Saskatoon's Midtown Plaza ushers in major renovations as new second-floor food court opens

Mayor Charlie Clark's first response to the new food court atMidtown Plaza was disbelief.

"I can't believe this used to be Sears," he told reporters on Thursday.

The food court, called the "Midtown Common," is located in what used to be thesecond floor of the Sears store.

It's taken just over a year and a halffor thefood court to shift to its new upstairs location as the old court is gutted to create space for a new Mountain Equipment Co-Opto open up in April 2020.

Unlike the old main floor location, the new food court includes a lot of light from windows, lounge-like seating, and a fireplace. It also includes new food spots like Pi Co, Mia Pasta, KFC, Bourbon St. Grill and TCBY.

Eleven restaurants from the old location have moved up to the second floor.

The renovation got an enthusiastic review from localMLA and cabinet minister Don Morgan, who recalledthe mall's origins in 1968 when there was no food court.

The new version, he said,has a "cosmopolitan flavour."

It's also got a healthy dose of investment. The owners are planning to put a total of $80 million into mall renovations.

When asked if online retailers are taking a bite out of mall traffic these days, Clark said the new food court is a sign that thereis still economic opportunity in Saskatoon.

"This is one of the only malls across the country where they're making this level of reinvestment right now ... this is what they need to do to be competitive," he said.

The main floor and basement of the old Sears store are still closed off to the public.

The mall's ownership group, led by Toronto-based KingSett Capital, has saidthe main floor will be subdivided into at least a dozen spaces but has not yet announced what retailers will be there.