Tucker's Marketplace
FormerlyMother Tucker's Food Experience
TypePrivate
IndustryBuffet restaurant
Headquarters
Canada
Number of locations
1 (2023)

Tucker's Marketplace is an buffet restaurant in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It opened in 2023.[1]

Previously it was a chain of restaurants, with locations in Burlington, Mississauga, , Pickering, and Toronto. It was founded decades earlier as Mother Tucker's Food Experience, an à la carte restaurant. The company ceased operations in June 2020, a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the buffet format. On January 24, 2023, the company announced the Ottawa location would re-open on January 25, 2023.[1] The restaurant's name is a reference to a colloquial expression in British English; "tuck in" meaning to commence the consumption of a large meal.

Mother Tucker's Food Experience

Winnipeg entrepreneur Oscar Grubert opened the first location in February 1976,[2] in downtown Edmonton, at 10184 104 Street.[3] Its location was a brick warehouse built in 1927. According to The Globe and Mail, "The interior is a dimly lit rabbit warren (lined with barn siding, criss-crossed with huge wooden beams) of alcoves holding two, three or four tables. A cosy friendly atmosphere prevails amid an extraordinary clutter of such things as old cream separators, barrels, haymow hoists, washing machines, crocks, pots, teakettles, copper boilers and suchlike."[4] The location was à la carte.[4] The Globe and Mail described the chain as a "traditional roadhouse" in 1984, comparing it to Kelsey's and The Keg.[5] Winnipeg and Calgary locations were opened within the first year,[6][7] the latter replacing a location of Grubert's Butcher Block restaurant.[8][9]

As of 1980, the company was headquartered in Winnipeg,[10] likely a result of being owned by Champs Food Systems.[11] It looked to expand into the United States.[10] By 1981, the company intended to move its headquarters to the US within three years.[12] In 1989, the Scarborough, Ontario chain solicited for franchisees.[13]

Locations

As of 1984, the chain had 21 locations.[14]

Tucker's Marketplace

In 1994, the chain rebooted as Tucker's Marketplace. Largely a buffet split into themed stations, it continued to offer some table service items, including prime rib.[15] Stations were dubbed "shops", including The Corner Baker, The Green Grocer, The CookStove, Carvery & Co, and The Ice Cream Stand.[16][17]

The new brand was created by Mother Tucker's Food Experience (Canada) Ltd.[18] and Working Ventures Canadian Fund Inc., as Newgen Restaurant Services.[16][19] Nolan Grubert was named its president.[16] The goal was to expand to 25 locations in Ontario and Quebec.[16] As of 2018, the Tucker's Marketplace chain was still owned by Newgen.[20]

As of the early 2000s, its tagline was "Here's Your Plate, Go Crazy."[21]

Beginning in March 2020, the chain posted an open letter on its website, suggesting it would stay closed "until concern about the coronavirus, Covid-19 begins to ease."[22][23] On June 25, 2020, an open letter was posted stating that due to Covid-19 "we will not be reopening our restaurants."[24] The closure was announced chain-wide in late June, with the restaurant stating "that there is not a profitable path forward for our business."[25][26]

The Ottawa location was confirmed to close on June 11, 2020 by CTV News Ottawa,[27][28] but later was announced to re-open on January 25, 2023.[29]

References

  1. 1 2 Raymond, Ted (25 Jan 2023). "Tucker's Marketplace reopening Wednesday in ByWard Market". CTV News Ottawa. Ottawa ON. Retrieved 25 Jan 2023.
  2. ↑ "Now Open: Experience Mother Tucker's Salad Bar". Edmonton Journal. Edmonton AB. 16 February 1976. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  3. ↑ "Mother Tucker's Food Experience (ad)" (Newspapers.com). Edmonton Journal. Edmonton AB. 17 January 1976. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  4. 1 2 Turnbull, Robert (13 May 1978). "It's a good-eating city". The Globe and Mail. Toronto ON. p. 44.
  5. ↑ Goldstein, Paul (17 December 1984). "Roadhouses trade on luck o' the Irish". The Globe and Mail. Toronto ON. p. B1.
  6. ↑ Weiss, Gary (4 December 1976). "Winnipeg's fine old office buildings take on new life" (Newspapers.com). National Post. Toronto ON. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  7. ↑ "Mother Tucker's Food Experience" (Newspapers.com). The Calgary Herald. Calgary AB. 29 September 1976. p. 50. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  8. ↑ Hopkins, John (8 January 1977). "John Hopkins" (Newspapers.com). Calgary Herald. Calgary AB. p. 59. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  9. ↑ "From law to restaurants" (Newspapers.com). The Leader-Post. Regina SK. The Canadian Press. 29 March 1977. p. 25. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  10. 1 2 Mother Tucker's Food Experience, Inc. (8 August 1980). "Director — Real Estate Financing and Development (ad)". The Globe and Mail. Toronto ON. p. B12.
  11. ↑ Sinclair Jr., Gordon (27 February 2014). "The king of food". Winnipeg Free Press. Winnipeg MB. Retrieved 26 June 2020. And with his other corporate pillar, Mother Tucker's Food Experience, he would expand across Canada and the United States.
  12. ↑ Mother Tucker's Food Experience, Inc. (24 April 1981). "Vice President — Marketing (ad)". The Globe and Mail. Toronto ON. p. B12.
  13. ↑ "After 15 years of corporate success, Mother Tucker's is read to cut you in (ad)". The Globe and Mail. Toronto ON. 5 December 1989. p. B21.
  14. ↑ "Paid copies of magazines read more". The Globe and Mail. Toronto ON. 29 August 1984. p. B5.
  15. ↑ "Light bites". The Hamilton Spectator. Hamilton ON. 16 April 1994. p. 18.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "Tucker's Marketplace new concept in the Market" (Newspapers.com). The Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa ON. 9 May 1996. p. 8.
  17. ↑ Scullion, Erin (11 September 1996). "New concepts: There's always something new and different to tantalize you in the Byward Market" (Newspapers.com). The Ottawa Citizen (Byward Market/Marchė By 5th Annual United Way Harvest Festival advertising segment). Ottawa ON. p. 5. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  18. ↑ "TUCKER'S MARKETPLACE RESTAURANT & DESIGN — 1155917". Canadian Trademarks Database. Ottawa ON: Government of Canada. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  19. ↑ "Who's getting venture capital funds at first quarter 1996" (Newspapers.com). National Post. Toronto ON. 22 June 1996. p. 14. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  20. ↑ Pataki, Amy (9 May 2018). "Brothers know their steaks". Toronto Star. Toronto ON. p. E6.
  21. ↑ "TUCKER'S MARKETPLACE RESTAURANT & DESIGN — 1155917". Canadian Trademarks Database. Ottawa ON: Government of Canada. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  22. ↑ Laucius, Joanne (12 June 2020). "Tucker's Marketplace won't reopen until COVID-19 eases, says restaurant chain". Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa ON: Postmedia. Retrieved 13 June 2020.
  23. ↑ "Tucker's". Tucker's Marketplace. 2020. Archived from the original on 11 April 2020.
  24. ↑ Letter of June 25,2020
  25. ↑ Carlberg, Amy (25 June 2020). "Popular buffet restaurant is shutting down all locations in Canada". blogTO. Toronto ON. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  26. ↑ Pringle, Josh (25 June 2020). "Tucker's Marketplace closing ByWard Market location". CTV Ottawa. Ottawa ON. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  27. ↑ Pringle, Josh (11 June 2020). "Popular ByWard Market pub closing after 18 years". CTV News Ottawa. Ottawa ON. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  28. ↑ Dubé, Dani-Elle (11 June 2020). "'It's tragic — it's really tough:' Councillor Fleury plans to help ByWard Market businesses post COVID-19". Ottawa Matters. Ottawa ON. Retrieved 26 June 2020.
  29. ↑ Jhalli, Anil (24 Jan 2023). "Tucker's Marketplace re-opening". CityNews Ottawa. Ottawa ON. Retrieved 25 Jan 2023.
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