months away). We'll be letting the exec team exhaust their resources first and then make an announcement but there's no reason to make an announcement so early on and have everyone panic over something that is still being discussed internally and might have a solution down the line.

We know the problem and, as always, we're looking at all viable options first.

My apologies if I seem a bit alarmist. Didn't intend to make a scene, as it were.

I agree with you, Master of Nerv.
We congoers need to figure out where/what we're going to eat at AB16, especially since it seems like at least One of our usual options is not going to be available this year
(Cheeseboy )

Master of NERV wrote:

Nemra wrote:that would be jumping the gun quite a bit (the con is about 10 months away). We'll be letting the exec team exhaust their resources first and then make an announcement but there's no reason to make an announcement so early on and have everyone panic over something that is still being discussed internally and might have a solution down the line.

We know the problem and, as always, we're looking at all viable options first.

My apologies if I seem a bit alarmist. Didn't intend to make a scene, as it were.

It's all good! I'm just glad this happened AFTER AB2015... imagine if we were a summer con and we got the offical news a month before con. eep

At least we all have some buffer time for all of us to figure something out one way or another and budget and save up accordingly

sidenote: I'm also 100% with the Cheeseboy mourning crowd here

Nemra wrote:sidenote: I'm also 100% with the Cheeseboy mourning crowd here

Personally, I've been mourning ever since the Indian place went out a few years ago. It was cheap, and good, and they gave you more food, and there was never a line! ...I guess that's why they went out.

And since no one's mentioned it, there is potential upside here: at three floors, there just might be enough seating to handle our crowds.

Tross_4096 wrote:

animosc wrote:So the food court is going to be gutted and shut down for an entire year? What are mall-goers supposed to eat in the mean time?

There are places to eat in the area. But none of them would be as convenient as the food court - they all require you spend some time planning your route there and back, in addition to standing in line, and actually eating.

And most of them aren't as cheap, given the tourist-y area. There's a Wendy's in Copley Square. There's a Boston Market on Mass. Ave. And there are still places in the Pru that aren't in the Food Court that wouldn't be affected - Wagamama's, California Pizza Kitchen, the Starbucks at the Barnes and Noble, Dunkin Donuts, to name a few.

We won't starve.

One place I always love going to is The Pour House on Boylston St. I love that they have 1/2 price burgers on Sat. nights from 6PM-10PM. Also, on Wed. nights there are 1/2 price chicken sandwiches from 6PM-10PM, and on Thurs. nights there's 1/2 price Mexican dishes from 6PM-10PM. Their breakfast/brunch is really great, too.

On a side note, I am disappointed that Tossed is no longer at the Pru. I enjoyed their food...

correct me if i'm wrong but i think there is also another pizza place besides California pizza kitchen in the pru that isn't a part of the food court.

I'm just blanking on the name of the place right now.

Thespellblade20 wrote:correct me if i'm wrong but i think there is also another pizza place besides California pizza kitchen in the pru that isn't a part of the food court.

I'm just blanking on the name of the place right now.

ok I looked it up and I think the place I was thinking of might be crazy dough's pizza

slippers wrote:And since no one's mentioned it, there is potential upside here: at three floors, there just might be enough seating to handle our crowds.

do you have any idea how many people the current food court holds? the article i posted in the op back in april mentions plans for seating 300 people, but i don't have any idea how many people the current setup holds so i have nothing to compare that number against.

My friends and I are extremely upset about this, for now our plan is to eat out one night and go to the nearby Shaws or Walgreens for breakfast/lunch. But this clearly sucks so we are hoping that something will change in the 10 months before AB. Hopefully the bigger ones (Cheeseboy, Panda Express, etc) will move out/around the convention center but it's still not as convenient as having everything there.

reaper527 wrote:

slippers wrote:And since no one's mentioned it, there is potential upside here: at three floors, there just might be enough seating to handle our crowds.

do you have any idea how many people the current food court holds? the article i posted in the op back in april mentions plans for seating 300 people, but i don't have any idea how many people the current setup holds so i have nothing to compare that number against.

And my understanding is that Eataly is also part Italian market. So how much space in these 3 floors is going to be dining vs. retail vs. restaurant? In my head, don't know that it will really have any more space dedicated to seating that the food court originally had.

I really hope Cheeseboy moves to a nearby location. It was my favorite.

MandaTifa wrote:

reaper527 wrote:

slippers wrote:And since no one's mentioned it, there is potential upside here: at three floors, there just might be enough seating to handle our crowds.

do you have any idea how many people the current food court holds? the article i posted in the op back in april mentions plans for seating 300 people, but i don't have any idea how many people the current setup holds so i have nothing to compare that number against.

And my understanding is that Eataly is also part Italian market. So how much space in these 3 floors is going to be dining vs. retail vs. restaurant? In my head, don't know that it will really have any more space dedicated to seating that the food court originally had.

And it's a high-end market / restaurant. Got the impression it's more an alternative to the Legal Seafood price point, not a pizza place.

There are 2 other Cheeseboys in Boston. One in South Station, the other in Downtown Crossing across from Walgreen's.

Still, no food court means all the bars and restaurants along Boylston are going to be getting a ton of extra business.

The easiest food option might just be to go to the Sheraton lobby, ask at the front desk if they have menus for places that deliver, then call one of those places and tell them to bring the food to the Back Bay Sheraton lobby.

Fetch wrote: The easiest food option might just be to go to the Sheraton lobby, ask at the front desk if they have menus for places that deliver, then call one of those places and tell them to bring the food to the Back Bay Sheraton lobby.

Ooh, I really like that idea. Might have to keep it in mind...

Fetch, that is a damn good idea ("ordering in")

Fetch wrote:There are 2 other Cheeseboys in Boston. One in South Station, the other in Downtown Crossing across from Walgreen's.

Still, no food court means all the bars and restaurants along Boylston are going to be getting a ton of extra business.

The easiest food option might just be to go to the Sheraton lobby, ask at the front desk if they have menus for places that deliver, then call one of those places and tell them to bring the food to the Back Bay Sheraton lobby.

I will gladly walk to get my Cheeseboy fix in, thanks for the heads up!

I was just on the Prudential Center's website & I found this:

Prudential Center wrote:Important Visitor Information: The Food Court will close at the end of business on June 25, 2015. This closure is in preparation for construction of Eataly Boston, opening in late 2016. Click to view restaurants and eateries that will remain open after the Food Court closure.

I think this just may give us some hope. (Especially concerning the Cheeseboy...)

So, I'm going to be keeping a close eye on the site & keep you all updated.

I know within walking distance is always preferable, but just remember there's definitely a few good places to grab eats over at Newbury St. Trident Cafe usually shows anime during AB weekend and has some good breakfast/lunch options. And books!

I made a thread here about it: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=19917

Gonna request both topics be merged in the other Board.

DemonGirl-Setsuna wrote:I was just on the Prudential Center's website & I found this:

Prudential Center wrote:Important Visitor Information: The Food Court will close at the end of business on June 25, 2015. This closure is in preparation for construction of Eataly Boston, opening in late 2016. Click to view restaurants and eateries that will remain open after the Food Court closure.

I think this just may give us some hope. (Especially concerning the Cheeseboy...)

So, I'm going to be keeping a close eye on the site & keep you all updated.

If it's in the Food Court, it will be gone. But possibly not forever.
Even if they don't put a food court back in, they'll likely have the places that did well in the food court, such as Cheeseboy and Panda Express, in their own spots in the mall. There are a few currently empty spots in other spots of the Pru.

Fetch,
I hope so. *fingerscrossed*

So I clicked on all the eateries (or at least congoers budget friendly eateries) and these seems to remain open during construction and maybe after construction of Eataly:

-5Napkin Burger (expensive)
-Au Bon Pain (Across the inside of the Hynes entrance)
-Cheese Boy (rejoice people, probably going to be relocated though so go find it)
-Crazy Dough Pizza
-California Pizza Kitchen
-Haru (also expensive)
-PF Chang
-Cheese Cake Factory
-Wagamama

Edit: Went there and asked Pinkberry and DD will be open and i just realize AB has a whole 'where to eat' section on the page, with certain places around Boston that deliver to hotels http://animeboston.com/location/area_dining/

Sno wrote:It does look like Dunkin Donuts and Pinkberry will be closed

Dunkin Donuts is over by the Hynes-entrance, so I don't think it'll be affected...
And the Pinkberry is over by Wagamama, so it might also not be affected.

Plus, I think we should wait until after the 25th to check the site, so we'll have a better idea of what might still be around for AB 2016. (The location of the Cheeseboy is still showing in the food-court...)

DemonGirl-Setsuna wrote:

Sno wrote:It does look like Dunkin Donuts and Pinkberry will be closed

Dunkin Donuts is over by the Hynes-entrance, so I don't think it'll be affected...
And the Pinkberry is over by Wagamama, so it might also not be affected.

Plus, I think we should wait until after the 25th to check the site, so we'll have a better idea of what might still be around for AB 2016. (The location of the Cheeseboy is still showing in the food-court...)

I was just reading on the Prudential Center dining page page that said, "Important Visitor Information: The Food Court will close at the end of business on June 25, 2015. This closure is in preparation for construction of Eataly Boston, opening in late 2016. Click to view restaurants and eateries that will remain open after the Food Court closure." and I clicked on all of them. The ones with no business hours are the ones I assumed would be closed. But yea definitely going to wait until the 25th to make sure which are a definite closure.