Media preview available today - Yorkdale Shopping Centre Launches Heightened Dining Experience: Dine On 3

$35 million expansion brings skylights, terrace, increased seating, new restaurants, reservations, services and more to Yorkdale

TORONTO, June 1, 2012 /CNW/ - Adding to its inventory of leading fashion collections, Yorkdale Shopping Centre, Canada's premier fashion destination, is unveiling an elevated dining experience with the launch of Dine on 3 - its new food collection. Dine on 3 opens to the public this Saturday, June 2, and features a total of 19 vendors on the renovated third level, including three with table service and a café on the second floor. The table-service restaurants and café are licensed establishments.

Dine on 3 delivers a heighted in-centre dining experience with skylights and a sleek and airy interior that features natural materials. It also boasts an outdoor terrace with greenery and seating. The interior incorporates fireplaces, seating for 1,000 shoppers and a food collection Guest Services counter offering everything from fruit-infused water to translation. Stylized escalators and elevators offer a red-carpet-style entrance and create a sense of arrival for guests.

"Our goal was to create an oasis for our shoppers where they can refresh and recharge," said Anthony Casalanguida, General Manager of Yorkdale. "We are embracing access to natural light with skylights and a terrace to create an exceptional dining experience. These design elements combined with first-to-market and first-to-centre restaurants are helping redefine Yorkdale as we prepare to welcome 40 new retailers this fall."

SERVICES

With the new dining experience comes a selection of new services offered by Yorkdale at the Dine on 3 Guest Services station, including seating reservations, fruit-infused water, translation services and a perfume butler. Yorkdale is the only shopping centre in the GTA to offer dining reservations. New restrooms will feature vanity kits, baby changing facilities and toiletries. There will be free wi-fi internet access and bag hooks under tables so purses and shopping bags don't need to be placed on the floor.

THE YORKDALE APP  

Dine on 3 is also featured on Yorkdale's free App available for iPhone, Blackberry and Android devices.  Shoppers can reserve tables on Dine on 3, browse all the dining options and menus and even use the "What do you crave?" feature to find out which restaurants best suit their moods.

ENVIRONMENT

Dine on 3 features reusable glasses, dinnerware and cutlery to minimize the environmental footprint. Dine on 3's scullery features a state-of-the-art washing system that boasts an 85 per cent reduction in water use compared to the previous system. Food waste will be compounded and sent to an environmental recycling company that uses it for compost.

VENDORS

Dine on 3 features a total of 19 restaurants including three with table service and a café. The dining options reflect the multicultural makeup of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and include some of Toronto's best-loved brands and several restaurants that are new to the GTA and new to in-centre dining.

Some of the newest restaurants at Yorkdale's Dine on 3 will include:

SU & SHI Noodle Bar

The Dine on 3 SU & SHI Noodle Bar is the first location of a new dining concept by the Spring Rolls Group, which has been offering Torontonians quality pan-Asian cuisine since 1996. A unique culinary concept, SU & SHI Noodle Bar is modelled after the latest Ramen bars in Japan. SU & SHI Noodle Bar creates a fun and unique food offering for lovers of Asian fare.

Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria

Justin Lussier, Jason Allard and Christian Bullock founded Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria as a means of bringing the authentic Neapolitan pizza experience to Canada. Already successful in Alberta and BC, the Dine on 3 location marks the first Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria in Ontario.  Training with the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana (VPN), an organization preserving the standards of authentic Neapolitan pizza, Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria offers Yorkdale diners a true taste of Italy with '00' caputo flour and tomatoes imported from Italy. Pizzas are cooked at 900°F for 90 seconds in an authentic bell oven, just the way Italians have been doing it for centuries.

La Paloma Gelateria & Café

This Toronto institution from the Corso Italia is a welcome addition to Dine on 3. Since 1967, La Paloma Gelateria & Café has provided its clientele with a sweet taste of Italy that is unrivaled, with 75 unique flavours of gelato, home-made pastries, specialty cakes, sandwiches, pizza, waffles and other desserts. With more than 45 years of expertise in the art of making Gelato, the St Clair West staple has earned award after award in many of the city's most popular magazines, reader polls and web surveys.

espressamente illy

Illy is one of the world's most famous coffee brands. The espressamente illy café at Yorkdale is the largest in the world and the first in-centre location in Canada. It features a custom-made 96-cup chandelier featuring illy artist designer cups.  espressamente illy offers an authentic Italian experience in atmosphere, menu and, of course, espresso. In fact, the experience is so authentic that certain ingredients are imported to Canada for the express purpose of creating illy-quality recipes.

Glow Press

Glow Press, the newest in delicious healthy fare from nutrition guru Rose Reisman, will celebrate one of Toronto's favourite comfort foods, gourmet grilled cheese, with a menu full of premium quality breads and all-natural, non-processed cheese. With toppings ranging from BBQ pulled pork to lobster, Glow Press lets diners fill their comfort cravings while celebrating Reisman's philosophy of a healthy, balanced lifestyle.

The full list of Yorkdale's new food collection vendors

A&W, Amaya Express, Big Smoke Burger, Booster Juice, Chipotle Mexican Grill, espressamente illy, Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria, Glow Press, Jimmy the Greek, KFC, La Paloma Gelateria & Café, Manchu Wok, New York Fries, Shanghai 360, SU & SHI Noodle Bar, Subway, Teriyaki Experience, Thai Express, Villa Madina

ABOUT YORKDALE SHOPPING CENTRE

With more than 225 shops and services Yorkdale Shopping Centre is Canada's premier fashion destination. Building on a collection of the best retail outlets including Holt Renfrew, Tiffany & Co., Burberry, Cartier, J.Crew, Michael Kors and Tory Burch, Yorkdale Shopping Centre is currently undergoing a $220-million expansion that will open in November 2012, adding 145,000 square feet of retail space, including 40 new first-to-market and flagship brands, as well as more than 800 new underground parking spaces and a new valet parking area. In June 2012, Yorkdale Shopping Centre will unveil a spacious new third level food collection that will double seating capacity and offer new restaurant options. Yorkdale is managed by Oxford Properties and owned by Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo), on behalf of its clients, and Oxford Properties Group. Dedicated to sustainability, Yorkdale's 1.45 million square feet has received more than a dozen prestigious awards and recognition for creating a balance between sustainable environmental programs and a unique shopping experience since 2001. Yorkdale is located at 3401 Dufferin Street, off Allen Road, near the 401. For more information, visit www.yorkdale.com.

or to attend today's media preview:

Maria Cortellucci, Media Profile
[email protected]
416-523-2511

Jeri Brown, Media Profile
[email protected]
416-455-7188