Eataly, not really la dolce vita…

The question here is not to oppose globalization, a phenomenon as incontestable as rain or good weather. It is rather: is globalization good for the Marais?

The immense queue (more than 150 meters) which has stretched non-stop since April 12 in front of the new Italian food megastore Eataly suggests that the answer is no. For the neighbors in any case, the “dolce vita” is over! The three-level “shopping mall” opens its doors from 8:30 a.m. to 23 p.m., 7 days a week.

Since its inauguration on April 12, the international chain - 39 stores in 13 countries - has attracted thousands of Parisian aficionados and tourists, all ready to wait hours to buy spaghetti, tomato sauces, oil olive or even to sit in one of the brand's seven Italian restaurants.

Certainly, the selection of products generally keeps its promises, the design is perfectly successful and the marketing concept will surely prove right to Galeries Lafayette (owner of BHV and French partner of Eataly) who expect 1 million visitors per year and 30 to 45 million euros in turnover.

But with its 2.500 square meters, its security service and its army of hostesses, Eataly is more of a shopping center than a neighborhood trattoria.

Perfectly adapted to the dimensions of New York (two stores) Eataly is hardly in phase with the spirit of the historic center of Paris. On the contrary, it participates in its own way in a worrying phenomenon: the Disneylandization of the Marais.